There were four of us, UNV Interns, at the Sub-Regional Retreat organized in the summer of 2007 by the UNV country offices in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. We had a retreat recently, and it was a wonderful experience. We had the possibility to get to know the realities in these three countries, to bond and feel like ONE Central Asia Team and to enjoy the glorious scenario of Issyk-Kul lake, in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan.

For us, it was the perfect occasion to share our feelings and experiences and to compare how each succeeded in adapting to a completely new working and living reality. We discussed similarities and differences of the three Central Asian countries and compared our UNV experiences, which we found very different among each other, though  equally challenging and important in the personal growth of all of us. Read

International UNV volunteers make up nearly 10 per cent of World Food Programme's international staff in Somalia. The perceived impartiality of international staff, says the WFP head in the country, is useful in facing local clans' sensitivities.
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From April 16th to 27th 2007 John Kelly (from Tarrytown, NY) and I (Curitiba, Brazil) participated in a joint United Nations – Kraft Volunteer mission in Ecuador supporting FINE (Fundación para la Integración del Niño Especial), a non-profit, socially engaged organization operating in the Quito region, which helps poor and handicapped people, in particular youths over 15 years with Down syndrome. Read

The Sangre Grande hospital has become the new home of Doctor Clement Onuoha, a UNV volunteer who believes volunteering makes a difference in development. Read

As a spatial planner I love cities. They always develop plans but are never finished. Read

"Built on sandy hills with 328 sunny days, one of the Brazilian favorite place for tourists looking for relax and good beaches". This is what I read nine months ago on Google search, just a moment after the phone had rung and a voice on the other part had told me that my duty station would have been this Brazilian northeast coast city. Read

Shahida Akhter, a former national UNV volunteer in Bangladesh recounts how she helped victims of the devastating cyclone SIDR and urges other organizations and volunteers for assistance. Read

In CIVICUS newsletter's special issue on IVD, UNV volunteer Karena Cronin reflects on volunteers' contribution to civil society and giving volunteers proper recognition. Read

For the past few weeks, UNV volunteer Laura Collins can not help but notice the "Stop Child Abuse" stickers posted in the main town square of the capital Lilongwe. The campaign aims to break the silence around child abuse and convince leaders to commit to prevent and respond to violence, exploitation and abuse against children – including commercial sexual exploitation, trafficking, child labour and harmful traditional practices, such as early marriages. Read

UNV volunteer Christiana Fischer helps implement a school feeding programme,  through the World Food Programme (WFP), in rural Bolivia. Read