Bong County, Liberia: The UNDP and UNV-supported National Youth Volunteer Service or NYVS aims to address some of the root causes of poverty and conflict in Liberia by bringing the expertise of educated urban youth directly to rural dwellers. The scheme puts the volunteers themselves in touch with the "unknown" of the Liberian interior and, in a country with 85 percent youth unemployment, enhances their professional skills and improves their job prospects.

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As women with their bundles make their way across, volunteer nurse Kolu Yassah Johnson stands on the bridge that she and the villagers built. It is a bridge that connects two communities – which is just what the Liberia National Youth Volunteer Service does on a grander scale.

"As a volunteer, she shows a real willingness to help sick people," says local elder Harris Pilawo. "And now the bridge is here, our children can get to school."

The UNDP and UNV-supported National Youth Volunteer Service or NYVS aims to address some of the root causes of poverty and conflict in Liberia by bringing the expertise of educated urban youth directly to rural dwellers. Not only this, Kolu comments, but the scheme puts the volunteers themselves in touch with the "unknown" of the Liberian interior and, in a country with 85 percent youth unemployment, enhances their professional skills and improves their job prospects.

In 2009, the second batch of 121 NYVS volunteers worked for 12 months on healthcare, education, governance and agriculture in six counties. Another 130 are due to start their assignments in 2010.

Though her day-to-day volunteer assignment means delivering healthcare support and education, Kolu Johnson puts the project's ideals into practice in many ways. In mid 2009, she chaired a committee and organized resources and local volunteers to help build the bridge.

It was tough at times, the qualified nurse concedes, bearing in mind that people have developed a 'dependency mentality' and at first expected to be paid to work for their own benefit. "But in the end it was fun!" she laughs. "We were all here hauling rocks, singing songs, it was joyful!"

The bridge may just be a small structure, but it means that when the annual floods come, not only can the Martha Tubman Elementary and Junior High school and its annex stay open, but the villages nearby can remain in touch without having to brave the water and associated health hazards.

"I felt there was a need for me to sacrifice for my nation, that the nation needed me," explains Ms. Johnson regarding her motivation to join the scheme. "I was born on this soil. It's not about the money, it's about what you do for your country," she adds.

In a nearby school, Daniel Tentay is not only teaching reading and history but getting involved in community work too. "He's been getting all us youth together for cleaning-up campaigns," says a student. And Tentay has been instrumental in gathering equipment for the school's new computer room.

The gratitude of the students, teachers and parent-teacher association members is evident. "We don't want him to leave," they say. "We love his work... He's not only part of the school, but our community as a whole."

Romeo Paul, another NYVS volunteer working at an agricultural project with the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI) near Gbarnga, is something of a multiplier. "Bring a 50kg sack of seeds here and we'll find ways to multiply it into tonnes," he says.

The volunteer's work consists of testing different seed varieties and working with local farmers to improve their productivity. "Being a graduate from the Booker Washington Institute (BWI), he can make an impact," say the CARI Programme Officers Romeo works with. "He's energetic, hard working and committed."

And though Romeo is mainly in Gbarnga to offer his scientific knowledge, his volunteer spirit meets he literally gets his feet wet, setting an example with the farmers in the paddies.

"Rain or shine, he's always there," say his CARI colleagues. "When you have a job to do, your physical presence must be there. He's there, he doesn't give up. He remains there until knock-off time, even if the workers are sitting down! If he was not there, our work would not go on."