Desert storemen: Supply chain assistants

UNV volunteer Tony Mushimbele from the DRC works as a Receiving and Inspection Unit Assistant for UNMIS in Sudan. "I realize now that there is something I can do for this population and it is my responsibility to identify what to do to make this experience great for me and people around me," he says. (UNV)

UNV volunteer Douglas Amponsah from Ghana works as a Warehouse Assistant Supervisor for UNMIS in Sudan. "The joy of sharing my knowledge and learning from others in pursuit of peace has been the driving force behind the satisfaction I derive in serving as a UNV volunteer," he says. (UNV)

18 September 2008

An army marches on its stomach, goes the saying, and an efficient supply chain is the backbone of any UN peacekeeping mission. Behind the scenes, UNV volunteers are making sure that the right people get the right equipment and everything is accounted for.

With a proficient operation, UN missions are better able to provide support and protection to those most at risk. Tony Mushimbule, a UNV volunteer Receiving and Inspection (R&I) Assistant with the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), further explains his part in this.

"My job consists of receiving, inspecting and certifying the acceptance or rejection of all items purchased by the organization for the mission and/or transferred from other UN missions," he says. This means getting to grips with complex software systems, close coordination with all the relevant UN mission sections plus the military component, while being constantly available to work or to be redeployed at short notice.

Logistical assignments also require problem solving skills, notes Douglas Amponsah, a UNV volunteer Warehouse Assistant Supervisor also at UNMIS. He recalls an incident when a VHF (Very High Frequency) radio had to be accounted for. Discovering that the staff member concerned was about to depart the country, he needed to act quickly.

"I had to work within the remaining hours to clear her," notes Mr. Amponsah. "I quickly contacted her duty station (Damazine) via telephone for a physical confirmation of the assets in question. Then I traced and physically verified the radio under her name… The staff member was subsequently cleared and she was able to travel according to schedule."

Aside from performing these unglamorous but essential tasks, UNV volunteers like these bring the volunteer spirit too. Coming from the Democratic Republic of Congo, itself affected by war, Tony Mushimbule saw that he had to get further involved in helping the people of Sudan.

"I promptly registered myself on the voluntary blood donation and voluntary activities organized by the city council," he says. "I hope there will be more opportunities to help in many different ways."

Read Douglas Amponsah's account here
Read Tony Mushimbule's account here