This volume overlooks the distinct expressions and awareness of volunteering in the lived reality of people from different regions of the world. By casting the net widely this book not only expands the geographic reach of experiences, models and case studies but also transcends the conventional focus on formal volunteering. It highlights institutional forms of volunteering specific to developing nations and also describes volunteering that is more loosely institutionalized, informal, and a part of solidarity and collective spirit. As a result this book provides a different look at the values, meaning, acts and expressions of volunteering. The chapters in this book consist of essays and case studies that present recent academic research, thinking and practice on volunteering. Working from the premise that volunteering is universal this collection draws on experiences from Latin America, Africa including Egypt, and Asia. This book focuses on developing countries and countries in transition in order to provide a fresh set of experiences and perspectives on volunteering. While developing countries and countries in transition are in the spotlight for this volume, the developed country experience is not ignored. Rather the essays use it as a critical reference point for comparisons, allowing points of convergence, disconnect and intersection to emerge.

During the nearly 20 years of its existence, the Centro Mexicano para la Filantropia, A.C. (Cemefi, acronym in Spanish for the Mexican Center for Philanthropy) has promoted a varied agenda of research about civil society in Mexico. Cemefi has produced and published information on the characteristics of the social organizations that make up the Mexican nonprofit sector, as well as infor- tion about the type of legal, fiscal, and economic factors that promote or hinder organized citizen participation based on the principles of solidarity, social resp- sibility, and philanthropy. Once again, with the aim of bringing together information regarding the imp- tance of practices of solidarity in the country, Cemefi has decided to contribute to understanding, making known, and ultimately promoting volunteer action and acts of solidarity undertaken by citizens in this country. The end result of this effort is portrayed in this book, Mexican Solidarity: Citizen Participation and Volunteerism, edited and coordinated by Doctor Jacqueline Butcher. It is the product of a joint effort on the part of different people and insti- tions with a common goal: finding out about the characteristics of volunteerism and, in general, citizen participation in acts of solidarity in Mexico."

This volume overlooks the distinct expressions and awareness of volunteering in the lived reality of people from different regions of the world. By casting the net widely this book not only expands the geographic reach of experiences, models and case studies but also transcends the conventional focus on formal volunteering. It highlights institutional forms of volunteering specific to developing nations and also describes volunteering that is more loosely institutionalized, informal, and a part of solidarity and collective spirit. As a result this book provides a different look at the values, meaning, acts and expressions of volunteering. The chapters in this book consist of essays and case studies that present recent academic research, thinking and practice on volunteering. Working from the premise that volunteering is universal this collection draws on experiences from Latin America, Africa including Egypt, and Asia. This book focuses on developing countries and countries in transition in order to provide a fresh set of experiences and perspectives on volunteering. While developing countries and countries in transition are in the spotlight for this volume, the developed country experience is not ignored. Rather the essays use it as a critical reference point for comparisons, allowing points of convergence, disconnect and intersection to emerge.

During the nearly 20 years of its existence, the Centro Mexicano para la Filantropia, A.C. (Cemefi, acronym in Spanish for the Mexican Center for Philanthropy) has promoted a varied agenda of research about civil society in Mexico. Cemefi has produced and published information on the characteristics of the social organizations that make up the Mexican nonprofit sector, as well as infor- tion about the type of legal, fiscal, and economic factors that promote or hinder organized citizen participation based on the principles of solidarity, social resp- sibility, and philanthropy. Once again, with the aim of bringing together information regarding the imp- tance of practices of solidarity in the country, Cemefi has decided to contribute to understanding, making known, and ultimately promoting volunteer action and acts of solidarity undertaken by citizens in this country. The end result of this effort is portrayed in this book, Mexican Solidarity: Citizen Participation and Volunteerism, edited and coordinated by Doctor Jacqueline Butcher. It is the product of a joint effort on the part of different people and insti- tions with a common goal: finding out about the characteristics of volunteerism and, in general, citizen participation in acts of solidarity in Mexico.