Monrovia, Liberia: Being in West Africa for the first time excited me and more than that, working on something I enjoyed doing was even more exciting.As a UN Volunteer, I have had both good times and bad times. Read

Goma, DR Congo: In Congo, the war has cost women dearly. The widespread practice of sexual violence against women and girls, is a violation of human rights, international humanitarian law, international criminal law and Congolese law. Read

Maniema Province, DR Congo: The story of Christine is a story lived by many women and girls in Congo, a post-conflict country where fighting between militias and factions has largely ceased but civilians became the consistent target for killing, rape, looting and an array of harassments. Read

Djibouti-City, Djibouti: The thirty or so Somali women and girls gathered near the Holl-Holl camp community garden, where visitors routinely leave with armfuls of papayas and mangoes, cannot read or interpret a map of their native country, Somalia. Read

Kinshasa, DR Congo: Coinciding with International Women’s Day, the Gender Office of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) will tomorrow launch the first UN mission web site dedicated to gender issues. Read

Bonn, Germany: Social anthropologist Lesley Holst is trying to sensitize more than 100,000 farmers in Malawi on gender issues. The UN Volunteer from Denmark is now working as a gender adviser with the National Smallholder Farmers’ Association of Malawi (NASFAM). Read

Bonn, Germany: In Afghanistan, there is a long and bumpy road leading from survival to a strong, secure society. Decades of war and civil strife have left a legacy of fear and suffering. Many victims are left without homes or a means to make a living. Against all odds, Afghans are starting again. Teaming up with a range of partners, UN Volunteers are stepping in to help. Read

Almaty, Kazakhstan: Ms Gulnara Kusherbaeva set up her own women's NGO and works on a voluntary basis to support the growth of a women's movement in Kazakhstan. She organizes many activities which promote awareness of women's issues and build the confidence and ability of women to advance themselves. Read

Asmara, Eritrea: After some 20 years of working as a gynaecologist and obstetrician in her home city of Almaty in Kazakhstan, Dr Gulzhan Chimbayeva wanted to gain some experience in a different environment and she thought the United Nations would be the perfect organization to work for. Read

New York, USA: Theresa Kambobe, a Zambian United Nations Volunteer (UNV) and gender specialist attached to the United Nations Transitional Administration of East Timor (UNTAET), is a panellist for an International Women's Day special event entitled "Women and Peace", which will be held at UN Headquarters on 8 March 2001 from 10:40a.m to 12:00 noon in Conference Room 3. Read