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.

For many people, working overseas brings images of exciting projects, international travel, and new opportunities. For Rose, it also meant arriving in a country where she could barely understand the conversations happening around her. 

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.