Page 92 - 80 YEARS OF VOLUNTEER IMPACT WITH FAO

Education Seeds of wisdom: Advocating, educating, empowering

Gopi Chandra Kharel

GIVING VOICE TO FAO’S WORK IN THE GAMBIA

Since 1979, FAO has worked in The Gambia implementing hundreds of projects to
improve food production, nutrition and support for farmers. One of the people who
helped share this work with the public was Gopi Chandra Kharel, a UN Volunteer
from Bhutan.

As a Communications Specialist, Gopi made sure that people knew what FAO was
doing in the country. “I was humbled to make a significant contribution to improving
our message by leveraging different communication channels and methods to share
88 key messages and success stories with our audience,” he reflected.

Since joining, Gopi enhanced FAO’s communications and presence across platforms.
He revamped the country website, established regular media partnerships and
strengthened digital engagement. Thanks to his efforts, FAO Gambia’s Facebook
page reached over 2,000 followers, and media coverage increased to three or four
features each month.
Gopi Kharel (right), UN Volunteer Communications Specialist with FAO in Gopi’s work helped renew public and institutional interest in FAO’s mission. By
The Gambia, capturing success stories for advocacy and communications.
[UNV, 2021] making technical work more accessible and human-centred, he supported national
food security goals, ensuring the stories behind the data reached those who needed
to hear them.