Volunteering and ICTs around the World

Volunteering is not a new phenomenon, but has existed for many centuries all around the world. It takes many different forms depending on cultural and economic realities of countries and communities. This comes well across when looking at the terms used to designate volunteer efforts: in Botswana, letsema "community cooperation", in Sri Lanka shramadana "donation of labor for relief, in Mongolia saihan setgel "kindness", in Sudan fazaa "security service and in Japan houdi "service" [source: IYV Global Evaluation, Institute for Volunteering Research].

While the world is evolving at a break-neck speed, the volunteer sector also adapts its practices, increasingly using email, setting up web sites and offering more International volunteer programs than in the recent past.

From online volunteering to community projects involving ICTs

The range of activties carried out by volunteers thanks to ICTs in long: it ranges from online volunteer programs, through which volunteers offer their time and expertise in a range of fields through virtual volunteering.

Many of the software that is currently being used internationally has been developed by volunteers, to begin with Tim Burners-Lee who invented the World Wide Web.

Furthermore, volunteers are operational in setting up infrastructure and providing training for ICTs, both in the developed and the developing world.

Country Profiles

This section contains documents linked to volunteering and ICTs by geographical region.