UN Volunteer Health Experts deployed to help Kenya fight COVID-19
Serving to prevent violent extremism among the youth of Central Asia
Located in different cities of Kazakhstan, UN Volunteers are to introduce initiatives of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) project "Strengthening Community Resilience and Regional Cooperation for Prevention of Violent Extremism in Central Asia" to the whole region. The project’s overall objective is to mobilize youth’s energy, mobility, open-mindedness and dynamism as a potential positive force of countering extremist influences and narratives in the vulnerable communities.
The project focuses on development measures to contribute to prevention of violent extremism through in-country activities in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. At the same time, all countries of Central Asia, including Uzbekistan, are taking part in the activities envisaged within the regional component of the initiative.
The project is spearheaded by UNDP Kazakhstan, which works closely with the respective UNDP country offices and UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub (for regional components).
Two volunteers, one mission: to tirelessly serve Venezuelan children
When you walk into the UNICEF Logistic and Supplies Department in Venezuela the first thing you might notice is a wall decorated with a gigantic map of the country. There, you will probably see coloured pins and sticky notes. For a visitor, it might not make sense, but for UN Volunteers, this map is an inspiring tool to coordinate the distribution routes around the entire country.
With a presence in 190 countries, UNICEF continues its mandate on protecting children’s rights by being one of the leading UN agencies responding to the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, UNICEF Venezuela – along with UN sister agencies and public and private sector – elaborated a plan that identified the most at-risk communities. Some 189 health facilities, clinics and community health centres in 13 states have been reached among the country so far.
Волонтеров из Казахстана планируют отправить работать в структурах ООН
Creating health awareness among communities in Kiribati
Some 53 UN Volunteers are serving in the Pacific, many of them going beyond their usual duties to support communities during the COVID-19 outbreak.One of these is Ella Ballerini (Australia), a UN Youth Volunteer fully funded by Australia, serving with the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Suva, Fiji. Ella was on a one-month field mission to Kiribati when the COVID-19 outbreak started. Going beyond her usual role, she joined UNICEF’s prevention and support efforts relating to the Coronavirus pandemic. Here, she shares her story.
In my role as a Health Communication for Development (C4D) Officer, I work with communities, nurses and the Government to strengthen communication for maternal and child health and nutrition. I am based in Suva, and cover multiple Pacific island countries, including Kiribati, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. I began my assignment as an international UN Youth Volunteer in January 2020.
Economically empowering market vendors and farmers in the Pacific
Volunteering in Bolivia and Guatemala boosts national COVID-19 response and recovery
Coordinated responses that do not duplicate, but rather complement, government efforts, and endeavours that induce civil society participation are fortifying the fight against the Novel Coronavirus. The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme in Bolivia and Guatemala has contributed to generate an enabling environment for volunteering to bolster the COVID-19 response, while simultaneously fulfilling the 2030 Agenda promise to leave no one behind. .
Bolivia: Voluntariado en Acción (V.A. - Volunteers in Action)
The platform Voluntariado en Acción, promoted by UNV in Bolivia, emerged in 2015 in response to copious inquiries from people regarding how they could get involved with the UN system. It mobilizes people of different ages, skills and education to achieve common goals.
Exploring volunteering practices in the 21st century
Every day, individuals engage in a variety of volunteering activities all over the world. In the face of a shared problem, people turn to each other for support.
In the Arab region, volunteering is founded on the collectivist principle of Al faza’a, a surge of solidarity, where people volunteer in support of others, regardless of socioeconomic status.
In the African continent, volunteering is best described as the ultimate expression of social solidarity.
Mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable children in Jordan
There are around 3.2 million students in the Jordanian education system, including a large refugee population. As a result of ongoing conflicts in neighbouring Iraq and Syria, Jordan hosts one of the largest refugee populations in the Middle East. These include approximately 655,000 Syrian refugees. Children under 18 comprise nearly 50 per cent of this population.
Education systems had already been under strain because of double-shifting and other adjustments to school schedules to accommodate rising numbers of students. Subsequent increases in education spending and a consistent effort aimed to keep pace with the demand for nutrition, health and second-chance learning services that disadvantaged students need most.
Providing alternative cooking fuel to refugees amidst COVID-19
Access to sustainable energy for cooking, lighting and power remain key challenges in Rwamwanja refugee settlement amidst the Coronavirus outbreak. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) had planned to achieve sufficient energy provision and environmental sustainability in the settlement. Hillary Agwe, national UN Volunteer Livelihoods (Agriculture) Assistant with UNHCR, explains how activities needed to be adjusted with the emergence of COVID-19.
To contain the spread of COVID-19, the government of Uganda started lockdown restrictions, limiting movement and livelihood activities. Previously, the refugees sourced firewood for cooking from host communities. The majority of the refugees did not have access to any renewable energy sources and relied heavily on low-quality fuels, resulting in higher air pollution, and a greater risk of respiratory tract infections and eye diseases, among other negative implications.