Serving alongside the most dedicated, experienced and grounded practitioners on the ground

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Malou Eudela (Philippines) was one of the over 20 national UN Volunteers deployed in the Asia Pacific region through the Special Voluntary Fund of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme to support COVID-19 response and recovery efforts. Online volunteer Anitha Murthy was in conversation with Malou about her UN Volunteer journey.

Malou had worked earlier as a consultant for the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and UN Development Programme (UNDP), and as a staff member in UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), all in the Philippines. She is now a UN Volunteer Coordination Assistant in the Philippines.

Addressing the challenges COVID-19 brought to education systems and facilities in Indonesia

Clarissa Jazzlyne Gunawan
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When the COVID-19 pandemic started, UN Volunteer Clarissa Jazzlyne Gunawan was two months into working with the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Indonesia as an intern. She later joined the team as a national UN Volunteer Education Officer, focusing on foundational skills. Jazzlyne reflects on the work she has carried out so far and lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic.

I started my assignment in UNICEF’s Social Policy Cluster, and as the pandemic hit, I took on an additional role supporting their Education Cluster in their COVID-19 response team. My work focused on compiling evidence on the severity of the pandemic’s impact on schools and learning in Indonesia’s rural and remote areas and providing feedback to inform the Ministry of Education’s COVID-19 response plan.

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Local volunteers in Tunisia recognized for promoting inclusive COVID-19 pandemic response

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To mark the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, the UNV Maghreb Field Unit organized the Tunisia Volunteer Award 2021. This took the form of a national competition aimed at recognizing volunteer commitment in three categories: contribution to COVID-19 response, innovation to inspire new forms of volunteering and contribution to social cohesion. In this story, we highlight how the local volunteers nominated as finalists in the first category promoted an inclusive COVID-19 response in the country.

Just like the rest of the world, the battle against the pandemic is still ongoing in Tunisia. The Coronavirus has been an opportunity to learn more about the potential of volunteering, and what volunteers, who were among the first responders, can do in a health crisis context. They have been yielding impactful results and supporting with different components of pandemic preparedness and response. 

Increased recognition of volunteering marks IVD 2021 in the Arab States

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IVD this year coincided with the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme. Country volunteer awards were organized on the occasion in several countries, including in Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia.

Another highlight of IVD 2021 in the Arab States included the launch of Al Hussein Bin Abdullah II Award for Voluntary Service by HRH Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan.

Iraq launches its first National Youth Volunteering Platform

Baghdad, Iraq
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The National Youth Volunteering Platform will establish a structured volunteering programme for the first time in Iraq. This platform will give young people a chance to register, search and apply for volunteer activities, in line with their skills and interests.

Opportunities will be provided by various partners and organizations, including private companies, non-governmental organizations and institutions.

Enabling communities in Burundi to prepare for and respond to health emergencies

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Eric Nduwimana is a UN Volunteer serving with the Global Fund Unit of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Burundi. As a COVID-19 Response Programme Assistant, he supports communities in preparing for and responding to health emergencies. We asked Eric about his volunteer experience in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in the below interview.

 

What do you do as a UN Volunteer?

The Global Fund’s COVID-19 response programme aims to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the fight to defeat HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, and promotes urgent improvements in health and community systems.

Freeing women and girls from violence and abuse in Mozambique

Farisai Gamariel, Project Officer at UNFPA Mozambique
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With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, significant evidence demonstrates that there has been a surge in domestic violence and abuse towards women and girls around the world – resulting from economic challenges, and increased stress and anxieties in households. This reality only exacerbates an already worrying social issue.

In Mozambique, one in three women suffered from violence in their lives in the pre-COVID-19 era.

Different forms of abuse towards women and girls in many provinces of Mozambique have previously been recorded, especially in Chimoio, Mossourize, Gondola and Tambara districts of Manica province, where domestic violence and abuse cases against women are prevalent, with some resulting in death or loss of body parts.

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