Volunteering has never been easier, thanks to the Internet. Applications are being accepted for the TechWomen mentoring program. A power company in Bangalore will be exploring smart grid technology. Meet the very prolific Bangladeshi author Anisul Hoque. And finally, explore a photo gallery of gadgets that are changing the world.

Work Locally, Help Globally
The U.N. Volunteers program allows anyone with a computer to volunteer in any of 130 countries around the world without leaving home. Above, Sandrine Cortet, an online volunteer who translates documents from her native French to English and vice versa, works at her home in Edison, N.J.

TechWomen
(mobile version)
Bringing the power of global business, technology and education together, the TechWomen Program will pair women in Silicon Valley with 38 of their counterparts in the Middle East and North Africa for a five-week professional mentorship program at leading technology companies beginning in the summer of 2011. Online applications must be submitted by February 1, 2011. For more information, visit the TechWomen Fact Sheet.

A Smarter Grid for Bangalore, India
(mobile version)
A power company in Bangalore, India, will be exploring smart grid technologies with the help of a pilot study funded by the United States. The two nations are seeking to build expertise and market share in the emerging clean energy sector.

Bangladeshi Author Anisul Hoque
(mobile version)
Meet Bangladeshi writer and journalist Anisul Hoque, who has written between 60 and 70 books, short stories, poetry, plays, television scripts, and four full-length films.

Photo Gallery: Gadgets That Are Changing the World
(mobile version)
People often take small devices for granted. But gadgets alter our lives and sometimes improve the world around us. These products can make life more comfortable, safer and healthier. Explore a photo gallery of gadgets that America.gov editors believe are reshaping the world. At left, the LifeStraw, a cigar-shaped device that purifies water, removing bacteria, viruses and parasites, some of which cause cholera and other illnesses. It has been distributed in the poorest areas in Africa and recently in Haiti.