Lorena Carrillo from Peru has recently joined her duty station as a UN Volunteer in Sudan.

I really enjoyed the traffic congestion today. I just have been trying to arrive to my hotel, it took me more than an hour, a way that uses to take me fifteen minutes, but I really enjoyed it!

Thousands of persons, cars, buses, motorcycles, bikes; old men and women, adults, young and children celebrating THE PEACE! The men holding their hands (even some boys and girls have dared to hold their hands), people hug each other; sing in the buses, on the big trucks, vans; jump, run, scream, cry, dance because they feel happiness. There is lots of euphoria! Some adolescents come to my window and tell me that they are celebrating THEIR PEACE, after too much time of a terrible war... I almost can't tell words to congratulate them, they hold my hand, and we smile and cry together.

Here I am, more than happy and very proud of this experience, being witness and part of this. I have almost 2 weeks in this country, a few days a go I went to the press conference that gave the UN Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS); local and international journalists taking notes about a possible and durable PEACE.

Today all Sudanese are celebrating six months of peace since 9 January 2005 when the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed. This is an historical day.

People from the South and the North are meeting together, all mixed in Khartoum streets, with palms branches and the same flag in their hands, without renouncing their beliefs. The basis of the agreement are the citizens: freedom without any distinction of religion, gender, politics or race and transparency by the government to allow children grow up here and help rebuild their country.

My duty station is located in the Nuba Mountains (the center of Sudan) in Kadugli. Anthropologists say that there are 99 tribes in 100 hills. In this region, in January 2002, a cease-fire agreement was signed between the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLA) and the Government of Sudan. Donors have shown interest for funding the Nuba Mountains Project with a view to make it a model for other regions to follow soon.

I am almost ready to travel to Kadugli, with tools (radio, mobile, lap top, repellent, Swiss knife, mosquito net, food, medicines, etc.). I will be the first woman in the team assisting UNICEF there to prevent HIV/AIDS, and giving Communication Support to the projects that improve health and nutrition, water and environmental sanitation, enhance Education, protect rights, build peace and help Internal Displaced People return with an effective reintegration to their original places.

I am in the field... proud to be part of a team working for development!

Lorena Carrillo from Peru has recently joined her duty station as a UN Volunteer in Sudan. She ist the first woman in a team based in Kadugli, Kordofan state in central Sudan, working with UNICEF.