“Empowering young people with digital skills can transform their future and lead to gender equality,” says Helwise Boya, UN Volunteer Innovation and Technology Officer with UNFPA in Benin. She is passionate about making a positive change through volunteering. Helwise supports the #Tech4Girls project, which has imparted digital and entrepreneurial skills to over 200 girls, opening new career paths and boosting their confidence.

Lydie Nodjimadjim Mbaidje is a senior midwife and UN Volunteer serving with UNFPA In the heart of Logone, a province located in the south-west of Chad. Her contribution pivots around the crucial aspects of health education and awareness. She supervises midwives, and trains the local population on contraceptives and emergency neonatal obstetric care.

Mr Tegegnework Gettu, UNDP Associate Administrator, opened UNV’s session at the meeting. He highlighted the strong UND/UNV partnership and noted how through its engagements with UNDP, UNV is constantly demonstrating how volunteers are vital to the success of development initiatives at local, regional and national levels. 

Karimama, Bénin: Just a few weeks after joining the protection unit for stateless persons of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) regional office, I was given the opportunity to participate in my first field mission and to reach out to people threatened by statelessness in northern Benin, at the border with Niger. The aim of this mission was to understand the causes of the situation faced by these people, analyze its impact on their daily lives, and envisage lasting solutions, together with local authorities.