It was the natural disaster that killed hundreds of thousands and devastated large parts of southern Asia. But the effects of the tsunami which struck on 26 December 2004 are still being felt especially by volunteers. Civilian police worker Emma Linney, for example, devoted five weeks to help orphans in southern Thailand recently. Shocked by the extent of damage and how much help is still needed, she has encouraged colleagues to donate money and vowed to continue volunteering.  Read article

Cardiff, Wales, UK: A huge renaissance in the popularity of the Scouts and Guides is causing a shortage of leaders in Wales, with too few leaders for the numbers of youngsters wanting to join up. Busy lifestyle and apathy are being blamed by officials.  Read article

London, UK: Business and management professionals are urged to share their skills and knowledge with people in poor countries while giving their long-term career prospects a boost, says VSO.  Read article

UK's Department for International Development (DfID) launched a new booklet, "Disaster and Emergencies Overseas: How you can help", which explains that by donating money, organizing a fundraising activity or volunteering to work for a charity can all help save lives.   Read article

London, UK: Delaying the retirement age will prevent people from volunteering in later life, potentially robbing the voluntary movement of a huge army of retired volunteers and leaving many public and community services unstaffed, says a new YouGov survey for Volunteering England to mark the launch of Volunteers’ Week.  Read article

London, UK: Two leading disability organizations in the UK today launched a major new guide ahead of national Volunteers Week aimed at ensuring young disabled people have access to volunteering opportunities.  Read article

London, UK: A group of young people from across England are gearing up to travel to Germany as part of an international bid to promote peace at the World Cup.  Read article

Edinburgh, Scotland: Scores of Polish immigrants in Edinburgh are giving charities a massive boost - by offering their services for free. With many of the 20,000 Poles who have flocked to the Scottish capital since the expansion of the European Union (EU) working in unskilled jobs such as waitressing or labouring, many are turning to unpaid volunteering to improve skills and their chances of getting better jobs.   Read article

Being the chief executive of a voluntary organization is no walk in the park, says Debra Tyler. She heads the Directory of Social Change, an organization that provides information to support volunteer organizations worldwide.  Read article

London, UK: "London Cares Day" attracted thousands of people to give services for free. Now in its second year, this private sector initiative will tackle 130 projects in 114 schools all over London.  Read article