Ahouéfa Agossou is from Benin. She is a UN Volunteer Community Health Specialist with UNICEF and has helped children and pregnant women in 12 municipalities of her native country by organizing training and awareness campaigns on good health and well-being. She mobilized community health workers and adapted messaging that resonated with the community members. 

In 2019, one of my films was screened in Germany, and a particular scene sparked unexpected reactions. It showed a family sharing a meal from one plate—a common practice in my Cameroonian household, symbolizing togetherness and community. Yet, some viewers interpreted it as a symbol of poverty, a reminder of how easily our cultural narratives are misread. In Cameroon, we sometimes joke by calling our country "The Continent," hinting at a wider misconception that Africa is one homogenous place.

Kátia Bampoky is an Inclusive Health Care Officer with UNICEF in Guinea-Bissau and supports child protection and health services for vulnerable children and their families. She focuses on training social workers and community health professionals on inclusion so care is given to everyone without discrimination. She also supports cases of violence against children and women—including gender-based violence.

I knew that this is not the way I want myself or others to live—shares Priyanka. “I want people to be able to access whatever they need. So, being able to contribute to development, to turn my passions into purposes, I feel very fulfilled. It feels like a dream come true.” 

From very early on, Priyanka had interest in International Relations—this was further motivated by being part of Model United Nations in secondary school. That curiosity soon led her to a degree in the same field and a goal of joining the United Nations.