Some
people are fortunate enough to earn their livelihoods in jobs
that directly help to create a more peaceful, just and sustainable
world. But much of the efforts to make life better for our
communities and our world are done by volunteers -- people
who work for a better world without pay.
Around
the world, hundreds of millions of people volunteer - nearly
65 million volunteer in America! American volunteers do the
equivalent work of over 9 million fulltime employees!
Recognizing
the importance of volunteers, the United Nations Volunteers
programme (UNV) works with a network of over 20,000 organizations
to use International Volunteer Day on December 5 as an opportunity
to celebrate the important contribution volunteers make, and
as a launching point to inspire year-round volunteer involvement.
Many
countries have national networks of volunteer organizations.
In the US these include Youth Service America; the Points
of Light Foundation which helps connect more than 2.5 million
volunteers who provide services for 170 million people; and
Action Without Borders, which links volunteers to 50,000 organizations
in 165 countries.
US
Government agencies that promote volunteering include AmeriCorps,
which provides money for college tuition for youth volunteers;
SeniorCorps which connects those over 55 to volunteer opportunities,
and the Peace Corps for helping in other countries.
Volunteers
ARE creating a better world, one person and one act of kindness
at a time.
