Geneva, Switzerland: Somalia is again polio-free, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) announced last week, calling it a 'historic achievement' in public health. This landmark victory is a result of the efforts of over 10,000 Somali volunteers and health workers who repeatedly vaccinated more than 1.8 million children under the age of five by visiting every household in of the most dangerous places on earth.  Read article

Mbabane, Swaziland : Overworked and poorly paid, volunteer caregivers in Swaziland struggling to cope with the growing numbers of bedridden patients with HIV, are faced with a hard choice: to quit or go hungry.  Read article

Hanoi, Vietnam: UNV Vietnam joined hands with several organizations and government agencies to mark three UN Days: World AIDS day (1 December), International Day for Disabled People (3 December) and International Volunteer Day (5 December); with the theme "Equality and Integration".  Read article

Beijing, China: On 1 December, the 20th AIDS Day, Chinese volunteers took an oath to help fight the deadly infection. The rate of new HIV/AIDS infections in China is slowing but the situation remains a very big concern.  Read article

Xiao Dong, 31, who heads up the Chaoyang Chinese AIDS Volunteer Group, has been working for more than two years to improve AIDS education in China's capital. The organization's work is targeted at groups that are deemed a high risk to contract the deadly virus, such as intravenous drug users, sex workers and the city's gay population.  Read article