Award-winning Roma UN Community Volunteer initiative tackles COVID-19

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In April 2020, a UN Community Volunteers initiative in Serbia won the prestigious European Roma Youth Project Award 2020. The initiative is part of a joint project of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) called Local Initiatives for Improved Social Inclusion of Young Roma. Empowered and inspired by the award, the leaders of the project and Roma UN Community Volunteers share their most recent achievements in the COVID-19 response within their communities.

UN Community Volunteers Milena Reljic, David Georgiev and Nikola Josipovic are busy with initiatives related to the COVID-19 outbreak, as many other development workers are. They help Roma communities, to which they also belong, to tackle COVID-19 global challenges, and ensure that the interests of the Roma are given due attention and delivered upon.

Is there a vaccine against stigma?

Dao Thu Huong, Disability Rights Officer in Viet Nam
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I’m being rhetorical, of course. Here’s why.

Amidst the #COVID19 outbreak, and countries closing off borders, we’ve been hearing stories of stigma against foreigners in many parts of the world: from suspicious looks in public places to difficulties in hailing taxis or rides. Asia is generally welcoming, respectful and hospitable to tourists and foreigners so this is new territory for visitors and citizens alike. And it needs to be said that this is certainly unacceptable, unforgiveable, and intolerable.

Helping refugees brace themselves for COVID-19 in Sudan

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In Sudan, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) is collaborating with partners to avert the spread of the Novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) among refugees. Today, there are 20 UN Volunteers actively supporting UNHCR in its prevention efforts, serving in various fields, including protection, health, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and external relations.

Sudan is currently hosting over one million refugees from South Sudan, Eritrea, Syria and other countries. While there have been no reported cases of refugees who have tested positive for COVID-19 so far, the high density of refugee dwellings, coupled with limited health care and WASH facilities, makes them particularly vulnerable to the pandemic.

Based in Kosti, White Nile State, Alemayehu Gebremichael (Ethiopia) is a UN Volunteer serving as a Health and Nutrition Officer within a programme that caters to the needs of nearly 160,00 refugees in nine camps.

Ensuring psychosocial wellbeing of teachers and students in Indonesia

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In her role as Child Protection Officer, Pritta Damanik supports a project in bullying prevention, prevention of child marriage and positive discipline in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. She serves with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and works in close coordination with an implementing partner and the Government for the projects implemented in schools. During the COVID-19 crisis, she stepped forward to develop psychosocial support guidelines that can help teachers and students. Here, Pritta shares her story.

 

I was initially confused about the kind of support I can provide during the crisis. We had started working from home when I was contacted by a person with the implementing partner who said that most students were feeling anxious about the online learning system and teachers were not sure how to address this matter. 

 

The fight against COVID-19: keeping communities safe in India

Safeguarding health and enabling humanitarians to deliver in Yemen

Skilled UN Volunteers join the fight against COVID-19 in West and Central Africa

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With the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are more than 2,750 active cases identified in West and Central Africa to date. The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme plays an important role in addressing the outbreak within the region – either by providing medical support or conducting awareness-raising campaigns. From Bamako (Mali) to Lomé (Togo) and Bissau (Guinea-Bissau), UN Volunteers are an asset to UN agencies in this emergency context.

The United Nations system is gearing up its efforts to support national COVID-19 response plans in West and Central Africa. UNV is no exception. UN Volunteers add value to UN and government efforts, like Dr Philemon Niyitegeka (Rwanda), a UN Volunteer Technical Assistant in Mobile Care Strategies, serving with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Togo.

Fighting COVID-19 through public information in the Central African Republic

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From Bangui, the Central African Republic’s capital, to Bria, Kaga-Bandoro, Bouar or Bambari; UN Volunteers are assigned as public information officers in radio stations with the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Mission in CAR (MINUSCA) to inform the public about the COVID-19 global outbreak. 

In the Central African Republic, radio broadcasts are a useful means to share public information, especially to the most remote populations. UN Volunteers assigned with the MINUSCA’s radio are on the frontline to raise awareness aboutt the COVID-19 pandemic. These dedicated UN Volunteers share current up-dates on COVID-19 via radio programmes, while advocating for prevention and protection measures.

UNV invests in COVID-19 response

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The COVID-19 pandemic will have devastating effects on UN programme countries, reversing many positive gains in sustainable development. The negative social and economic impact particularly affects people most often left behind; such as women, children and those with disabilities. 

In support of countries and UN partners in the COVID-19 response, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is investing its own resources to immediately deploy 70 UN Volunteers to countries severely affected by the crisis.

The will to win: COVID-19 response

UNV partnering with UNDP
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Despite efforts worldwide, COVID-19 continues to advance and has now affected over 775,000 people in 178 countries. Additionally, the level of vulnerability of low-income people and countries has increased. In Peru, about 70 per cent of the economically active population belongs to the informal sector and is not covered by the social protection system. They are the ones who most suffer due to the crisis, along with older adults and people with chronic diseases.

Two weeks ago, Peruvians - with the exception of some heroes - were called to stay at home to prevent COVID-19 from spreading and reaching the most vulnerable populations. However, confinement does not imply standing idly by. This is well understood by many young people, who are willing to offer their unconditional help during these times which have already made their mark on the history books.

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