In a remote village in Zambia, I am not just building infrastructure, I am building resilience, relationships, and respect. Every day, I wake up to lush landscapes, fresh air, and the voices of a community that, at first, was unsure about my presence. For me, volunteerism is all about authenticity, excellence, and integrity. It means embracing the environment I find myself in, accepting the reality of working in communities, and finding purpose beyond my comfort zone.

Noemi started volunteering at a very young age. At 14, she was already raising awareness of gender equality. “The personal reward of seeing change in people has always driven me,” says Noemi, an economist now. 

Seven of the nine UN Volunteers who serve with UNICEF in Iraq are women. Their roles include Communications, Human Resources, Resource Mobilization, and Youth Engagement. Four of these women are part of Young Arab Women Talents initiative. Started in 2022, this partnership between UNICEF and UNV creates leadership opportunities for young women in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. 

Since I was a child, I always knew that sports would have an important place in my life. Over the years, I realized that my calling went beyond just playing sports. I had a clear goal of combining my passion for sports with my commitment of gender equality. The challenge I was up against: The lack of opportunities to work on gender and sports in Ecuador. I was up for the challenge and started looking for opportunities.

Yağmur Söylemez, UN Volunteer from Türkiye navigated through her volunteering experience and shared, "Volunteering gave me the courage to confront inequalities head-on, raise my voice  and inspire others to take action." She raised awareness on the structural barriers facing women in their daily lives.

There was no girl to recite the alphabet And there was no one to write No one to read Those sounds, the girl’s sounds Had died under the brickbat of idiotism And Buddha collapsed out of shame. My poetry echoes the challenges in my homeland—Afghanistan. Despite these challenges, particularly for women and girls, I've found a path of purpose as a UN Volunteer. 

Laure is a fully funded UN Volunteer from France who started her assignment in September 2023.

Persons with disabilities are often overlooked, and when they are considered, the focus is frequently limited to physical accessibility, such as ramps and infrastructure. While these elements are important, accessibility must go beyond the physical and extend into the virtual space. In today’s world, digital inclusion is crucial. The fact that you’re reading my story right now is possible because of technology, but this is not the reality for many others.

As a young African at 20, I see the hurdles we face—climate change disrupting agriculture, limited resources affecting education, and political instability creating uncertainty. Yet, these challenges ignite innovation. I see it in the way my peers use technology to drive social change and transform agriculture. My work with Kilimo Green Farm revealed the resilience of Congolese farmers, who, against all odds, adapt to climate change with sustainable practices. 

I am 34 years old and a teacher. I firmly believe that to solve Africa's challenges and enable young people to realize their dreams, we need to rethink our education system fundamentally.  Inclusion is essential; we should ensure that every child, regardless of origin, gender, or socio-economic status, has access to quality education.  We need to focus on keeping girls in school. Too often, girls drop out of school because of barriers such as early marriage, family responsibilities, and restrictive social norms.