by Ambalavanan Kanagasabapathy

22 September 2008

Scarborough, Tobago: It is very apparent that subverting clichés is one of the keys to sustaining love. I am achieving this through volunteerism, thanks to UNV.

I remember in my childhood days I perceived the UN as wearing hard hats, having guns and vehicles bearing the big 'UN' logo. So I didn't really know what was meant by the UN, until I met a national UNV volunteer, an engineer, in my country, India.

It was a good time for me to think about the most important people in my life, and maybe to rearrange some priorities. An engineer and a UNV volunteer Engineer in fact possess a lot of differences!

Thereafter I decided to get some exposure. I was recruited by the World Bank to work in Eritrea with the Ministry of Local Government. Eventually the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) took notice of my presence in the Ministry and one fine morning, an email landed in my inbox stating that I had been recruited to work with UNHCR as a Senior Project Advisor (Engineering) – as a UNV volunteer.

It was a challenging role where I had to answer the pivotal requirements of the Regional Administration regarding to UNHCR-endorsed projects, and to perform other additional duties. Talking the situation over with someone helped me gain insight and hope. I listened to what they had to say about the matter, but importantly, they listened to what I had to say too.

This is what I learnt and am still learning as a UNV volunteer.  I consider it as a reward for the transfer of technology I enable during the process of volunteerism. I still have an unshakeable belief that 'destiny' may be at work in very interesting ways

After experiencing many hindrances in the implementation of the projects in Eritrea, such as a fuel crisis which almost led us to evacuate to the capital city, or the price inflation and scarcity of building materials, no matter how dire the situation seemed to us, we just kept pushing.  I tried my maximum best to accomplish my targets, which was made simpler by my colleagues in the Agency and the Ministry.  

Fortunately, that's something we were quite good at  - perseverance might as well be our middle name!

Dealing with European Commission-funded projects was a real challenge, but there was a pleasure in that pressure. There was some superb teamwork, where every staff member and volunteer helped push the projects in the positive direction.

I was a UNV volunteer in Eritrea from January 2004 to June 2005, and I was elated to become a UNV volunteer Engineer again in the West Indies.  Such a great opportunity to travel around the world.  I was put up in the Division of Infrastructure and Public Utilities in Scarborough, Tobago, where I have been working since January 2007 on institutional strengthening.

The work gives me a sense of purpose and a feeling of security. It makes me think that I'm responsible not only for the safety of my charges, but also for instilling a love of self- sufficiency, through volunteerism.

Though the clock at work seems to move at half speed, I am kept busy (which shouldn't be hard), thanks to volunteerism – something which brings me the extra energy I need to get my creative sparks to burst into flames.