The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is deeply engaged in the fight against HIV/AIDS through the use of people-centred approaches. It collaborates closely with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), volunteer involving organizations, networks of people living with HIV/AIDS and national AIDS programmes in affected countries. Read

Kiev, Ukraine: For Olga Kolosyuk, clean water represents progress in a post-Chernobyl Ukraine. The fact that her village of 1,000 has safe drinking water demonstrates what the community has accomplished—most notably the refurbishment of a local water supply—since taking the lead in improving their situation. She is one of numerous volunteers who, with the help of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, set up a community organization in the village. Read

Ha Noi, Viet Nam: The Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) and the United Nations Country Team in Viet Nam today launched a major joint project to promote greater involvement of people living with HIV in HIV/AIDS programmes in the country. Ten United Nations Volunteers have been recruited for implementing the three-year project’s initial activities. Read

Barataria, Trinidad & Tobago: In his native Iran, according to Tooraj's grandfather, "hakim" or healers, doctors are revered almost like holy persons. When it was his turn to heal people as a volunteer doctor in Trinidad and Tobago, Tooraj was torn between the elation of gaining respect and fear of being revered. Read

Zinder, Niger: The first of 12 kindergartens aimed at preventing malnutrition among children in Niger recently opened its doors in an effort by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Volunteers (UNV) to respond to the country’s ongoing food crisis. Read

Every year, nearly 11 million children die before their fifth birthday, well over 1,200 every hour of every day. Virtually all of the fatalities (99 per cent) occur in poor countries, mainly from easily preventable or treatable illnesses. Working primarily at local level with a range of development partners, the UN Volunteers (UNV) programme supports activities aimed at the successful promotion of public health care policy, strengthening institutional capacity for effective service delivery, fostering community participation and ownership, and raising awareness on critical health issues. Read

Globally, more than 500,000 women die in pregnancy or childbirth annually. In the developing world, the risk of dying in childbirth is one in 48, even though virtually all countries now have safe motherhood programmes. Working primarily at local level with a range of development partners, the UN Volunteers (UNV) programme supports activities aimed at the successful promotion of public health care policy, strengthening institutional capacity for effective service delivery, fostering community participation and ownership, and raising awareness on critical health issues. Read

HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa and number four worldwide. However, countries such as Brazil, Senegal, Thailand and Uganda have shown that the spread of HIV/AIDS and other major diseases can be stemmed. Working primarily at local level with a range of development partners, the UN Volunteers (UNV) programme supports activities aimed at the successful promotion of public health care policy, strengthening institutional capacity for effective service delivery, fostering community participation and ownership, and raising awareness on critical health issues. Read

Bonn, Germany: In the Tanzanian capital of Dar-es-Salaam, UNV is helping some 1,300 informal construction workers overcome poverty by accessing better paying jobs and tackling issues relating to industry regulations. Read

Bonn, Germany: Working with UNICEF in Mali, UN Volunteer Chouahibou Nchamoun of Cameroon is focused on reducing the country’s child mortality rate. Read