Serving the underserved has not been a bed of roses, but the benefits far outweigh the challenges
It all started in February 2021, when I decided to leave my home country Sierra Leone to volunteer with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Somalia. My goal? To serve the most vulnerable persons of concern from hard-to-reach communities. These often include refugees, asylum-seekers, stateless persons, internally displaced people and returnees, according to UNHCR.
At UNHCR, there is a saying: "Protection is what we do, and we do it through programmes." With a background in development management, I am privileged to put my knowledge and skills into practice as UN Volunteer Associate Programme Officer with UNHCR in Somalia.
In my role, I support the team leader and Field Officer in the UNHCR Area of Responsibility where I serve, ensuring business and operational continuity, and meaningful engagements in support of the communities that we serve.