Ben Hiza always knew he was interested in volunteering. While others pick a local group, Hiza decided to apply to the Peace Corps and was accepted in January for assignment in Mexico, where he will serve for two years. "For me, it's the sense that you're actually helping someone, as well as a cause. I'm improving someone's life and a country's development," Hiza said.  Visit site

Manila, The Philippines: "Volunteers should never stop trying to understand what they see and have a capacity of empathy. That's why we often find ourselves become more open-minded and get a wider picture of the world through volunteering." A volunteer from China describes her experiences preserving the environment.  Read article

Manila, The Philippines: The volunteers at Stairway are what we call 'ate(s)' and 'kuya(s)' (big brothers and big sisters), who devote their time as teachers, as well as friends. I was very impressed with how the volunteers have become really close to the boys. They believed that these children need love. They believed that their presence would not only make a difference to the foundation, but make a difference in their lives as well.  Read article

Makati City, The Philippines: In the Philippines, two Japanese volunteers help send young Ifugao people to school and, in the process, learn to cook rice without a rice cooker...

Jephonie Himmiwat is an Ifugao, one of the indigenous people in the northern Philippines. Her people and their land are inseparable, thus both are called by the same name, Ifugao. 

In Japan, two women enjoyed a very different upbringing. Twenty-three-year-old Kiyoko Okamoto spent four years as staff at the Mister Donut chain while she was studying international economics in the city of Fukuoka. Thirty-year-old Kozue Kamijo worked part-time in a restaurant while attending a business school in the Japanese capital.

  Read entry

On his blog, Patrick Mosolf relates his diverse experiences as a volunteer across the world - from work in his local community in the US to time spent as a UNV volunteer in Liberia.  Visit site