Through UNV, which is administered by UNDP, about 4,000 volunteers from 140 different nationalities work annually on projects in the developing world. Hope that the little work I am doing will make some improvement in my goal for 'social equality' among humans. Individual volunteers who sign up online can find wide-ranging opportunities for volunteer action offered by more than 130 participating development organizations. Online volunteering offers more than a way to help organizations making a difference in people's lives. The work puts volunteers closer to people working in the field, provides ways to put skills to use, and gives recognition through a positive report when an assignment is completed.
Organizations working with online volunteers are pleased with the results.
David Matson of the Uganda Children's Fund was able to use the research skills of two British online volunteers to develop a programme for community development, education, health and cooperative agriculture in western Uganda. Mr. Matson, who works with an NGO in California, has never met his volunteers. Through Netaid.org people can donate money to support the projects or can become online volunteers, providing the youth groups with reading material, ideas for group activities, learning games, educational and psychological advice, and facilitating pen pal contacts. Thus far, nearly half of the applicants for online volunteering assignments are 19 to 29 years of age, and more than 60 per cent are female. More than one third of applicants are from Asia and the Pacific, Latin America, Africa, Eastern Europe and the Arab states.