When Pakistan was shaken by a massive earthquake on 8 October 2005, a humanitarian crisis of immense proportions unfolded:  towns and villages became graveyards as thousands of lives were buried under the rubble.  “It was as if our entire community was swallowed whole by the earth,” said Syeda Bibi, a survivor who lost three children in the tragedy. “They are gone. Everything is destroyed. I am still breathing”. Read

Banda Aceh, Indonesia: Norimasa Tochibayashi arrived in Indonesia on February 23, 2005. He had no job, no idea where he was heading and how he could help, and no contact numbers of people who would be willing to support him. He was only certain of one thing: he wanted to help those who most needed it after the December 26 tsunami. Read

Islamabad, Pakistan: The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have received a shield of commendation from Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in recognition of their outstanding and meritorious services in earthquake-affected areas. Read

Mansehra, Pakistan: Young Pakistani volunteers, led by UNV volunteer Hafeez Lashari, help communities rebuild life after last year’s devastating earthquake. Read

Bonn, Germany: Former US President Bill Clinton, in his capacity as UN Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery, met today with Ad de Raad, United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme Executive Coordinator, during an international conference on early warning, in Bonn, Germany. Read

Islamabad, Pakistan: The newly launched National United Nations Volunteers (UNV) scheme in Pakistan will help maintain the momentum of support following the 8 October 2005 earthquake, according to Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. Read

Battagram, Pakistan: So far in Adham Effendi’s 27 years on this planet he has seen more than his fair share of tragedy and despair, from the plight of refugees in his native Pakistan to starving children in Eritrea. Read

Islamabad, Pakistan: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme have launched a National United Nations Volunteers scheme to engage Pakistanis in earthquake recovery and rehabilitation efforts. Read

Banda Aceh, Indonesia: It was the children who were most affected by the tsunami, according to Dr. Yunita, a physician from Jakarta who served as a UN Volunteer for two months in Banda Aceh, working at the Bina Mandiri Crisis Centre, a volunteer-run trauma counselling and medical clinic set up in a district of the city that was nearly levelled by the tidal wave's massive force. Read

Matara, Sri Lanka: They talk to community members. More importantly, they listen to them.  And they learned how to save lives. These, and more, are part of the daily grind UN Volunteers fulfill in mitigating disaster and coordinating relief and recovery in tsunami-devastated Sri Lanka. Read