NEWS

30 November, 2004 UN Volunteer in Honduras wins top UNDP award Peter Claesson, United Nations Volunteers (UNV) Programme Officer in Honduras, is one of the five recipients of the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Administrator’s Award for Innovation and Commitment. A native of Gothenburg, Sweden, Claesson received the award for his “Art For All” project in Tegucigalpa, Honduras’ capital city, in which he rallied 56 artists from around the world to volunteer their time and talent to visualize the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through murals and sculptures. From: UN Volunteers   30 November, 2004 President Bush calls on Americans to volunteer President George W. Bush has issued a holiday call for Americans to share their "blessings with the least among us." In a Thanksgiving weekend radio address, he spoke of people around the country who have volunteered to help the needy and made special efforts on behalf of US troops. From: Katu News   25 November, 2004 International organizations to launch 'Cities with Heart' award The United Nations Volunteers programme, the Inter-American Development Bank's Inter-American Initiative on Social Capital, Ethics and Development and the UN-Habitat will launch "Cities with Heart" award on International Volunteer Day, 5 December. The award intends to give recognition to cities for their exemplary contribution to volunteer action. From: Inter-American Development Bank   10 November, 2004 Pakistan focuses on volunteers' role in achieving MDGs The first in a series of seminars on volunteerism and the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) was held in Pakistan’s capital city on Saturday, 6 November. More than 200 students at Quaid-i-Azam University listened to talks on the role of volunteers in achieving the MDGs. From: National Commission for Human Development, Pakistan   10 November, 2004 United Way announces plan to boost volunteerism The United Way of North Central Massachusetts recently announced the creation of Community Builders, a programme designed to build social capital. Karson Aubuchon, chair of the 25th anniversary committee, said Community Builders is a result of a new partnership between United Way and Mount Wachusett Community College. From: Lowell Sun, Massachusetts   9 November, 2004 France, Germany discuss enhancing volunteering in Europe A Franco-German workshop on volunteerism is being held today at the Center of International Conferences in Paris, France. Representatives of French and German volunteer organizations are gathering for a two-day meeting to discuss ways of promoting volunteerism and enhance recognition of volunteer action within the European Union. From: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, France   4 November, 2004 More staff than ever employed by charity, volunteer organizations Charities are signalling their confidence in the future of the voluntary sector by employing more staff than ever before, according to a new voluntary sector salary survey. From: The Guardian   3 November, 2004 Pakistan hosts conference on volunteerism & MDGs The Government of Pakistan is hosting a three-day International Conference on Volunteerism and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Islamabad from 5 to 7 December 2004. The conference, to be opened by the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shaukat Aziz, will consider the actions needed to promote and advance volunteer contributions as an essential ingredient to achieve the eight goals. From: National Commission for Human Development, Pakistan   2 November, 2004 UN Volunteer receives poverty award for work in West Bank The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) recently awarded a UN Volunteer for his exemplary work in helping improve primary education in the West Bank. UN Volunteer Bader Zama’rah heads an organization called Sharek (which means “participate” in Arabic). From: UN Volunteers in the Palestine Occupied Territory

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FEATURES

25 November, 2004 Students learn lifelong lessons from volunteering by Tyrone Burrell At least one local school has started a service organization for middle-school-age students. Why is it important for kids to get involved in community service? I think what kids do at a young age kind of sets a tone, the foundation, for their positive involvement in the life of a community for years to come. From: The Times Herald   5 November, 2004 HIV-infected volunteers help prevent AIDS in Laos Thirty five year-old, Poypilin Keosysome worked as a sex worker for 12 years. Recently, she found out she was HIV positive . “When I first discovered I was HIV positive, I was really depressed and retreated from the world,” said Poypilin. “It took a long time for my friends to understand, so I just kept myself in isolation.” From: United Nations Volunteers Lao PDR

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VIEWPOINTS

18 November, 2004 Why Georgia struggles with volunteerism by Misha Kechaqmadze Since the Rose Revolution, Georgia continues to experience substantial social, political and economic change. In this transitional period it is critical to ensure the equal participation of all members in society. From: The Messenger   5 November, 2004 Interns: The 'acceptable' volunteers? by Susan Ellis Are “interns” the same as or different from “volunteers”? What makes the current discussion critical to me, however, is the clear sense that organizations and individuals vastly prefer what they think of as interns to what they consider as volunteers. From: Energize

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