I am Shriya Sundaram, UN Volunteer Partnerships Coordinator for the United Nations Capital Development Fund’s Pacific Insurance and Climate Adaptation Programme in Fiji. I believe that the greatest threat to our planet is the assumption that someone else will save it.
Imagine a mother holding her newborn, dreaming of a safe, bright future. Now picture that same mother on a Pacific Island, watching as the rising sea swallows her home. Or in an Indian city, where pollution clouds her child’s future.
Though worlds apart, these places share a common plea to future generations—to leave the world better than we found it.
I am originally from Mumbai, a city that never sleeps—but often struggles to breathe. I grew up seeing flooded streets and skies grey with pollution—issues that weren’t distant but personal, shaping lives, including my own.
This led me to the Pacific Islands, where climate change isn’t a distant threat—it’s a daily reality. Here, rising seas engulf homes, cyclones strike more often, and heavy rains destroy livelihoods overnight.
As a volunteer, my only agenda is to listen, learn, and help make things happen. Because that’s what volunteerism does—it builds bridges across generations. But for this to work, we need more opportunities for voluntary and constructive interaction between young people and older generations.
I work closely with local communities making sure they feel they have a seat at the table. "We want our children to stay. We want them to see farming as a future, not just a thing of the past." The words of Jone, a seventy-year-old cane farmer hit me hard as I first arrived to Suva. And Torika, in her mid-forties, managing her family’s cane farm after her father passed away while providing for her children. But now, with climate risk insurance, when heavy rains damage livelihoods, people like Jone and Torika, receive immediate payouts. It isn’t just money; it’s hope!
When I talk to donors, I don’t just present statistics; I share these real-life stories of Jone and Torika and the impact of how every Fijian dollar directly supports people suffering from climate change.
As a Partnerships Coordinator, my role is about connecting the dots. I work with communities, governments, private sector, and donors, and support UNCDF's outreach to farmers, fishers, and small business owners when a climate disaster strikes. It’s all about coming up with solutions that just don’t sit on paper.
When we give youth the chance to engage directly with senior citizens through projects and dialogues—we encourage intergenerational partnership and solidarity between generations. Imagine if more of us embraced this spirit—not just as something we do, but as a way of being. A world where donors are not just funders, but collaborators; where young people are not just beneficiaries, but active participants; where older generations are not just consulted, but celebrated for the knowledge they bring.
This isn’t a dream. It’s a choice we can make today. Let’s stop waiting for someone else to save us. Let’s recognize that the power to create change lies in all of us—no matter our age, background, or experience.
Because in the end, we don’t need a hero. We need all of us, standing together—each one of us with a promise!
Shriya Sundaram, UN Volunteer Partnerships Coordinator with UNCDF celebrates International Volunteer Day in Suva, Fiji. @UNV, 2023
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Shriya Sundaram spoke at #YouthLead to kick off the Summit of the Future in New York on 20 September, 2024. More information on the summit can be found here.