As the United Nations International Year of the Volunteer draws to a close, Volunteer Toronto has launched a new smartphone application to help tell the stories of those who donate their time to worthy causes. A total of 29 volunteers and those who have benefited from their work are sharing their experiences through digital storytelling.

Five international UN Volunteers from Brazil are in El Salvador working on disaster risk reduction and food security, as part of a South-South cooperation project between the Government of Brazil and the Government of El Salvador, in collaboration with UNV.

UN Volunteers at Zambia Human Rights Commission are known for going "the extra mile in doing their work" and have been accepted by their colleagues, says HRC Deputy Director.

After the Libya crisis broke, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) relied on the service of hundreds of online volunteers who created and maintained a virtual map that showed live information about events in the country. The Libya Crisis Map provided relief organizations with information on health needs, security threats or refugee movements to help them plan their humanitarian response.

Sharing her long-standing editorial experience, Yolanta Cwik from Canada conceived a website and posters for the Deworm Ghana Campaign run by the Ghana-based NGO Volunteer Partnerships for West Africa (VPWA). 3,900 children were dewormed as a result of this campaign, which was the first in a series that the organization will replicate in other West African countries.

Paola Brigneti has supported the Nigerian NGO Delta Women, donating countless hours of her time towards advocating for ending female sexual harassment in institutions of higher education in Delta State, Nigeria. Passionate about the organization and its cause, Paola developed advocacy strategies, activities and materials for the organization to raise awareness about sexual harassment and educate people on how to prevent it.

Maria Jakimovska, a business development specialist born and raised in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, supported the newly formed Cameroonian youth-led organization Leaders of Tomorrow International (LOTI) in launching its first programme: an IT centre that offers underprivileged students free Internet access and training to pursue academic studies online, in addition to scholarships that the organization negotiates with different universities.

Edmund Paul Kalekyezi, a legal expert from Uganda, prepared legal recommendations on Namibian laws and policies related to volunteerism. The paper supported Namibian policy makers in formulating a well-considered policy seeking to create an environment in which volunteerism can flourish and act as a driver of economic, social and political development in Namibia.

Internationally acclaimed singer and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Angélique Kidjo, joined forces with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme this week.  Ms Kidjo dedicated her song ‘Agolo’ to volunteers everywhere, ahead of a 5 December UN General Assembly Session on volunteerism which will be the culmination of the tenth anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers.