Brasilia, Brazil: Volunteerism is giving your time and expertise in exchange for knowledge, and the opportunity to be part of the changes you want to make in the world. I urge everyone to become a volunteer in any way you can. You can start by helping people in your own community, then you will be helping people from the whole country, and then, who knows, you may also be helping people from all over the world. 

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago: I was documenting medical history from a newly diagnosed HIV-positive patient, accompanied by his very caring wife, when they told me how much they loved to dance every weekend before they got ill. The couple returned after a fortnight, but to my astonishment their medical file bore an older clinical number and was considerably heavier in content. Although it had the same last name, the clinical number was about 4 years old.

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago: I had the privilege and pleasure to work as a UN Volunteer Medical Doctor in three different countries. My first experience was as a UNV Medical Doctor in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (2009) with the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC). It was an opportunity to learn about the UN mission way of life, and I underwent many trainings. Our level 2 clinic handled numerous Malaria cases besides other medical problems.

Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago: Since September 2014, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Health have been receiving international UN Volunteers to work in Health Care Centres across Trinidad and Tobago to support current staff and ensure consistent quality service is being provided for the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.

Port-au-Prince, Haiti: I’m Adoum Goulgué, I’m UN volunteer at the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). I work as a journalist-editor in the United Nations police (UNPOL) Section. But before that, I worked as responsible for public information at the publication unit, section of the Communication Office of Public Information, where I arrived on 01st July 2013. I have 10 years of experience in journalism, including four in the weekly newspaper in Chad, and four others as communication officer with humanitarian NGOs in eastern Chad.

Port-au-Prince, Haiti: My name is Francesca Pinna, I am a United Nations Volunteer in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Country Office in Haiti. I never thought that I would get engaged in the field of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). It happened by chance after the earthquake that hit the Italian city of Aquila in 2009. I understood what an unexpected natural disaster could really provoke and how much destruction could have been avoided through an adequate knowledge of disaster risks and appropriate preparedness.

Following the devastation of tropical storm Ida in November 2009, a unique, triangular South-South partnership was initiated with the governments of Brazil and El Salvador and the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme.

Quito, Ecuador:  Around one thousand young people from Quito, but also other parts of Ecuador and even Colombia, Cuba, Denmark, Germany, Spain and Venezuela, gathered on an August 2013 weekend to celebrate the largest alternative music festival in Ecuador. It was a great start into my year as a UN Youth Volunteer and provided an excellent opportunity to discuss development challenges with young people that hold the future in their hands.

Guatemala City, Guatemala: After my master’s degree in economics, I decided to change my career perspective to work in the humanitarian sector, in cooperation and development. I had two objectives: to fulfil the dream of knowing new cultures and countries, and to contribute, even in a small part, to improving the living conditions of people in developing countries.

La Paz, Bolivia: During my one-year assignment in Bolivia as a UN Youth Volunteer, I worked at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) within the Indigenous Peoples Unit. I became familiar with indigenous peoples’ rights in a country where 42% of the population identify themselves as indigenous. My background as a human rights lawyer helped me to understand the serious challenges and threats that are living the Guarani peoples in the Chaco region.