Oecussi District, Timor-Leste: “Through coordination meetings between all actors, we help find solutions to issues related to local access to justice, the delivery of notifications to the sub-districts, targeted logistical and administrative support during criminal hearings for victims, witnesses and accused - in a bid to ensure that all parties can ably understand, use and access justice services, without confronting any barriers” Read

Dili, Timor-Leste: Shoko Fujita, UNV Child Protection Officer with UNICEF Timor-Leste, travels throughout the country conducting interviews with members of child protection networks to prepare for a nationwide advocacy campaign to raise public awareness of children’s rights in 2012. “I expect that the campaign will help children understand their right to access social and legal services,” says Shoko. Read

Dili, Timor-Leste: As part of the UNICEF Child Protection Team, I work on reclassification of crimes in line with the Timor-Leste Penal Code and developing common data collection tools to register criminal cases involving children. This aims to promote better coordination among child protection actors including the Vulnerable Person’s Unit of National Police Timor-Leste (PNTL) and Ministry of Social Solidarity, in order to establish a case tracking system. Read

Dili, Timor-Leste: "In the villages, I meet and discuss with community members about their water, sanitation and hygiene situation and how we can find solutions together." Read

Dili, Timor-Leste: “For me, working as a UN Volunteer with UNICEF in Timor-Leste allows me a great opportunity to help many children who need access to clean water and basic sanitation facilities which will improve their basic standard of living and provide them with the means to be healthy and happy in the future,” says Muhammad Afrianto Kurniawan. Muhammad engages communities as a WASH (Water Sanitation and Hygiene) engineer. Read

Dili, Timor-Leste: Within media relations at the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT), I am part of a production team that puts out the Daily Media Review, the twice daily summary of all national and international news related to Timor-Leste, sent to the more than 2,700 UNMIT staff and 15 United Nations agencies in Timor-Leste. Read

Dili, Timor-Leste: Last week, the UNV Field Unit welcomed its 20 newest members who reported for their assignments as UNV Electoral Officers and Advisors in the country’s 2012 national elections.

These fast approaching 2012 elections are a vast undertaking, requiring a  great deal of preparation, much of which needs to be done well in  advance. The newly arrived UN Volunteers will be supporting the  electoral process. Read

Oecusse, Timor-Leste: During my six-month stay in Oecusse, Timor-Leste, I travelled to conduct assessment surveys of proposed new polling centres. Due to the frequent rain, most of the polling centres can be reached only by crossing a number of rivers. This is one of the most challenging aspects of my work - the slippery and winding roads and river beds make it dangerous and difficult to drive during rainy season. Read

Dili, Timor-Leste: This year's IVD celebrations in Timor-Leste contributed to disseminating information about volunteer work advancing progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and to encouraging more young people to volunteer. More than 350 Timorese participated and over 150 volunteers acted as organizers and facilitators. Read

Dili, Timor-Leste: I decided to become a UNV volunteer to learn more about gender and development, and share the knowledge I have acquired during my previous professional experiences. I feel privileged to work with Timorese women and men to fight against violence and empower vulnerable groups. Read