by Julie Okello, UNV Support Officer, Laayoune

30 January 2010

Laayoune, Western Sahara territory: At MINURSO, there is a buzz… It is all about the celebration of International Volunteer Day.  Ever since the first UNV volunteer arrived in Western Sahara, there was going to be an occasion to celebrate volunteerism, and this was an opportunity for the UNV volunteers to share their experiences with the other staff members at the headquarters of MINURSO (United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara).

This year’s theme ‘Volunteering for our Planet' indeed provided a lot of ideas from the volunteers.  After a couple of meetings to brainstorm, the programme for the day was drawn up.  This would include a tree planting session, to honour the theme of the day.

The volunteers also offered to host a reception in the evening for all the staff, where there would be presentations by the UNV volunteers from each section about their daily involvement with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and then as proper hosts, they volunteered to cook and prepare sumptuous meals from their countries of origin.  The UNV volunteers from the UNHCR Confidence-Building Measures programme were also incorporated in the day’s activities.

Friday afternoon, all the staff have gone home since we only work up to 1p.m and  the UNV volunteers gather for the ground preparation, bringing the plants and other supplies like fertilizer, and manure to the venue.  The work is tedious but nonetheless, the determination, enthusiasm and anticipation of success from all the UNV volunteers make the whole exercise worthwhile.

One has to come to Laayoune to appreciate the work involved in planting anything. The ground is solid, the type of plants that can withstand the harsh Sahara sunlight are limited and even finding the right kind of soil is difficult.  As the sun sets, all the holes are ready and watered down in readiness for the actual planting.

Saturday, 5 December 2009 was finally here and all the UNV volunteers gathered early in the morning, all smartly dressed in white T-shirts with the 'Volunteering for our Planet' logo proudly displayed.  They decorated the cafeteria with white/blue/green balloons and all the UNV posters were pinned on the walls. Tables were set up ensuring that there were brochures and the annual reports available for all to read.

Everyone worked together to blow the balloons, clean the cafeteria and put up the posters, while waiting to start the tree-planting session.  They ensured there was enough water and supplies for everyone who would join in the planting session.

At 10.30a.m the UNV volunteers joined by MINURSO staff started the tree planting session.  The energy levels as everyone took turns shovelling and watering the placed seedlings was infectious and even the staff who were just going to the offices couldn’t resist joining in to help.   Shovelling and watering plants were the only sounds in HQ that morning.  

After the trees were successfully placed, all the participants in the tree planting session and the UNV volunteers got a chance to interact and share their experiences in the mission. The MINURSO Green Committee was also present and the assistance from the Engineering Section was invaluable in making the tree planting session a success.

With the sun slowing going down the cafeteria well decorated, complete with linen on the tables, the UNV volunteers gathered again for the presentations and the reception.  The guests started arriving, all relaxed and ready to enjoy the presentations and planned evening.  

The UNV volunteers were honoured with the presence of the MINURSO management led by the newly arrived SRSG Mr. Hany AbdelAziz, the Force Commander, the outgoing Chief of Staff, and the in-coming Chief of Staff, AU Ambassador Yilma of the African Union, head of UNHCR CBM Operations.  Both the national and international staff turned out and the atmosphere was very lively.  

After the UNV volunteers’ presentations, where they gave their experiences and even gave an overview of their day to day activities, there were speeches.  First Mr. Hany Abdel-Aziz, the new SRSG expressed his appreciation of the UNV contribution to the peacekeeping missions around the world.  He also recognized that many international staff started their careers as volunteers and encouraged the UNV volunteers to continue their dedication and commitment.

He reiterated the need to assist the UNV volunteers in their day to day activities and where possible with their career progression, since they offered valuable skills and services to the organization.  And he urged the UNVs to continue the good work and assured them of his support.

The Head of Operations, UNHCR, speaking both as the recipient of the UNV volunteers and as a former UNV volunteer, was very appreciative of the UNV contribution to the CBM programme. She was also very appreciative of the opportunity to participate in the day’s activities.  

The UNV Support Officer read the speech of the Executive Director and added that she was impressed by the way the UNV volunteers interacted with the other staff at MINURSO and so far, there was a lot of praise from the section chiefs on the UNV volunteers performance.  

As the UNV volunteers continued to interact with the staff members and their families, it was apparent that they were thoroughly excited about being the hosts.  The meals included gari foto and jollof from Ghana, groundnut sauce and rice from Sierra Leone, dorowot from Ethiopia, fried fish, grilled chicken and beef barbeque from Kenya, and the guests were full of praise for the UNV volunteers.  The volunteers themselves fussed and buzzed around making sure that everybody was comfortable and they were all smiles themselves.

“I am really proud to be a UNV volunteer and today has made me realize that we are recognized and fully appreciated, especially by our colleagues who turned out for the activities. I hope that next year, we can have a bigger celebration maybe lasting a whole week,” said Yoseph Gebrehiwot (Ethiopia).