From Somalia, a lesson on service to humanity
Joel Gallardo (Peru) served as a UN Volunteer with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Somalia between 2021 and 2022. He was the focal point for the Programme Unit in Kismayo and Jubaland during a drought emergency in Somalia. He shares the lessons he gained during his UN Volunteer assignment.
What were the key highlights of your responsibilities during your assignment with UNHCR Somalia?
I was the programme focal point in Kismayo and Jubaland, covering four field units. I supported the Mogadishu sub-office, monitoring and reporting on key indicators and other information requested by partners. As the field unit programme focal point in Kismayo, I coordinated activities such as capacity building sessions with communities. I interacted with counterparts in different town and regions and regularly visited the people of concern that we served.
Collective action for sustainable cities in Iraq
Iraq is navigating its path from recovery to development after years of conflict, and at the heart of this effort are UN Volunteers with UN-Habitat. As we mark International Volunteer Day, the service of UN Volunteers to Iraq's development context stands as a testament to the power of collective action for positive change.
Abdelmohsin Elzair and Elsadig Saeed are international UN Volunteer Experts from Sudan. They serve as Supervising Engineers mainly in Ninewa located in northern Iraq. Among their shared accomplishments - construction of residential complexes, the rehabilitation of houses, and the establishment of public infrastructure including portable water networks.
Elsadig leads and manages various construction and infrastructure projects through all phases in various areas in Ninewa Governorate.
From climate pledge to impact on the ground
Thibault Lepivain, an international UN Volunteer Climate Knowledge and Policy Specialist with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) at the Bangkok Regional Hub served from the end of 2022 to early 2024. He believes climate change is the most significant crisis of our time, and engaging in projects that address it, imbues a sense of pride and purpose. At the same time, being at the forefront of witnessing what the world might resemble by the turn of the century, coupled with lagging global efforts, elicits emotions of anxiety and powerlessness.
Thibault's volunteering journey with the United Nations spanned from end of 2022 to early 2024. He supported, “Leveraging Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to Achieve net-zero emissions and climate-resilient Development, in Response to the Climate Emergency,” a project implemented in partnership between the Government of Japan and UNDP’s next phase of the Climate Promise: From Pledge to Impact.
Volunteering – ‘Do what you can because you can.’
In the realm of humanitarian service, few stories are as captivating as that of Dr. Sathya Doraiswamy. Eighteen years ago, he embarked on a transformative path as a UN Volunteer, igniting a passion that would shape his remarkable career in the United Nations. Sathya recently joined UNFPA as the Chief of the Operational Support and Quality Assurance Branch at the Policy and Strategy Division of UNFPA, New York after serving as UNFPA’s Representative in the Islamic Republic of Iran for two years. As he looks back on the memories of the volunteering journey, and his professional trajectory that has never been short of success, he encapsulates the essence of those who selflessly offer their time and hearts to uplift others. In his words: "Volunteers may have nothing on their hands, but they have hearts beating to the rhythm of others' joy and laughter."
It is a crisp Monday morning in September 2023. The bus from East Brunswick, New Jersey, starts its journey towards the Port Authority terminal in New York. I am about to begin my first day as the new Chief of the Operational Support and Quality Assurance Branch at the Policy and Strategy Division of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). Just as the bus transports me from point A to B, I am whisked away by a train of thought.
Supporting healthcare waste management in Myanmar
Nway Eint Chei, a medical doctor, served as a national UN Volunteer Immunization Officer with the UN Children’s Agency (UNICEF) in Myanmar where she supported the healthcare waste management system for environmental sustainability. In Myanmar, during the COVID vaccination programme generated millions of syringes and immunizations, and the issue of waste and hygiene were a focus for UNICEF.
To tackle infectious waste, the comprehensive healthcare waste management project was implemented in Myanmar, which provided health risk reduction to 8,105,310 beneficiaries. Nway Eint Chei was part of implementing the project. She gave technical inputs for comprehensive healthcare waste management training materials, monitored project progress, shared COVID-19 vaccination waste management knowledge, and prepared donor reports.
‘Age is no barrier to making a difference in the lives of others’
In a world where age often defines our roles and responsibilities, there exists a powerful force that transcends these boundaries - volunteering. At the age of 61 Barry Greville-Eyres serves as an International UN Volunteer, Project Manager with UNDP Afghanistan. He refers to himself as a lifelong practitioner, after volunteering on several continents in Africa, Oceania, and Asia, serving just causes - governance, teaching and learning, environment, climate change, and democratic transformation. In the twilight years of his working career, he recently concluded 18 months of his assignment with UNDP Afghanistan as the Area Based Approach to Development Emergency Initiatives (ABADEI) Area Manager - Central Highlands Region.
Barry’s driving motivation to become a UN Volunteer stems from his proud South African roots and lived experience. He witnessed, firsthand, the growing pains of the newly democratized rainbow nation under the inspirational leadership of Nelson Mandela. As a senior civil servant during the post-Apartheid era, he was pivotal in the reconstruction and development of a new government. Decades later, this is a repetitive theme at the core of Barry’s DNA.