Bonn, Germany: Before the war in Kosovo, Momirka Cankovic worked as professional print journalist. But the war and its after-effects made it impossible for her to do her job. Read

Pristina, Kosovo: When the message popped up on Rick Rutledge's computer screen he first thought it was a joke. But within a few weeks of double-clicking on it, the 38-year-old locomotive driver from western Canada was on his way to Kosovo. Rutledge, a train engineer at BC Rail in British Columbia, took three months off from his own job to come to Kosovo as a UN Volunteer, lending his expertise to the province's struggling railway operations. Read

BONN: The United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) was established in July 1999. Following an agreement between the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (UNDPKO) and UNV, 300 UN Volunteers were soon deployed in Kosovo to support UNMIK's mandate. As the political situation evolved to include a need to organize elections, UNMIK asked UNV to recruit an additional 400 UN Volunteers to organize voter registration of a million people. Read

Bonn, Germany: It was a turbulent year for Kosovo. Following drawn-out civil strife and weeks of air strikes, Kosovars faced the difficult task of rebuilding their lives. Many had lost loved ones and everything else they cherished. Institutions, law and order and basic infrastructure were left in shambles. UN Volunteers accompanied the people on their first steps down a long road to recovery. Read

Bonn, Germany: Ghanaian Jasper Ayelazuno was one of 200 UN Volunteers assigned as civil administration support officers to the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). Last September,  Jasper was being greeted upon arrival in Pristina by shocking evidence of the war — destroyed villages — as the plane made its final approach before landing. On his way to town, vehicles on the road without registration plates sent him another message: there is precious little law and order. Read

BONN: United Nations Volunteers are gearing up to begin registration of the Kosovo population before the end of 1999. About 130 UN Volunteers have already been fielded, and the remaining 70 are to be deployed by January 2000. According to the United Nations Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), 90 registration centres, to be managed by UN Volunteers and local staff members, have been identified so far. Read