Cho's fascination with Mongolia's development trajectory began during a previous project with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). Witnessing the nation's hurdles firsthand, she felt compelled to contribute on a broader scale. The UN Volunteer opportunity seemed like the perfect platform to explore the UN system's role in fostering sustainable development, especially on human mobility issues.

A public affairs specialist, Tommaso was working with the UN Regional Information Centre (UNRIC) in Brussels – after stints in The Hague and Rome – when he decided to upload his profile into the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) database. One night, while walking home with a colleague, he received an email asking if he was interested in joining OCHA’s sub-office in the North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). "I wasn’t convinced I could make it to the end of the selection process," Tommaso shares.