Born and raised in South Asia, I inherited a rich socio-cultural history; adopting societal norms of inclusiveness was an integral part of my upbringing. As the first-born child in a middle-class family, I was no exception to many others from my time. As young kids, we were encouraged to remain dutiful to family members and neighbours. Helping with household chores, sharing meals, offering support during troubled times, and celebrating festivals together were commonplace. The other important lesson was how important time was and how we must make the best use of it. This led me to a regimented lifestyle from a very early age.
As readers you might be pondering why I chose to begin my blog with—duty, routine, time—as you read through, you will soon find the answer.
My country, Bangladesh was a beginner when I was born. She and I grew up almost together. We have traveled through the caravan of time and experienced transitions of more than four decades now. In all these years, I have seen her moving through the tough tunnels of development dynamics.
One of my most valuable lessons through this journey connects directly to the spirit of volunteerism. Since its birth, my country has created a history of how volunteerism drives positive changes, and how it makes vital contributions to the economic and social wellbeing of the population. A survey conducted in Bangladesh showed if volunteering could be measured in monetary terms, it would be equivalent to about 1.7 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) during that period.
Climatic disasters are a common phenomenon in Bangladesh. Volunteers have always stood at the fore in combating such challenges. Among many climatic events, my childhood memory especially goes back to the disastrous flood in 1988. I still remember that day, looking out from the school bus, the roads getting submerged slowly but surely. As the school announced its closure, the water levels had crossed above the wheels of the bus. Floods caused displacements. Our family too had to move out of our house. Everyone volunteered to help others around them. People built make-shift boats so they could take food items to others who were completely stranded. It was a life lesson for me as to how crisis brings people together.
The country has come a long way since then. Now, after 65,000 volunteers are trained and 25,000 communities are prepared to respond to any disaster, the country’s response posture has moved from reactive relief to proactive risk reduction. I feel grateful to be part of this journey of time through which, we, Bangladeshis, have been trained as volunteers and find our own solutions.
And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it" Paulo Coelho's words frame what I know now and why I became part of United Nations Volunteers. To embrace volunteerism as much as life would allow me to. Working with UNV allows me to be part of volunteer action on the ground. Volunteerism is not only noble but also teaches you many skills one can use in solving problems.
Talking to our UN Volunteers, seeing them in action, I found that each one of them has a unique story, a real one! Each one of them has a solution to offer, a significant one! I feel I can become a better version of myself just by being around them.
I was at a field mission in Rangamati, one of the most remote hill district terrains in north-east Bangladesh where our UN Volunteers support their communities with climate-resilient solutions. This hard-to-reach geographic location is constantly challenged by climatic threats. UN Volunteers themselves have been living through those challenges. They now support their communities by volunteering. Here a nine-year-old girl walks miles to fetch drinkable water for her family at least twice a day. It reminded me of my childhood days when the flood hit Dhaka in the 80s. I felt a shiver down my spine. At times, we are helpless and that's why climate action is so important. I had a sleepless night.
The next day, I took a tour far inside the community, this time accompanied by a UN Volunteer who works as a Community Mobilization Facilitator. As the roads started getting steeper, I trailed closer, navigating each step carefully. He was very mindful of time, we need to cross the steep curves before it hits dark, he said. Managing time and being precise about it was so important to his work, I saw. During the walk up the hill, he told me of many parts of his work—one of which was to negotiate the setting up of a tube well, which would bring water within one kilometer of community households for more than 90 families.
The negotiation concluded with the landowner voluntarily giving away a part of his land to set up the tube well for the community. He was enamoured by the service of the UN Volunteers to their communities. To him, our UN Volunteers are real heroes. This motivated him to also do something similar. One act led to another. A positive loop of helping and sharing.
A group of UN Volunteers follows a routine to walk up the steep mountains and bring the most time-befitting solutions for their communities. And in my journey with our UN Volunteers—their spirit, a beacon, guiding my path, inspires me everyday.
As an individual, I wear many hats, my UNV hat is the most powerful in shaping my persona! May we know our UN Volunteers! May we be them!
Sonia Mehzabeen (right) UNV Country Coordinator Bangladesh interacts with UN Volunteer Community Mobilization Facilitators during a field visit to Rangamati. @ UNV, December 2024