19 September 2008

N'Djamena, Chad: Volunteering as a Civil Affairs Officer at the Political and Civil Affairs Office of the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) has been so far an opportunity, a challenge and a constant learning experience, both personally and professionally.

As a Civil Affairs Officer, my team and I work on exploring and developing partnerships with other UN agencies in the field, as well as local and international NGOs, to contribute to the social development of the populations in Eastern Chad at both local and regional levels. 

Through Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) we seek to contribute to the reinforcement of state authority, the promotion of intercommunity dialogue, and the creation of conditions for a safe and sustainable return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).  To accomplish our tasks we closely coordinate the team's actions with all the different actors present in the field.

Being a UNV volunteer has allowed me to meet people from different cultural and professional backgrounds, all working towards helping the social development of the populace.  And our work makes a difference for them.  Whenever refugees, IDPs, host communities, or local or traditional authorities have the opportunity to express their thoughts, needs, desires or expectations, we open a window of opportunity that can be crystallized through joint, serious, hard work within the UNV and the UN team.  My contribution is through ideas, information, project set-up and follow-up.

However, I believe that making a difference as a UNV volunteer not only means developing full-scale projects. In my everyday life a smile, a hug, a kind word, showing interest in the local population and their traditions, culture and values is a way to make a difference.  And as we share bits of everyday life, my reward is not only the satisfaction of a job well done but the personal satisfaction of continuous discovery and learning about new realities and situations.

We UNV volunteers are the visible face of volunteerism among our teams, our colleagues and our partners. Shared work, dedication and respect for what we do and for whom we work are the principles that guide us as UNV volunteers and as responsible, conscious citizens.

I am sure that, no matter how long and complicated the work might seem, in the end I will see that it will have been worth all the trouble, and that I will have left a long-lasting contribution.