Before Mr Mwiba Mweenda joined the staff of the Zambia Human Rights Commission, he was posted there as a national UN Volunteer. (Carol Atwell/UNV,2011)

UN Volunteers accepted by Zambia HRC colleagues

UN Volunteers at Zambia Human Rights Commission are known for going "the extra mile in doing their work" and have been accepted by their colleagues, says HRC Deputy Director.

As Deputy Director of Zambia’s Human Rights Commission, Katendi Kapin’a Nkombo has to make numerous difficult choices in the course of her managerial duties. However, when it comes to UN Volunteers at the Commission, for Ms Nkombo the choice is easy.

At present, we have 79 vacancies.  This presents a challenge,” said Ms Nkombo during a recent interview at the HRC offices in Lusaka.  “As a Commission we are truly grateful for the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme and UNDP, which have been providing assistance for us to assign people to fill the vacancies.”

“When the UN Volunteers came on board in 2008, it was a great relief. If we had to pick one programme to keep, it would be the programme with the UN Volunteers,” Ms Nkombo continued.

“In general, UN Volunteers are highly qualified and many have been extremely effective members of Zambia’s Human Rights Commission,” said the HRC Deputy Director, concluding, “UN Volunteers go the extra mile in doing their work, in some cases more than other permanent staff. They have been accepted as part of the establishment.”

Lusaka, Zambia