Miragoâne, Haiti:  "When are you going to see your son?" I asked. "In less than two weeks, for two days." A weak smile crosses Michonda''s tired face. "It has been four months," she adds. Five years ago, at barely 13, Michonda's childhood was stolen. She was brutally raped and became pregnant. While the rapist managed to escape justice, Michonda had to take up her new responsibilities. Forced to abandon school, she had to look for a job to be able to care for her child.

Bridgetown, Barbados: My assignment with the UNDP Sub-Regional Office for Barbados and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) as the UNV Institutional Capacity Development Officer is providing exciting opportunities to support ten programme countries in the Eastern Caribbean. As a UN Volunteer, I have started to explore options and possibilities that provide increased opportunities for non-state actors and civil society organizations to develop their networking, promotion and administrative capacities.

Quito, Ecuador: I am a 27-year-old lawyer and I just finished my one-year assignment with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme at the Office of the Human Rights Adviser in Ecuador.

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago:  Halfway through my one-year assignment as international United Nations Volunteer in Trinidad and Tobago, the balance so far is definitively positive. I am in charge of managing a project to develop a National Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Investment. Yes, quite a mouthful and definitely quite a challenge.

Port-au-Prince, Haiti:  I have been working in the MINUSTAH Community Violence Reduction (CVR) Section since May 2012 as a Programme Officer in the Project Unit. My role is to identify, select and develop potential projects aimed at reducing violence within communities.

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: It was my first assignment as a UN Volunteer in the field representing the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in the Dominican Republic (UNHCR DR). Since the beginning of my collaboration as a UNV Field Analyst for the UNHCR programme I have been working as a focal point focusing on a community-based approach, which has totally changed my perspective.

Port-au-Prince, Haiti:  On February 2012, three UNV Training Officers from the Integrated Mission Training Centre of The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), together with the United Nations Language and Communications Programme (UNLCP) which serves the UN community in New York, organized the Training of Trainers on writing English correspondence and reports in a peacekeeping mission.

Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala: Having spent many years studying food science and technology in various European Universities, and in particular my experience with coffee processing technologies at Kraft Foods, has given me the chance to share some of that knowledge through the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme.

La Paz, Bolivia: As a UN Volunteer I am a part of the Communications Department at the United Nations Population Fund in Bolivia (UNFPA Bolivia). I contribute to different communications projects such as the development of the online communications strategy. Its implementation quadrupled UNFPA Bolivia’s online visits in less than a year.

Managua, Nicaragua: Situated in the heart of Central America, Nicaragua has a very rich biodiversity. As a developing economy, it is highly dependent on its natural resources. However, Nicaragua is one of the countries that suffers the most from the consequences of climate change. For example, farmlands are vulnerable due to extreme weather conditions which cause land degradation and severe erosion.