Maryland, USA: The International Labour Organization and the Johns Hopkins University Center for Civil Society Studies today announced an agreement to develop an approach for putting volunteer work on the economic map for the first time. Also announced was a start-up grant from the United Nations Volunteers to help underwrite this effort.   Read article

Wellington, New Zealand: A research report launched today will lead to a better understanding of volunteering and unpaid work from a Maori perspective, says Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector Luamanuvao Winnie Laban.   Read article

Manila, Philippines: Peace Coprs volunteer Julia Campbell's body was found in a shallow grave in Ifugao, northern part of the Philippines last 18 April. She worked as a volunteer English teacher at the Divine Word College in Albay province's Legazpi city, southeast of Manila, since October 2006.  Read article

Wellington, New Zealand: A new report showing that 90 per cent of non-profit organisations in New Zealand are run entirely by unpaid volunteers proves how important these people are to our society, Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Luamanuvao Winnie Laban said today.  Read article

Washington, D.C., USA: A new study in the United States has found that volunteering produces many positive benefits for teens from low- income backgrounds -- they become empowered, are more likely to volunteer and become politically engaged, and believe they will graduate from college and make a difference in their communities.  Read article

Baghdad, Iraq: Iraq is the deadliest country in the world for aid workers, specialists say. Treated as Western collaborators they face death on a daily basis in the course of meeting the needs of an increasingly desperate population.   Read article

Chicago, USA: The volunteers shaved their heads at several St. Baldrick's events in 10 countries to raise money for pediatric cancer research.  Read article

Tarinkot, Afghanistan: Taliban and other anti-government insurgents are preventing health workers and volunteers to vaccinate children against polio in remote parts of Afghanistan.  Read article

Lilongwe, Malawi: Efforts to reduce infant mortality in Malawi got a boost today as U.S. and Malawi officials marked the arrival of 75,000 baby caps made by volunteer knitters and crocheters throughout the U.S. as part of Save the Children's campaign to save newborn lives worldwide.   Read article

Dozens of Sudanese Red Crescent volunteers are being trained to participate in a Primary Health Care project which is being run by the Sudanese Red Crescent, supported by the International Federation, in rural South Kordofan.  Read article