"As peacekeepers, let us never lose sight of the reason why we choose to navigate these complex and traumatic spaces in the first place, each statistic representing an individual human life." My name is Abigail Skotnes, from South Africa, and I serve as international UN Volunteer Recovery, Return and Reintegration Officer with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
Over the past five months, I have had the privilege to serve with UNMISS as a volunteer. I support a diverse and passionate team of peacekeepers who create a secure environment for the voluntary and dignified return and reintegration of internally displaced persons and refugees displaced during South Sudan’s civil war, or more recently due to climate-induced disasters and inter-communal clashes.