23 June 2010

Gbarnga, Liberia: Ernest maintains the vehicles and spare parts: Oscar makes sure there's fuel, and Yuri looks after communications. Without UNV volunteers like them, UNMIL's task in the remoter parts of Liberia would be far harder.

In December 2009, there were 220 UNV volunteers assigned to the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), most of them in technical and administrative roles. Each plays a vital part and has a story to tell.

A highly-qualified and experienced engineer working in the UNMIL Communications and Information Technology Section, UNV volunteer Yuiry Sokolov looks after the telephone and high-frequency radio networks for personnel posted to the sector.

With the Russian flag proudly hanging in his office, Yuiry admits that life here in Gbarnga – three dusty hours' driving from the capital, Monrovia – can sometimes be tough. There isn't much choice of food, and he's gone off the spicy meals on offer from the Bangladeshi military chefs.

His work on the communications network, however, is why he is here and it is vital for the smooth running of UNMIL in Gbarnga. The job can be particularly difficult during the rainy season, Yuiry notes. "I always I feel I'm part of a team, so support is available if I need it," he says about the challenges of his role, though it's clear that when the lines go down he is the first port of call.

The Gbarnga UNV volunteers are completely integrated into the running of the UNMIL machine. They are the ones that ensure that the basic but essential elements of the mission, like road transport, operate smoothly. Ernest Merriman-Johnson, a gentle giant from Sierra Leone, takes pleasure in explaining the highlights of his work as a UNV volunteer Vehicle Mechanic and Transport Assistant.

"This is my field, I love to repair things and keep things moving," he says. "I don't like to see a car being packed away in a workshop, so I do what I can to get the car going. It makes me feel good!"

Having worked with the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone, Ernest felt he could continue contributing his experience to the UN once the mission wound down. This brought him to the United Nations Mission in Liberia and the base in Gbarnga, which hosts the military units and civilian support staff responsible for the sector covering Bong County.

"For me, it's a continuing path I'm travelling," he remarks.

And UNV volunteer Oscar Kayembe, who has been in Liberia since 2004, is now the Regional Fuel Supervisor in Gbarnga. He's in charge of both aviation and ground vehicle fuels for the Gbarnga sector – an assignment which means he has to get everything right, every day.

"We can't take any action without doing the checks on fuel," he says. "For example, every day we have to monitor the colour, the density and temperature of the fuels, and once a week look at conductivity due to the electrostatic effects on aircraft. We are short staffed, and it's painstaking work."

Oscar was encouraged to apply for a UNV volunteer assignment while working for the UN in his home country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. "For me," he says, "I wanted to live this life, volunteering, trying to share my experience outside my country... I feel I'm making a difference here."

They are just a few of the UNV volunteers at work behind the scenes in Liberia, quietly putting their volunteer spirit to use to make sure the UN mission runs like clockwork. Without their dedication, the wheels would fall off pretty soon.