04 January 2010

Beijing, Kunming and Wenchuan, China: UNV volunteers in China have collected a brace of awards for their work on HIV/AIDS and Disaster Risk Management, and for their diligent promotion of volunteerism for peace and development.

National UNV volunteer Canaria Gaffar was named the 'Outstanding National Volunteer of 2009' by the Working Committee of Volunteers, China Association of Social Workers. The judging panel included representatives from Working Committee of Volunteers and officials from the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Adding to the trophy case from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the UNV Country Office Team was also recognized by the Working Committee of Volunteers, China Association of Social Workers. The team's work on the Post-Wenchuan Earthquake Early Recovery and Disaster Risk Management Programme was recognized as the ‘Volunteer Service Brand Project of 2009’.

Hailing from Xinjiang Province, Ms. Gaffar began her assignment as a national UNV volunteer in May 2008. Originally based at the head office of UNDP partner organization AIDS Care China (ACC) in Nanning, Guangxi Province, she now works with ACC Kunming, Yunnan Province, as a Programme Officer.

The UNV volunteer's key accomplishment in 2009 was the completion of a case study of ACC’s Red Ribbon Centres. The centres provide care and support to over 7,000 people living with HIV in four provinces.

UNV Programme Officer in China, Henny Ngu, explains further: "Canaria’s study, based on visits to ten centres and more than 30 interviews, analyzes the effectiveness of the service delivery model and how other NGOs working in HIV/AIDS can learn good practices and lessons from ACC’s experience."

"This is a significant recognition and acknowledgement of Canaria’s voluntary contribution and hard work," continues Ms. Ngu. "It is also a great encouragement to the unique partnership between UNV, UNDP, AIDS Care China and the French company Total in contributing towards HIV/AIDS prevention and care."

Canaria Gaffar's current work involves supporting ACC's Red Ribbon Centres in developing their own monitoring and evaluation tools so as to establish high quality and sustainable treatment models.

The Post-Wenchuan Earthquake project was initiated by UNDP in partnership with a number of Government departments, national and international NGOs, people's organizations and research institutions. Focusing on 26 poor townships and villages in Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi Provinces, it uses a community participatory approach to provide early recovery, reconstruction and mitigation assistance in the aftermath of the May 2008 disaster.

The project deploys two UNV volunteers as community mobilization experts. "They listen to local problems and the needs of vulnerable populations," says Henny Ngu. "Active communication and coordination activities in the project are used to fully reflect the concerns and interests of vulnerable groups."

As well as introducing international expertise, the project allows local volunteers to get involved. "The UNV volunteers mobilize and encourage local villagers' initiatives to promote integration, cooperation and coordination with related projects," Ms. Ngu adds.

The UNV volunteers also help people make village-level disaster contingency plans and conduct emergency drills. Moreover, the reconstruction planning also includes energy saving and environmental protection measures for a sustainable as well as a safer future. As of October 2009, 26 communities and nearly 35,000 people have directly benefited from the project.