Washington, D.C. — On International Volunteer Day, December 5, in Washington, D.C., a broad spectrum of youth and skilled volunteers, congressional champions, government officials, nonprofit organizations and major corporations gathered to celebrate the contributions of volunteers to effective global development.
The agriculture sector represents a core part of the Indian economy—currently 35 percent of India’s Gross National Product (GNP)—and it provides food and livelihood activities to more than 840 million Indian citizens, particularly those living in extreme poverty. As India’s population is on course to reach two billion people in 2070, the country is facing tremendous food, energy, and other natural resource constraints on a large scale. The ability of the country to respond to these challenges is further complicated by the impact of climate change on the environment, which affects agricultural productivity and livelihoods, water availability, and other natural resources.
Charlene Nash, VEGA’s Farmer-to-Farmer SPSP Volunteer of the Year was recently featured in The Daily Times for her national recognition on International Volunteer Day. Below is an excerpt of Nash describing her volunteer work overseas in Kenya, Mozambique, Senegal and Zambia.
“She returns to Africa one to two times per year …
| Rachel Rosenbaum
Neelam Canto-Lugo has taught speech at Yuba College for more than 30 years. Instead of retiring, she changed her teaching schedule to part-time and devotes the rest of her time volunteering for an international organization.