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International Volunteer Day 2010
During the IVD celebrations, the volunteers presented the recreational activities within the context of working towards the Millennium Development Goals. (Adriana Serdan/UNV, 2010)
International Volunteer Day (IVD) celebrates the engagement of millions of volunteers who give their time and talent to help advance peace and development around the world.

“Volunteerism helps bring us together as individuals and societies,” said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “Together, let us use the tenth anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers (IYV+10) in 2011 to find new areas where volunteering can make a difference.”

Read more about how volunteerism was recognized and celebrated on IVD.

IVD around the world
Anoj Chhetri, the UNV Programme Officer for India (right) escorted Sam Sharpe, Head of the British Government Department of International Development in India (DFID) through an IVD 2010 photo exhibition held in New Delhi. The exhibit, which featured photos of tribal women volunteers, included descriptions of how volunteers have contributed towards achieving the MDGs by helping to address maternal and infant mortality among the tribal community or improve the livelihood of marginalised communities. (UNV, 2010)
India celebrates IVD across the country
08 March 2011
New Delhi, India: International Volunteer Day (IVD) 2010 was celebrated all over India with a variety of impressive activities from a national essay and slogan competition to local panel discussions, a tree-planting and a human chain march to promote the MDGs and volunteerism. Read
More about: MDGs: General  Youth
Countries:  India
UN Volunteer Alexis Garnett drawing with the children at Al-Rahma Foundation during the Gender Awareness Game. (UNV, Rocco Nuiri)
International Volunteer Day Celebration in Yemen 2010
19 January 2011
Sana’a, Yemen: The United Nations Volunteers programme currently has 35 UNV volunteers working in Yemen with various United Nations agencies and in their free time volunteering at the grassroots level, from providing English classes to engaging in youth organizations.
This year IVD was celebrated in partnership with Al-Rahma Foundation, an organization that provides girls who are abused with a safe place to grow and learn. Read
More about: MDG 2: Universal primary education  MDG 3: Gender equality  MDG 7: Environmental sustainability  MDGs: General  Volunteering advocacy
Countries:  Yemen
Villagers from the community helping to replant mangroves. (Jenny Iao Jorgensen/UNDP)
Over a hundred volunteers joined hands in coastal clean-up and mangrove planting in Samoa
14 January 2011
Fasitootai, Samoa: This year the IVD celebration focused on the theme Volunteering for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Since the Pacific is one of the most vulnerable regions to the adverse impacts of climate change, achieving the MDGs is made more challenging. On 4 December 2010, over 100 local and international volunteers joined hands in cleaning up and planting mangroves in Fasitootai, northwest of Samoa’s Upolu Island. In less than two hours they cleared about 10,000 sq meters of Fasitootai’s coastline and planted 250 mangrove seedlings. Read
More about: Environment  MDG 7: Environmental sustainability  MDG 7: Environmental sustainability  MDGs: General
Countries:  Samoa  Samoa
Children between 11 and 13 years of age designed posters for the MDG Poster Competition. (UNV 2010)
IVD 2010: Stories from Fiji
14 January 2011
Suva, Fiji: The celebration in 2010 was composed of several events, such as, “Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) poster competition” which provided an opportunity to address the issues of the MDGs in Fiji from children’s perspectives and “Family Fun Walk and Sports Day” with more than 200 participants. Read
More about: Children  MDGs: General  Volunteering advocacy  Youth
Countries:  Fiji
International Volunteer Day was celebrated in Dili, Timor-Leste on Saturday, 4 December 2010 on the grounds of the State Youth and Sports Secretariat. Students and Youth Parliament members gathered with UNV volunteers and volunteers from other organizations to discuss volunteerism and participate in educational games based on the Millennium Development Goals. (UNMIT, Sebastian Urresta)
More than 350 Timorese inspired by IVD
22 December 2010
Dili, Timor-Leste: This year's IVD celebrations in Timor-Leste contributed to disseminating information about volunteer work advancing progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and to encouraging more young people to volunteer. More than 350 Timorese participated and over 150 volunteers acted as organizers and facilitators. Read
More about: MDG 3: Gender equality  MDG 4: Reduce child mortality  MDG 5: Maternal health  MDG 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases  MDG 7: Environmental sustainability  Volunteering advocacy  Youth
Countries:  Timor-Leste
This page can found at: http://www.unv.org/what-we-do/intl-volunteer-day/ivd-2010-around-the-world.html