18 September 2008

Juba, Sudan: Being a volunteer means serving without conditions, accepting certain sacrifices, and offering unselfishly one's talents to assist and support mission programmes. For two years, I was a UNV volunteer in the Conduct and Discipline Unit of the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS). In that unit, I acted as an induction, briefings and refresher course trainer for the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) in South Sudan.

I was in charge of the outreach programme of the unit in the South. In that capacity, I liaised with NGOs and members of the UN Country Team who were also involved in the prevention of SEA and raising awareness of the topic within local communities.

In June 2008, I transferred to the Integrated Mission Training Centre, the training unit of UNMIS. I assist, follow up and help facilitate internal and external training. In the absence of the Chief of Unit, I also act as an Officer-in-Charge.

As UNV volunteers, we are called from time to time to meetings with our fellow volunteers serving in different UN agencies. In one of those meetings, we were asked to present our ideas on additional projects volunteers can do together in order to serve the communities of the South.

After having heard a number of suggestions, three projects were chosen by the group for implementation: a clean-up of the Juba Teaching Hospital; building of community latrines in a certain village in Juba; and the beautification and clean-up of the city of Juba.

I was tasked to prepare the proposal and procedures for implementation. The proposal was presented to UNDP and the Ministry of Health for funding and we received positive responses from the organizations concerned.

When this project is implemented, it is hoped that the communities of the South may follow the example of Juba, and citizens will have better awareness of taking care of the environment.