Indian Red Cross volunteers responded immediately to the explosions that rocked Mumbai's railway during Tuesday's rush hour, killing at least 200. At the Indian government's request in Maharastra, local Red Cross volunteers and staff were immediately mobilized to provide first aid to the injured and help take care of incoming patients at the Sion hospital in central Mumbai.   more »

Two hundred students from over 20 universities and colleges in Beijing have become youth volunteers to advocate the concept of "a girl is as good as a boy", particularly among rural areas.At Monday's initiation ceremony of the volunteer programme, Ma Ming, executive chairman of the Beijing student federation, said that the volunteers will call for the respect and protection of women's legal rights when they return to their hometowns during the summer holiday.   more »

Through a volunteer development programme called the West Plan, young teachers and doctors from China’s wealthier eastern provinces are heading into the country’s less developed western provinces in droves to help communities there. Since its start in 2003, the programme has sent over 40,000 recent graduates into communities throughout China’s West.

Read the full article on the World Volunteer Web   more »

Australian Prime Minister John Howard is considering a plan to pay retired volunteers for their efforts and to give tax breaks to volunteers still in the workforce. The question is: if we start paying volunteers for their voluntary work and more people volunteer for the financial incentive, will it still continue to be voluntary work?   more »