Turkey: “To meet the various challenges, we have to come up with new strategies both to attract women’s organizations and NGOs as well as for presenting the training to women.” Read

Indonesia: “I was very lucky because my UNV position allowed me to work at a very grassroots level. It was a completely life-changing and formative experience and formed the way I approached development work. I learned that everything has to be grounded in local culture, in local knowledge.” Read

Kampala, Uganda: “Work in the field is crucial to the peacebuilding process – it gives a chance for authentic understanding of the issues at hand.  But you can also contribute to the process even if you are working in front of a computer, behind a desk far away from the field. Everyone can do their part by leveraging on their respective personal strengths and knowledge.” Read

Online: “I would encourage everyone to volunteer.  It is important to let your passion guide your choice of a volunteering field.” Read

“The invaluable experience and expertise of older people should be tapped into by companies, institutions, local and central governments, schools and universities, engaging them as consultants in diverse areas.” Read

Jordan: “We talked with the Directorates of Employment and Development and the municipality.  We had proposals and wanted to know how they could help in the future.  We didn’t want promises and words, we wanted action.  And we can feel that some changes have happened.” Read

Ghana: “I love this volunteer experience… giving a helping hand to achieving gender equality through promoting sustainable livelihoods.” Read

Taro Island, Choiseul Province, Solomon Islands: This year, the Honourable Jackson Kiloe, Premier of Choiseul Province in the Solomon Islands, launched Internet services and a public telephone on Taro Island on 5 December, International Volunteer Day. With these communication facilities, the remote Taro Airport Terminal became the first and only airport in the Solomon Islands to provide Internet, public telephone and top-up services. Read

After the Libya crisis broke, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) relied on the service of hundreds of online volunteers who created and maintained a virtual map that showed live information about events in the country. The Libya Crisis Map provided relief organizations with information on health needs, security threats or refugee movements to help them plan their humanitarian response. Read

Sharing her long-standing editorial experience, Yolanta Cwik from Canada conceived a website and posters for the Deworm Ghana Campaign run by the Ghana-based NGO Volunteer Partnerships for West Africa (VPWA). 3,900 children were dewormed as a result of this campaign, which was the first in a series that the organization will replicate in other West African countries. Read