Growing up in the Basque Country, a region where terrorism has existed and posed a threat to my family’s wellbeing, I developed tolerance, observation and listening abilities that have proven extremely helpful while volunteering in Haiti. I remember when the UNV recruiter insisted on warning me about Haiti’s unpredictable security situation and saying I would probably work in difficult living conditions. My response was clear: "I am not scared of anything. There is no country in the world I wouldn’t go to in order to help the UN with its mission."

UNV calls on Haitians (or official residents) who are older than 22 years and willing to offer their skills and capacity to support an inclusive and sustainable response and recovery to the recent earthquake that devastated the country.  UNV is looking for a wide range of professional profiles: Information Managers, Field Assistants, Midwives, Communication Officers, Emergency Medical Technicians, Nutrition Specialists, Shelter Specialists, Logistic Operations Specialists and WASH Specialists, among others. 

The World Food Programme’s Panama Regional Bureau oversees operations in 11 countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. One of Benjamin’s tasks was to ensure the protection of populations affected by emergencies in these countries. Through my work I aimed at ensuring that the resources provided by WFP were fairly-distributed, efficiently utilized, and would not stir up or fuel existing conflict in local communities,” Benjamin explains.

As a UN Volunteer with the Office of the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary General, Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator (DSRSG/RC/HC) at the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), I have had the chance to combine work on coordination, joint communication and planning in the office with capacity development in the field.

Port-au-Prince, Haiti:  After working for the Spanish government, several media outlets, EU institutions and NGO networks, I decided my future was working for the United Nations. The UN represents all the values I believe in and could specifically focus on human rights and migration issues.

Port-au-Prince, Haiti: I joined the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) as a UN Volunteer one year after the devastating earthquake that struck the country in 2010. This tragic event motivated me to dedicate my time and experience to help restore a secure and stable environment in Haiti.

Port au Prince, Haiti: I am an international UN Volunteer with the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) engineering section, specialized in administration and finance. I have a dedicated passion for nature and the environment and have volunteered in my home country of Gambia to promote sustainable and profitable solutions to urban environmental challenges. 

Port-au-Prince, Haiti: I’m Adoum Goulgué, I’m UN volunteer at the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). I work as a journalist-editor in the United Nations police (UNPOL) Section. But before that, I worked as responsible for public information at the publication unit, section of the Communication Office of Public Information, where I arrived on 01st July 2013. I have 10 years of experience in journalism, including four in the weekly newspaper in Chad, and four others as communication officer with humanitarian NGOs in eastern Chad.

Port-au-Prince, Haiti: My name is Francesca Pinna, I am a United Nations Volunteer in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Country Office in Haiti. I never thought that I would get engaged in the field of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). It happened by chance after the earthquake that hit the Italian city of Aquila in 2009. I understood what an unexpected natural disaster could really provoke and how much destruction could have been avoided through an adequate knowledge of disaster risks and appropriate preparedness.