Radhika is just an average Indian woman who wants to help other women. She travels from Afghanistan to Kenya, addressing everything from poverty to illiteracy（文盲）.

Radhika, however, is not real. She's an imaginary character in the game Half the Sky, started by journalist Nicholas Kristof. By using a Facebook account to download the game, users can learn how to help real women in the developing world.

Half the Sky is part of a larger trend of social cause games, which nonprofit organizations use to connect gamers to causes. The group holds an annual festival to bring together funders, nongovernmental organizations, and educators with game developers. They have also worked together to create and distribute games that serve as tools to educate on global issues and raise funds for organizations in need.

So how does Half the Sky work? Users help Radhika to complete "quests" by solving problems. For example,in the first round, users help Radhika obtain a vaccination（接种疫苗）for her daughter. The first challenge is to start a dialogue with her husband about the importance of helping their child. Then, users help Radhika pick mango（芒果）in the backyard to sell. That money pays for a cab to the hospital and the vaccination. At the end of the round, the screen flashes the message: "Give a gift to change a life." Users then have the choice to donate, or invite friends to donate, to real-life groups that need to address the challenges Radhika has overcome.

"The whole idea is that Radhika can do certain things and make a difference in the virtual world, and the player is aware that he or she can do the same thing in the world whenever he or she wants," said Mr. Burak, Co-President of an organization that has promoted social cause games since 2004. "All social important games are created with a purpose in mind".

A group of sweaty kids ran around a field last week at Total Soccer Arena in Landover, Maryland. They talked in English. but also in Pashto. Arabic and other languages.

What made them different is that all of the kids are refugees(难民 ). They were playing as part of a camp that gives them a chance to develop their soccer skills and to meet other kids who had to start their lives over in the United States. The camp is run by an organization called LACES, which stands for Life and Change Experienced through Sports. The group uses soccer to help bring together communities that have experienced hardships.

Seren Fryatt, 38, got the idea for LA CES while playing on a women’s soccer team in Liberia, an African country that had been at war with itself for 14 years. Fryatt, whose from Muncie, Indiana, saw that soccer brought joy to the Liberian women on her team, even though their lives off the field were very difficult. After starting a soccer program for kids in Liberia, she decided to start a similar camp in Maryland. where she moved in 2015. Coaches volunteer their time, and the costs are paid mostly by donations. This year.95 kids signed up.

The camp for ages 9 to 14 is split between training that helps kids develop   skills, such as passing and ball control, and meeting where they discuss life skills. One of the coaches. Louisa Pitney, said she likes seeing how the kids grow just from being together.

At the end of the camp’s last day, all the kids gathered in the middle of the field Fryatt asked them to raise their hands and say what they had learned that week. Some kids talked about soccer skills-one girl said shed learned not to use her hands; a boy said he’d learned how to score a goal.

When a coach called on one shy girl. she smiled before answering in a soft voice Celebrate each other. she said.

Volunteers are playing an increasingly important role in many fields of the modern society. I always do voluntary work in the hospital. As a patient visitor, my primary goal is to deliver quality services to patients and families. By providing companionship (陪伴) for patients in a sometimes lonely environment, I try my best to serve and help to lessen the loneliness and frustration patients may feel after staying in a hospital for a stretch of time for weeks or even months.

Every Saturday afternoon for three to four hours, with a list of patients who have requested a patient visitor service, I head up to the 5th, 6th, or 7th floor to first visit my priority patients. At the nurse’s station, I kindly ask the nurses or the medical staff about the condition of the patients on that unit and confirm that the patients would like a visitor. After receiving an update from the nurse, I gently knock on the door of the patients and enter with a friendly “hello”. Then, I introduce myself and again politely ask if they would like a patient visitor. I usually try to prepare a few starting conversation topics such as the current news, sports scores and fun facts. However, the patients usually engage me first in an interesting conversation.

When volunteering as a patient visitor, I spent a lot of time communicating one-on-one with patients. Individual patients had individual needs and possessed extraordinary personal stories. Therefore, I found every visit fascinating (有吸引力). From generous and kind patients, I have learned about their diseases and their course of treatment. Additionally, I learned about literature, life during the Great Depression and wilderness of Northern Minnesota. On the whole, not only did I learn about the hospital settings and system, but I learned about the diverse life of others.

Many of the patients I have visited were truly inspiring and I always admire them for their strength. Although difficult, they were often willing to share their stories of pain, suffering, hopes and optimism. I realize that I am truly grateful and honored that they would share their personal stories with just a volunteer like me. I’ve always enjoyed doing voluntary work, which perhaps makes a difference to many, including me.