20 November 2011

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: Annalisa is a UNV HIV Official Assistant who spends most of her time in the field working in the maternity hospitals that have the highest birth rates in the country.

Working alongside health care practitioners, she helps implement the medical protocol necessary to eliminate the transmission of HIV, making sure new-born babies come to life free of HIV and syphilis.

As a researcher and policy analyst, she believes that in order to achieve national goals like the elimination of congenital HIV and syphilis, it is essential to understand the local situation by observing, listening and collecting data to build knowledge and evidence-based solutions that are appropriate for the local and national context.

"I now have even more conviction than before that the key to results is to be personally involved at the local level, and that being a volunteer provides the opportunity to contribute directly to the achievements of the Millennium Development Goals," Annalisa explains. "As a volunteer, I have learned a new perspective on how to approach and tackle problems, and so far the experience I have had, though challenging, could not have been more enriching."

Read Annalisa’s full story