25 May 2000

BONN: With the help of international UNV field workers, villagers in Bangladesh make up their own minds on what must be done in their communities. Living directly with the people in rural areas, the 33 UN Volunteers from Sri Lanka, India, Nepal and the Philippines consult with a wide range of youth and other community groups on what is needed, whether it be better health care for all or improved schooling for their children. Together with the local people they find ways to generate an income through milking cows, pulling rickshaws or keeping bees. Focusing on women in particular, the UNVs provide bookkeeping training to help manage small businesses and conduct family planning workshops. They also join in to build latrines and tackle crumbling infrastructure. One UN Volunteer worked with 30 villagers to repair a section of road used by some 200 people each day. UNV field workers have proven effective in promoting local governance elsewhere in 1999:

• In Malawi, UNV field workers supported efforts to link government officials, donors and NGOs by helping prepare district development plans throughout the southern African country. They also got the people involved in ensuring that there is enough food for vulnerable groups and in teaching skills in reforestation and crop diversification.
• UNV community promoters in Ecuador assisted indigenous communities living in areas afflicted by increasing poverty, environmental degradation and inter-ethnic conflicts. To that end they have given tips on farming techniques and other income-generating activities. The UNVs also helped set up organizations promoting women's opportunities and protecting the environment.
• To reach Kyrgyzstan's poor, UNVs helped establish 140 community-based organizations where rural people have joined forces for better crop irrigation, schools and drinking water. Many of these services were previously provided by the state. As part of a broad UNDP initiative supporting decentralized self-governance, UN Volunteers help people to take them over and become the driving force for their own development.

UNV recruits national or international field workers from the region with a strong background in community work. In 1999, 13 per cent of UNVs were field workers.

Gunapala Welikanna
Gunapala Welikanna, a 39-year-old international UNV field worker from Sri Lanka, brings a variety of skills and a heart for youth to his assignment in the Bangladeshi village of Noapara. His varied technical training as a building planner, a fitter and a metal worker comes in handy as he teams up with villagers to identify and carry out tasks. Gunapala is a true community worker. From 1991 to 1993, he served as a UNV field worker in India. For more than 15 years with the National Youth Services Council in his country, he organized programmes in youth leadership, culture, education and sports and helped young people obtain loans.