At the United Nations Development Programme in Georgia’s Accelerator Lab, Nita Gegeshidze, Head of Exploration, and Mariam Dangadze, Head of Solutions Mapping, show how bold ideas and volunteer-driven energy deliver results. For Nita, real change happens when people use their skills to solve challenges in their own communities. For Mariam, volunteering matters because it turns intention into action—making a direct difference where it’s needed most.
“In the world of innovation and development, no one has all the answers. Becoming a UN Volunteer means stepping forward because you care enough to find solutions together,” shares Mariam.
This approach drives the Lab’s work in Zugdidi, where UN Volunteers and local partners tackle e-waste management and promote sustainable habits. Their efforts start with listening: Mariam emphasizes that “innovation becomes meaningful only when it reflects needs—things no external actor can fully understand without direct engagement.”
That insight shaped two major initiatives. First, when research revealed that residents wanted to recycle but faced barriers such as poor infrastructure and low awareness, Mariam led a partnership with Ripple Games to create Chompocalypse, an interactive digital game that shows how unsorted and unrecycled waste destroys our environment—and how each of us can take action to stop it.
Second, seeing persistent gaps in e-waste systems, Nita co-led the design of a blockchain-powered platform to make recycling transparent and rewarding. Developed under UNDP AltFinLab’s SDG Blockchain Accelerator, the system addresses missing data, low participation, and weak private-sector engagement—turning a complex challenge into a practical solution.
“Meaningful change is achieved not only by the work of large institutions, but also by individuals choosing to contribute their time and skills to communities and causes they care about,” shares Nita.
These efforts go beyond experiments—they help Georgia move closer to the Sustainable Development Goals.
Volunteering, as Nita says, “allows you to support inclusive policies and show solidarity with those less advantaged.” At the same time, Mariam adds, “volunteerism is a commitment for a future that will benefit others, long after your part in the story ends.”
Both Nita and Mariam prove these words true as UN Volunteers—showing that real change begins when people step up and take action.