Under UNICEF’s Adolescent Participation, Skills, and Employability Section, I oversee disability inclusion efforts such as staff awareness programmes and accessibility audits on reporting. I use simple and practical techniques such as pair walk events to highlight accessibility challenges and the need for more inclusive spaces under UNICEF's Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy.

Before Alec Mkwamba joined the Ministry of Health in São Tomé and Príncipe, immunization records existed only on paper. Lost vaccine cards meant missed doses, leaving many children unprotected. As an Epidemiologist and Project Manager with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Alec led efforts to transition the health information system to digital platforms, certifying that the children’s vaccination histories were accessible no matter where they received care.

Youth, which represents the majority of Madagascar's population, is both a challenge and an opportunity for peacebuilding amidst social, economic, and cultural tensions.

Globally, persons with disabilities comprise 16 percent of the world’s population, approximately 1.3 billion people. In Asia and the Pacific, more than 750 million persons with disabilities often face unequal access to a range of rights, opportunities, and social services. 

Seven of the nine UN Volunteers who serve with UNICEF in Iraq are women. Their roles include Communications, Human Resources, Resource Mobilization, and Youth Engagement. Four of these women are part of Young Arab Women Talents initiative. Started in 2022, this partnership between UNICEF and UNV creates leadership opportunities for young women in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. 

Areeg's volunteer journey is marked by significant personal and professional growth. A graduate of Khartoum University, she is currently based in Port Sudan. She provides essential support to WHO's priorities in sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health.

  Leading the day-to-day operations for LEH GO GREEN is Emmanuel Korkolie, UN Volunteer Project Officer. He oversees 15 UN Volunteers and coordinates with partner organizations to make sure the project stays on track. He also designs monitoring and data collection tools to track project outcomes. These tools used weekly and monthly, are essential for assessing the progress of the project and for overall accountability.

There was no girl to recite the alphabet And there was no one to write No one to read Those sounds, the girl’s sounds Had died under the brickbat of idiotism And Buddha collapsed out of shame. My poetry echoes the challenges in my homeland—Afghanistan. Despite these challenges, particularly for women and girls, I've found a path of purpose as a UN Volunteer. 

Growing up in Madagascar, Diana Ranja witnessed how poverty deprived children of education and healthcare. This inspired her journey as a UN Volunteer with UNICEF in Djibouti, where she serves as an Education Specialist. 

Chinenye Anekwe is a UN Volunteer Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Specialist with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) India Office since August 2024. She is a 2018 fellow of GRÓ Gender Equality Studies and Training Programme (GRÓ GEST).