International -- The Volunteer Services Association observe the decrease in the numbers of volunteers preparing to work in developing countries due to the fears of war and terrorist attacks around the world. The Independent Sector shows a near 12 percent drop in those volunteers. However, FARMS International's Joseph Richter says, "Any volunteer organization knows that there's volunteer burnout after a time; and we always pray that these committees would keep the vision and see that they're really effectively helping their own people at the grassroots level." Richter says their financial programs operate on the volunteer resource in order to encourage believers to ministry. "The volunteer approach helps us avoid the problem of dependency. I've been amazed at how they take ownership of the program, and the local people trust them, and they know the local situation."

By Pauline C.