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The transition: From crisis to development
A series of essays in words and pictures exploring the role of UNV and voluntary action in the transition from crisis to development.

Volunteerism empowers people to take charge of their destinies and to help their countries move forward. Here we encounter stories from Liberia and Sierra Leone each illustrating the relationships between volunteerism, peace and development.

View the stories
"When people volunteer, it's a collective benefit," says Gambian UNV volunteer Dodou Darboe at the WFP Sub Office in Magburaka, Sierra Leone. "Critical to all this is getting people into groups and building their capacities so that rather than telling them what to do, they can say 'hey, this is going wrong' and come up with solutions of their own accord. And when we come back they can say 'hey, this is what we have done'. This is our challenge. I'm a UNV volunteer, and like all the other UNV volunteers with WFP in Sierra Leone I feel very proud that, as a volunteer, I've been given such a very central, and such a very important, responsibility. (P. Sen/UNV)
Feeding the volunteer spirit - Koidu
19 July 2010
Koidu, Sierra Leone: It's every UNV volunteer's task to support voluntary action in the communities they support. So those of them assigned to WFP in Sierra Leone help sustain the work of civil society. Read
More about: Civil society  Focus on food  Peace & conflict resolution  Youth
Countries:  Gambia  Sierra Leone
Youth at a skills training centre in Koidu, Sierra Leone, take advantage of the WFP food support organized by UNV volunteer Dodou Darboe. (P. Sen/UNV)
Photo story: Silver and gold
18 July 2010
Koidu, Sierra Leone: One way in which Dodou and the WFP support voluntary organizations is through  'food-for-training' schemes. Students learn a trade and receive meals so they can complete their courses. Read
More about: Civil society  Focus on food  Youth
Countries:  Gambia  Sierra Leone
UNV volunteer Fatima Diang from Sudan is assigned to the WFP Sub Office in Port Loko, Sierra Leone. "It’s difficult just to live here at my station," she comments. "There are no hotels or restaurants or power supply, and I was renting a house, but it was a security risk so I moved to the WFP compound and now live in a container. But whenever I’m visiting the health centres and I meet the small children, and talk to them and their mothers – it’s so special to be able to hear from them how the WFP support is helping them. It makes mothers happy to have a healthy child – and it excites me to see a child’s health improving." (P. Sen/UNV)
Feeding the volunteer spirit - Port Loko
17 July 2010
Port Loko, Sierra Leone: At the Port Loko health centre, UNV volunteer Fatima Daing and WFP assist volunteer-involving organizations addressing HIV/AIDS. Read
More about: Civil society  Focus on food  HIV/AIDS
Countries:  Sierra Leone  Sudan
UNV volunteer Fatima Daing works with voluntary groups in Port Loko to help People Living with HIV. (P. Sen/UNV)
Photo story: The talking treatment
16 July 2010
Port Loko, Sierra Leone: It's in Fatima Diang's mandate to encourage volunteerism in the communities she works with and playing a part in keeping vulnerable people fed. Read
More about: Civil society  Focus on food  HIV/AIDS
Countries:  Sierra Leone  Sudan
UNV volunteer Ernest Merriman-Johnson from Sierra Leone at work in the Transport Section in Gbarnga, Liberia. (P. Sen/UNV)
Keeping the wheels turning
23 June 2010
Gbarnga, Liberia: Without UNV volunteers like these, UNMIL's task in the remote parts of Liberia would be far harder. Read
More about: Peace & conflict resolution
Countries:  Liberia  Philippines  Russian Federation  Sierra Leone
UNV volunteer Natsuko assisted Mohamed F. Bango through UNDP's partnership with Action Aid. "I'm popularly known of 'man of god'... because of certain changes I have made," says Mohamed. "When Action Aid first came along we tried to run away because we thought they were police. But now I say thanks for their good help. Here is the place I used to hang around, making these cheap mud blocks for building. Smoking under a tree." (P. Sen/UNV)
The Japanese volunteer brokering a balance for youth
01 June 2010
Freetown, Sierra Leone: Natsuko Kaneyama is a UNV volunteer Programme Manager for Youth and Peacebuilding. Her job is to help young people get out of poverty and into the economy. Read
More about: Civil society  Education  Marginalized groups  Peace & conflict resolution  Poverty  Youth
Countries:  Japan  Sierra Leone
One of the NGOs that UNV volunteer Natsuko Kaneyama work with in Freetown is the Youth Development Movement. Here, Fatmata Koroma writes on the blackboard, where she has been practicing how to prepare a menu card. Six months ago she was completely illiterate. "I couldn't even write my name. I've now learned how to do much more." The youth learn business skills for the hospitality trade, from waitressing and cooking to accounting and bookkeeping. They also learn about community skills and family living, what the NGO calls "attitudes for life". (P. Sen/UNV)
Photo story: Brokering a balance for youth
27 May 2010
Freetown, Sierra Leone: Natsuko Kaneyama from Osaka, Japan, aims to help Sierra Leone's young people get out of poverty and into the economy. You can meet some of these youth here. Read
More about: Civil society  Marginalized groups  Peace & conflict resolution  Poverty  Youth
Countries:  Japan  Sierra Leone
Taking Liberia from its violent past into lasting development will take the commitment and cooperation of every stakeholder in the nation's future. But a gently guiding hand goes a long way towards bringing people together. (P. Sen/UNV)
A guiding hand
11 May 2010
Gbarnga, Liberia: Taking Liberia from its violent past into lasting development will take the commitment and cooperation of every stakeholder in the nation's future. But a gently guiding hand goes a long way towards bringing people together. Read
More about: Civil society  Governance  Marginalized groups  Peace & conflict resolution
Countries:  Kenya  Liberia
Liberia has emerged from years of civil conflict and is now vigorously pushing forward its policies for sustainable peace and poverty reduction. (P.Sen/UNV)
When small issues can become big issues
21 April 2010
Monrovia, Liberia: "My role is peacebuilding," asserts Tomoko Semmyo. "In conflict-prone communities, small issues can become big issues. That's why I'm here." Read
More about: Marginalized groups  Peace & conflict resolution  Poverty  Refugees & displaced people
Countries:  Japan  Liberia
Sierra Leone has emerged from years of conflict, but with under 100 practicing lawyers in the country it has a long way to travel before human rights are fully entrenched. (P. Sen/UNV)
Answering calls for justice
20 April 2010
Freetown, Sierra Leone: As a legal expert and a UNV volunteer, Elvis Enoh-Tanyi has an important and enormous task to do to help civil society uphold the rule of law in Sierra Leone. Read
More about: Civil society  Human rights  Marginalized groups  Peace & conflict resolution
Countries:  Cameroon  Sierra Leone

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