During the times of forced displacement, UN Volunteers stand out as a beacon of hope and resilience. Meet Marie Paule Owimpundu and Alexandre Hakizimana, national UN Volunteers with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Burundi, who are providing protection and humanitarian assistance to those displaced from their homes. Through their efforts, the UN Volunteers have served 38,727 individuals in all the camps from January to May, with 368 resettled to third countries this year. They share their journey of compassion and transformation in the face of immense challenges.

Almost one million Rohingya refugees live in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh – the largest refugee camp in the world. Most arrived in 2017, fleeing persecution, widespread violence and human rights violations in Myanmar. To support the resilience of the camp’s large youth population, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) funds life skills education, including to support, protect and empower adolescent girls and to initiate discussions on gender equality and violence among both young boys and girls. UN Volunteers like Urmi Tanchangya helps to bring hope and resilience to these refugees. 

The border between Myanmar and Thailand is characterized by intricate mobility dynamics. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is working to understand and address the complexities of this situation. From January to May 2023, the IOM data collection team conducted interviews with over 2,600 individuals from Myanmar as they entered Thailand. For this work, IOM has enlisted the support of seven UN Community Volunteers.