An 8-year-old Marian Byrnes shadowed her mother as she took food to an ailing neighbour. Day after day, dish after dish, walking from one Hoosier farmhouse to another until the neighbour lady got better. In time, Byrnes learned a lesson about giving for the sake of giving. More importantly, she learned about volunteering for a greater good.  Read article

Volunteering has a strong history in the UK, but thanks to the hard-hitting team of the chancellor, Gordon Brown, and former home secretary David Blunkett, its profile has never been higher.  Read article

New York: An international team of young people recently produced a report containing recommendations on how national and international institutions can involve young people in helping to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).  Read article

Ontario, Canada: As Canada celebrates the National Volunteer Week, the province of Ontario pays tribute to thousands of volunteers who provided valuable community services.  Read article

Washington, D.C.: The National Volunteer Week started yesterday, kicking off a week of service projects and recognition events to honor and thank America's 64 million volunteers for their vital contribution to the nation.  Read article

Sarajevo: The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme and European Union's European Voluntary Service (EVS) recently announced a new volunteer exchange programme.  Read article

Karnataka: Volunteers of Namma Dhwani (Our Voice), a community radio station in Karnataka, south of India, recently played an important role in ensuring free and fair local elections.  Read article

Geneva: As the international community marks World Health Day by focusing attention on the difficulties faced by mothers and children, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is stressing the need to actively engage with communities and civil society to improve the health of vulnerable women and children around the world.  Read article

The air is full of dust as energetic Sri Lanka Red Cross volunteers carry tsunami debris away from a destroyed house. Every day, ten houses in Beruwala are cleaned up by Red Cross and community volunteers. Their work helps identify basic needs and immediate solutions, speeding up the mental and physical recovery of the affected communities.  Read article

San Francisco: What did volunteering do for me? The globe is so much smaller now.  An ocean away, there's a girl who fell asleep holding my hand. The thread that binds me to the blind woman in Bangkok and the homeless man at my bus stop is stronger. The one who benefited most from my volunteer efforts was probably me.  Read article