Students urged to apply for voluntary work abroad after A-Levels

Students looking for post- A Level inspiration are being encouraged to consider volunteering in developing countries via a fully-funded Government scheme.

Not sure what to do now that you have your A Level results? Make sure you apply for fully funded Platform2 trips by early October. Have you ever considered doing volunteer work in a developing country but didn't think you could afford it? Platform2 might be your answer.

Platform2 is a global volunteering experience funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) and run by Christian Aid and BUNAC. You could spend 10 weeks in a developing country working on projects like these:

* South Africa, volunteering with the Johannesburg Child Welfare Society which directly assists over 18,000 abused, abandoned, neglected, orphaned and vulnerable children each year; or

* Nepal, constructing a much-needed new secondary school building and teaching at the after-school clubs; and

* Kenya, working on a project to stop deforestation by helping communities make money in more eco-friendly ways, like fish farming and bee-keeping

Over 700 young people have already been on Platform2 projects including

23 year old volunteer Sarah Owen, who has recently returned from India.

"Whilst in India, I worked on a women's equality project and formed relationships with young women my age I will never forget. I collected traditional songs from the women I worked with, and have taught them to young people in my own community back here in Devon. They have been fascinated to learn the songs and hear my stories - I think Platform2 is a chance for young people to see the world in a different way and encourage us to have compassion for others from all different walks of life."

You can apply online or download the application from www.myplatform2.com. Completed applications, references and either a photocopy of your passport (or if you don't have a passport, your birth certificate) need to be received by October.

$20bn food aid pledge at G8 conclusion

G8 leaders have pledged $20billion to boost food supplies to poorer nations following the final day of discussions at the summit in L’Aquila, Italy.

The investment, which rose from an expected figure of $15 billion, will help countries develop their own agriculture.

At a press conference following the conclusion of the three-day summit, Gordon Brown said it was “unacceptable” that some people in the world are going hungry.

He said:

“We agreed today to the urgent need for decisive action to free humankind from hunger and poverty and we want to make sure in tomorrow’s world that no-one will go hungry any more… I believe not only does Africa have a capacity to feed itself if things are done right, but it can in future also play a major part in feeding the world.”

Mr Brown said that stabilising food supplies in Africa will help to avoid food security problems around the rest of the world. He added that Britain would contribute $1.8 billion towards the programme.

The Prime Minister told reporters that the G8 had also agreed to take forward economic measures agreed at the G20 in London earlier this year, calling on countries to ensure more bank lending, to reject protectionism and to invest in recovery.

He said:

“The G8 has heard loud and clear a second wake-up call on the world economy. It’s a call that we avoid complacency, it’s a call that we accelerate progress on the agreements that we reached at the G20 in London.”

Earlier today, Mr Brown met Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi - the first time the two leaders have met.

During their 40-minute discussion, they covered topics such as Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, who is appealing against his conviction and seeking to return to Libya, and British child Nadia Fawzi, who was abducted by her Libyan father two years ago. Oil prices and international finance for Africa were also on the agenda.

While Mr Brown took part in the summit, his wife Sarah and the other G8 spouses learnt more about the UN World Food Programme’s Red Cup project.

(DFID) UK keeps up aid commitments

Secretary of State says aid more important than ever during economic downturn

New aid level figures published today by the Department for International Development show the UK is on track in its fight against poverty in developing countries.

The figures, which set out the level of aid given by the UK to developing countries during 2008, show the Government is honouring its commitment to helping the world's poorest people, who are most vulnerable during the global economic downturn.

The UK's Official Development Assistance (ODA) spending for 2008 was £6.3bn, or 0.43 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI); an increase on 2007's £4.9bn, or 0.36 per cent. The increase reflects both a steady rise in DFID spending alongside a significant rise in other official development expenditure.

The figures show that the UK remains on course to spend 0.7% of national income on development by 2013, two years ahead of the EU target. The UK is also on target to meet its share of the commitments made by the G8 at Gleneagles in 2005 to spend an additional $50 billion in developing countries by 2010, half of it in Africa.

Commenting on today's ODA figures, International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander said:

"We are unfaltering in our commitment to help people living in the poorest countries. For some of those who were already living in extreme poverty, the current economic crisis has had a devastating impact."

Earlier this month, the Secretary of State warned how he feared more than 90 million people could be plunged into poverty by the end of next year because of the impact of the global economic downturn.

And he urged donor countries to follow the lead of the UK and continue to meet their aid commitments helping maintain progress towards the achievement of poverty-reduction targets including the Millennium Development Goals.

UK aid is making a real difference on-the-ground by:

* Improving maternal and child health eg by providing nearly £100m to support Pakistan's maternal, newborn and child health work from 2008/13

* Increasing access to education eg by paying the wages of 100,000 teachers in Afghanistan so that today six million children can go to school, including two million girls

* Supporting countries in the fight against HIV/AIDS eg by helping prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria with a £62m programme between 2002/08

* Improving access to clean, fresh water eg by investing £75m in Ethiopia over the next five years to increase people's access to fresh water and improved sanitation facilities

* Providing a safety net for some of the poorest in the world eg DFID's 10-year Social Protection Programme, is helping some of the poorest people in Kenya, including 30,000 orphans, with funding of more than £120m.