Dodoma, Tanzania: How do you equip youth with the necessary skills to avoid unwanted sex? What factors lead to risky sexual behaviour? How do you prevent HIV transmission among youth? These topics form but a snapshot of the issues that fuelled lively discussions during a recent training session on comprehensive sexuality education that I attended in my duty station, Zanzibar, Tanzania. Read

Tanzania: "Working for UNICEF was very interesting, meaningful and important. It made it clear to me that this is the line of work I want to be in. The memories of living and working in Tanzania will stay with me for life. It gave me valuable insight into complex development issues many, particularly African nations, face today." Read

Lalomanu, Samoa: Whether it's earthquakes, tsunamis or extreme weather, when disaster strikes it's not the aid and rescue agencies who are the first on the scene to assist. It's volunteers who were there already. Read

Arusha, Tanzania: Though refugees escaping conflict at home have it tough, there are still ways to minimize their impact on the environment. Shiferaw Mekonnen from UNHCR explains how voluntary efforts led to halving the amount of firewood needed by refugees in Tanzania, and how they planted millions of seedlings to help replace the forests. Read

Yokahama, Japan: UNV is showcasing the importance of volunteerism in Africa at the fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV) conference. UNV Executive Coordinator Flavia Pansieri and UNV Chief of the Africa Region Michele Falavigna are attending in order to contribute to the conference and its output documents (such as the Yokahama Declaration and Plan of Action), and to discuss UNV's activities with the Japanese and African media. The conference runs from 28-30 May in Yokohama, Japan. Read