Years of volunteer experiences in my home country have been fascinating to me and have allowed me to meet people from different backgrounds, to exchange with many groups of young beneficiaries, and to accompany them in their activities. From these experiences, I aspired to work where I could contribute my knowledge and skills beyond Madagascar, and luckily, I got an opportunity to serve in Burkina Faso as an international UN Volunteer Community Resilience Specialist.

Since March 2019, Mohamed Ould Zeni has served as a Community Mobilization Assistant with UNHCR in Djibo, in the north of the country. Every day he monitors households and ensures that cohabitation and relationships between local host populations and refugees are as peaceful as possible. 

From 19 to 20 November 2019, stakeholders from volunteer-involving organizations, civil society, academia, governments and United Nations entities met in Ouagadougou, to discuss how volunteerism can contribute to peace and development in the Sahel region. The roundtable was initiated by the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, in collaboration with the African Institute for Economic Development and Planification (IDEP) and the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), to produce evidence of the impact of volunteerism in the Sahel. 

On the occassion of International Volunteer Day 2019, we have organised a conference discussing how volunteerism can be a force to increase social inclusion in Ougadougou starting 9:00 AM. This will be followed by a volunteeer night starting at La Ruche from 6:30 pm, and festivals in Tenkodogo with a theme how volunteerism can empower populations and be a driver for development. When: 5th and 6th of December 2019, Ouagadougou,Tenkodogo, Burkina Faso respectively 

In Korsimoro City, near the capital Ouagadougou, UN Volunteers encourage people’s participation in the elections. Through citizenship awareness sessions, they especially encourage the participation of women in the electoral process. “Women account for most of the country’s electorate, and therefore play a significant role in the country’s development,” adds Somda Flore, another national UN Volunteer.