UN Volunteers effecting positive change as Africa Women Health Champions

Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa
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In 2020, World Health Organization African Regional Office (WHO AFRO) and United Nations Volunteers (UNV) launched the Africa Women Health Champions initiative. Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa underpins the aim of this initiative where more than 145 young African women from 38 nationalities served as UN Volunteer health champions — these are her reflections.

The Africa Women Health Champions initiative is surely an investment in the African woman and through her, in the health of African people.

So why did I start this initiative?

I have been convinced for years that WHO, like many other organisations, needs far more women in leadership positions.

Online Volunteers act for Youth4Climate

United Nations Volunteers
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Twenty-two Online Volunteers mentored almost 200 applicants in developing project proposals for Youth4Climate (Y4C) a global initiative co-led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Italy.

“Online Volunteering gave me a sense of connection and hope during challenging times and an opportunity to support important causes like climate action,” shared Anastasia Andreeva. Like many young people volunteering for climate action, Anastasia wanted to do the same. She applied to the call for Online Volunteers to support Y4C. 

Making mental health care a priority in crises and emergencies

United Nations Volunteers
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World Mental Health Day is observed in October. In the lead up to and beyond, the day aims to raise awareness and reduce stigma of mental health worldwide. Okba Doghim and Gulnara Zhakupova reflect on their UN Volunteer assignments and how they make mental health care a priority in crises and emergencies.

Compassion, commitment, impact—these are not just words for Okba Doghim—they describe his motivation to volunteer.

International Translation Day spotlights the vital role of Online Volunteers

United Nations Volunteers
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Thirteen Online Volunteers collaborated with Commit Global, a non-governmental organization (NGO), and translated documents that helped people overcome language barriers. In the lead-up to International Translation Day, we look at the vital role of Online Volunteering, especially regarding the humanitarian context. 

Salome Margvelashvili, an Online Volunteer, inspired by — tech for social good — Commit Global's mission chose to volunteer through UNV's Online Volunteering Service. "Throughout my academic career, I've maintained a strong focus on understanding the complexities of crisis man

Volunteering creates opportunities for small communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina

United Nations Volunteers
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Young people play a vital role in driving the development and prosperity of their countries. Read a story of a young volunteer with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Bosnia and Herzegovina who gave his time and effort to show that small communities matter and that youth is the most important building block in making this happen.

Borko Unković, UN Community Volunteer in Youth Engagement was based in the Municipality of Gacko in southeast Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Putting data-driven solutions at the center of sustainable cities

United Nations Volunteers
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Yi Nam Xu (Deanna) is a UN Volunteer with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) supporting sustainable urban solutions for local communities in Lao People's Democratic Republic. She is a Knowledge Management Assistant and manages the organization's data system. Her assignment is fully funded by the Agency for Volunteer Service, Hong Kong (SAR China). 

With a background in Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, Deanna sees her volunteer assignment with the United Nations as a platform for meaningful contribution to sustainability—something she's been passionately pursuing as part of her university studies as well.  

I consolidate climate vulnerability and disaster risk data from diverse UN entities and development partners into a unified platform, thus enhancing data accessibility and improving urban planning and decision-making processes.” Yi Nam Xu, UN Volunteer with UN-Habitat.

From China to Bangladesh—a story of energy, enthusiasm and fresh ideas

United Nations Volunteers
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Yiran Zhao, Xinhao Yao, and Xiangyu Jin serve with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) Country Office in Bangladesh. Through their service as fully funded UN University Volunteers, they brought out-of-the-box ideas to help development efforts along with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. 

These three volunteers were part of 40 UN University Volunteers deployed under the joint partnership of UNV, the Chinese Young Volunteers Association (CYVA), and the China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges (CICETE). 

I write and develop content to combat cyber harassment of women in Bangladesh," says Yiran Zhao with UNDP. While Xinhao Yao adds, "I got to learn about the rich culture of the country and ways to promote it via my service with UNESCO." And, Xiangyu Jin from UNV Country Office shares, "I got to coordinate youth empowerment initiatives in Bangladesh and saw how youth can create a meaningful impact in a country's development."

Let’s hear more from UN Volunteers and UN entities in this inspirational video from Bangladesh.

 

Online Volunteers support We the Women campaign in 185 countries

United Nations Volunteers
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"At its heart of We the Women is the idea that we, the women, have the power to come together and craft sustainable solutions for our shared future." The words of Angela Polinsky echo some 1000 Online Volunteers like herself who participated in the first-ever global campaign centering on women. These volunteers gathered the voices of over 25,000 women in 185 countries in a survey, the data of which, informs global priorities and how the international community can address them. 

Angela was also one of the campaign volunteers who participated in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Roundtable discussion that centered on the survey, conducted by the United Nations Office of Partnerships (UNOP). Women were asked questions about how they see the future, their priorities, fears and hopes, and how global leaders can listen to them and support them to address issues, challenges and opportunities of the future.

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