Stepping up to support the COVID-19 response in Burundi

My name is Arlene Gisele Gafura and I was a National UN Youth Volunteer in the Republic of Burundi. I proudly served as the COVID-19 Response Programme Assistant at UNDP Burundi through the Global Fund project.

 

With the main responsibility of assisting the Public Health Officer in the development and implementation of COVID-19 response programme, I learned that volunteering does not entail only performing your assigned duties, but to providing support to all spheres of the organization mainly the Global Fund Project Management Unit.

UN Volunteer challenges gender stereotypes in Bangladesh

Sabrina Sharmin serves as UN Volunteer Information Management Officer with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) at the Cox’s Bazar field office in Bangladesh. Through her work, she challenges gender stereotypes and promotes equality for all. Currently, 43 percent of UN Volunteers in Bangladesh are women.  Sabrina is a recipient of the UNV Country Awards – Bangladesh 2021.

In her work, Sabrina supports UNICEF programmes for gender equality through data analysis in gender-disaggregated ways including both gender and disability at the field level data collection and analysis. This aids decision-makers to observe the changes and take appropriate action to improve the programme by ensuring equal opportunity for children, women, and persons with disabilities. 

UN Volunteer is role-model for equality in Nepal

As the youth focal point of UNDP Nepal, Binita Karki, UN Volunteer Youth Programme Officer, works closely with youth-led organizations and young people from across Nepal. Her approach of working with and for youth, and on topics like gender equality ensures sustainable development reaches the farthest left behind. 

Youth-led organizations consider youth issues a crosscutting theme in sustainable development. One example is UNDP Nepal’s My Way, Green Way campaign.  Campaign organizers distribute bicycles to young girls in various parts of Nepal to provide easy and independent transport to and from school. A mobile application has also been launched that incentivizes bicycle use per kilometer. 

UN Volunteers ease accessibility to sexual and reproductive health

With an objective to eradicate poverty and achieve universal access in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), UNFPA, National Health Commission (NHC), and China Family Planning Association (CFPA) launched a 3-year project. This project aims to improve the SRHR among vulnerable populations in Qinghai and Shanxi Provinces in China. 

The project mainly targets women and young people of ethnic minorities and vulnerable groups such as those below the poverty line, rural residents, and persons with disabilities. Among this group are the ones in three project sites at an altitude of over 4000 meters including Yushu City, which was heavily impacted by the 7.1 magnitude earthquake in 2010.  

Aimin, a national UN Volunteer Project Coordinator, has worked on this project since 2019. She supports programme management in planning, management, reporting, and coordination with various stakeholders.