Luis Fredy Díaz Sánchez from Colombia and Eugene Tenjei from Cameroon are UN Volunteers in West and Central Africa. Their volunteer service with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Liberia and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Nigeria shows the vital aspect of supporting local communities in building peace in challenging circumstances.
Luis is a UN Volunteer Law Enforcement Expert with UNODC in Liberia. He supports the work of Liberian officers to fight drug trafficking and organized crime. He trained some 900 officers in skills such as investigations and intelligence analyses.
Luis's efforts led to a breakthrough into drug networks with law enforcement officers seizing large amounts of drugs—over 600 kilograms of cocaine, 30 kilograms of heroin, and 3 tons of marijuana. His team also assisted in preventing human trafficking across Liberia—rescuing 163 women, who were to be taken to Oman.
Helping local officers protect their communities is rewarding. Seeing our progress together keeps me motivated.” Luis Fredy Díaz Sánchez, UN Volunteer Law Enforcement Expert with UNODC in Liberia.
Another UN Volunteer, Eugene Tenjei tackles the root causes of conflict in northwest Nigeria through his volunteer assignment. He is a Conflict Prevention Associate and serves with UNDP focusing on clashes between farmers and herders, poverty, and lack of development. Meeting with community leaders and setting up peace committees are part of his role as well.
Eugene supports people at risk, especially women entrepreneurs running small businesses and young people, who are already at a disadvantage when there is a lack of opportunity for them to be productive.
Seeing how happy people are when we help them rebuild their lives reminds me that we all have a responsibility to make the world better." Eugene Tenjei, UN Volunteer Conflict Prevention Associate with UNDP in Nigeria.
Eugene’s role, along with other UN Volunteers on the northwest Nigeria team, is key in driving the success of our conflict prevention goals in the region." Ashraf Usman, Specialist for Political and Conflict Economy, and Head of UNDP Sub-Office in Northwest and Northcentral Nigeria.
Currently, 36 UN Volunteers in West and Central Africa support UN entities in areas of peace and security, stabilization and peacebuilding. Luis and Eugene are among them supporting such initiatives and personifying what it means to be an inspiration in action.