In 1999, a cyclone struck Odisha in eastern India.Mukeshkumar Prajapati was thousands of kilometers away in Jamnagar, Gujarat, completing his medical training in pediatrics. When a call went out for medical specialists willing to help, he volunteered. His dean hesitated to send him alone. Mukesh never made the trip. But something had already revealed itself, something that would repeatedly shape the next quarter-century of his life—the impulse to step forward.

The WHO South-East Asia Region has over the years welcomed new cohorts of skilled and motivated volunteers, working alongside staff, Ministries of Health and partners across a wide range of technical and operational functions that reflect the breadth of WHO’s work.

Liu served as a Communications Assistant with UNODC from September 2024 to March 2025, focusing on Sustainable Development Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. Originally assigned to New Delhi, Liu faced unexpected visa delays that kept her working remotely for several months. Undeterred, she continued collaborating across borders until she finally landed in Kathmandu, Nepal—her first experience of UN life on the ground.

A retired Indian Army Officer with over a decade of military service, Poonam joined UNICEF in 2022 as a Child Protection Officer. She spreads the word about the negative impact of child marriage on everyone — the child plus society at large. 

“Volunteering with UNICEF has helped me expand my knowledge on child protection issues and develop a passion for advancing children’s rights,” says So Dam Hong, a UN Youth Volunteer who supports adolescent empowerment to end child marriage in India, a core strategy of UNICEF.

A young postgraduate in Development Anthropology, I started my journey as a developmental professional with a provisional non-governmental organization in 1991, working as Coordinator for a Course on Ecology and Environment in a remote tribal district of Kandhamal in the state of Odisha, India. Over the next 8-9 years, I worked with many provisional non-governmental organizations and international universities on issues of forestry, environment, tribes and livelihoods.

#TogetherWeCan Anthem The #TogetherWeCan Anthem was  composed by UNV in India, in partnership with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and its talented refugee volunteers. The anthem captures the motivation, spirit and joy of volunteering. The video of the anthem features UN Volunteers in the field, V-force volunteers and heads of UN entities to reflect solidarity and support.  

The compilation of research findings launched in partnership with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports in India is an outcome of the India Volunteering Conclave held in August 2019 in New Delhi. Over 250 stakeholders participated in the two-day event to promote volunteerism and youth participation in development processes and nation-building. They shared good practices and discussed innovative ideas and recommended strategies and policy interventions.

The Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) and the National Service Scheme (NSS) are among the world’s largest youth volunteering schemes. They aim to help young people to reach their full social, economic and human potential, while instilling a strong sense of civic engagement facilitating greater youth participation in achieving sustainable development goals collaborated with Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India.

The project came at a crucial time, because in recent years, the state has been failing to control the spread of HIV/AIDS, to the extent that the prevalence of the disease in Tripura has surpassed the national prevalence rate. Add to this societal taboos and misconceptions, and the situation is infinitely compounded.