As someone who aspires to gain experience in a new culture, I was looking for a field experience on women empowerment in Africa. This led me to the UN system, and I couldn't have got a better opportunity than this UN Volunteer assignment. In my day-to-day work with UNDP, I am trying to bring more inclusive development work to the table.  In Cameroon, there are some great challenges connected to gender, where the roles and power relations are very traditional. Women usually depend on men and are less represented in the political arena and the formal workforce. 

Originally from Bosso, Ousmane has seen more than 8,000 people from his community flee their homes. However, he chose to stay. "Abandoning was not an option for me. I had to help my community. I had to be there to help young people overcome this situation," he says.

A UN Volunteer's journey in south-eastern Mauritania Sitting by the window on my first flight with the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) en route to Bassikounou, in the south-eastern part of the country, all I could see was the vast Sahara Desert. As I got off the airplane during a stop-over in Kiffa, heat blew into my face. The sand was playing with the wind. There was no shade. And it was about 45 degrees Celsius. The question on my mind was: how can people survive — and thrive — in a desert?  

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Niger is currently conducting a study to identify, qualify and quantify the effects of environmental changes on mobility patterns.  Driven by the motivation to support the project with a design-thinking strategy for humanitarian response, Nupur Gurjar joined the initiative as an Online Volunteer. 

While based in the Sahel - the most youthful region in the world, with 64.5% of youth aged under 25 [1] - I have had the opportunity to witness how youth volunteerism can empower young people and provide them with opportunities to actively participate in local, national, regional and global development activities.

As a Civil Engineer, I support building compounds when staff has to move to new offices. Since December 2020, I have overseen the construction of 48 offices. Along with this task, I am also in charge of civil infrastructure, sanitation and environmental projects within Goma town. I provide daily reports on activities and also contribute to the results of my section. 

The UN Community Volunteers represent the UNDP in these communities and are responsible for implementing the project at various levels. They assist in identifying small and medium enterprises with small initiatives and support them in organizing their projects.

The UN Volunteers deliver in a variety of roles, ranging from protection, refugee status determination, livelihoods, WASH, and health, to administrative functions and communication. Their goal? To improve the well-being of the refugees.