Coming to CAR was not an easy decision because I had to leave my family and friends in Guinea Bissau where I am from. I am motivated to gain new experiences with the UN, growing in the organization, and contributing to peace and stability worldwide. As a UN Volunteer, I am here not only to promote peace but also to assist populations. And it is possible to do it in different ways.

My name is Elodia Cheutou and I am 28 years old from Cameroon. I am a national UN Volunteer serving with WFP in Bertoua, in the eastern part of Cameroon.

Years of volunteer experiences in my home country have been fascinating to me and have allowed me to meet people from different backgrounds, to exchange with many groups of young beneficiaries, and to accompany them in their activities. From these experiences, I aspired to work where I could contribute my knowledge and skills beyond Madagascar, and luckily, I got an opportunity to serve in Burkina Faso as an international UN Volunteer Community Resilience Specialist.

Volunteers have played a critical role in the response to HIV since the earliest days of the epidemic. UNAIDS recognizes their importance, values their engagement and will continue to support their contribution in joining global efforts to end AIDS. --Tim Martineau, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Management and Governance, a.i.

The UN Community Volunteers deployed – seven women and seven men – initially underwent training in the peaceful resolution and management of conflicts, including gender-based violence, to sensitize women and girls, local and religious authorities, and the population. The volunteers held 132 dialogue sessions in the five communes of Conakry: Matoto, Kaloum, Ratoma, Dixinn, and Matam.  One of these is Alpha Makanera. 

Acting as a UNDP representative, Helen co-led the Community Engagement sub-group of the pillar and was tasked to do a rapid assessment of community engagement needs, gaps and challenges.  There were two essential things we could do: support the health care system to address cases and enhance risk communication and community engagement to help slow down and reduce the spread of the disease. --Dr Samuel Doe, UNDP’s Resident Representative in Sierra Leone

Through their partnership, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN Volunteers (UNV) programme have deployed 10 such UN Community Volunteers in the different regions of Senegal. 

From June 2018 to July 2020, Sophie was assigned to the Public Information Unit of the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea Bissau (UNIOGBIS) as a Project Manager. Her mission, together with colleagues at UNDP, was to implement a project funded by the Peacebuilding Fund to create enabling conditions for journalists to play a positive role in a democratic society: boosting the media sector in Guinea-Bissau for greater peace.

The volunteers occupy various functions within the fifty sections of MINUSMA. Among them are medical staff, human rights specialists, electoral advisers, air movement specialists and logisticians. Like an orchestra, everyone plays their part in this large ensemble in order to restore peace. The experiences and life paths of these UN Volunteers differ, but cardinal values animate them and bring them together. They have the merit of being committed, dynamic and of offering solutions.

I have volunteered on campaigns to end Hepatitis B and "Peste des Petits ruminants" in animals in many inaccessible communities in Northern Nigeria. The Africa Women Health Champions initiative came at the right time in my professional carerr, as I was looking for opportunities to join UNV to broaden my experience and learn from others.