Bonn, Germany: UN studies note that a record 2.6 million people died from the HIV/AIDS pandemic in 1999 and another 5.6 million became infected with the virus that causes AIDS. The fight against HIV/AIDS is not only medical. The stigma of AIDS and its effect on societies is also an enemy UN Volunteers are combating. UNVs -- many of them infected with HIV -- have stepped into the open to give a human face and voice to the epidemic. Read

Bonn, Germany: Lucila Ramón Lorenzo, a UNV nutritionist from the Dominican Republic with a Master's degree in social work, has been working since 1997 as an assistant officer with the World Food Programme (WFP) in Choluteca, Honduras. Read