Binod Chand, Bikas Jha, Kushal Limbu, Madhusudan Ghimire and Shraddha Thapa are UN Volunteer Infrastructure Asset Management Associates. They serve with the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), in Nepal. While engaging with key stakeholders and elected officials, the group of five invest time to fully understand the impact of existing policies, laws and regulations on municipal asset management and areas of reform and improvement.

In 2022, Mount Kenya University funded three national UN University Volunteer assignments. Brenda Kemunto Onyancha, Jane Wamucii Ngure and Jeremiah Newton Otieno joined the teams of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UN Environment Programme (UNEP), respectively. The youth volunteers share the valuable experience they have gained in global development, and how their perspectives have changed through their assignments. 

Fatoumata T., Fatoumata S. and Ismail were actively engaged in sensitization events and engaging with communities on human rights. They conducted research, collected data and created content for dissemination. Their assignments as UN University Volunteers lasted six months, and their contributions were appreciated by OHCHR. 

The two students were engaged through an innovative project entitled “Ditch UNfair internships” – an initiative of UN Human Rights to address barriers and create wider access for diverse students to receive entry-level working experience in Geneva.

The main goal of the partnership is to enhance the capacity and engagement of youth from the region as key actors of change in global development issues. A selected number of Mount Kenya University students will be deployed for six months in various UN agencies in Kenya as UN University Volunteers to apply their knowledge and skills in several areas of UN peace and development work. The deployment is a result of the partnership agreement initially signed on 1 November 2019 between UNV and Mount Kenya University.

The KGU Programme enables youth to gain exposure to, and make an impact on, peace and sustainable development by working with UN partners and within communities in the field. These opportunities allow the university students to acquire enriching professional experience in international development and peace, helping them shape their future careers.

UNV partners with nine universities, who fund UN University Volunteer deployment under the KGU Programme.  These include: Kwansei Gakuin University, Osaka University, Akita International University, Sophia University, Tsukuba University, Toyo University, Meiji University, Meiji Gakuin University and Rikkyo University.