Canberra, Australia: Volunteer firefighters, emergency services crews and other Australians who donate hundreds of hours of their time each year could be offered petrol vouchers, tax rebates or cash reimbursements under a new proposal to defray the soaring fuel costs.  Read article

Holon, Israel: Israeli education minister plans to recruit more Arab students into the national volunteering scheme. Under this programme, more than 3,000 students are recruited each year to help teach in schools and community centres.  Read article

Beijing, China: China launched today the 2008 Beijing Olympics volunteer recruitment campaign, expecting 100,000 volunteers. Would-be volunteers within the Beijing area are encouraged to apply online immediately. Recruitment of volunteers from other areas, including foreigners, will begin next year.  Read article

Kabul, Afghanistan: Thousands of volunteers and healthworkers have been deployed in Afghanistan to ensure all children under age five are vaccinated against polio.  Read article

Lima, Peru: El Centro Nacional de Voluntariado (CENAVOL) y el Programa de Voluntarios de las Naciones Unidas en Perú (UNV) organizaron el 22 de julio la I Conferencia Nacional de Voluntariado y V Encuentro Nacional de Voluntarios.   Read article

New York, USA: Americans should consider marking the anniversary of the 2001 terror attacks by performing good deeds, like volunteering for charities or checking in on elderly neighbours, says a group promoting September 11 as a day of national service.  Read article

Baghdad, Iraq: Displaced Iraqis plead to their government and international organizations to find ways to protect volunteers and aid workers from the on-going sectarian conflict amongst Islamic groups.  Read article

Buseleni, Swaziland: Swaziland, a country of just over a million people, is estimated to have 70,000 children who have lost one or both parents to AIDS. Expecting this figure to rise, the government and international agencies have set up a network of some 430 volunteer-run meeting points to care for these orphans and children at-risk.  Read article

Cange, Haiti: In the pediatric clinic of the small community of Cange, east of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, Estrella Torres, a volunteer pediatrician sees dozens of sick children everyday, brought by parents who are sometimes as sick as the babies.  Read article

Ha Noi, Viet Nam: As the world marks the United Nations’ International Youth Day on 12 August, Viet Nam’s over 40 million young people are facing major challenges. In fact, majority of the country’s poor are under the age of 24, lacking necessary skills, health services and employment opportunities to bring themselves out of poverty.  Read article