Oksana Vlasenko: "I'm sure everyone has understood that there's no point in just sitting and waiting"

UNDP, Moldova
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Oksana Vlasenko, a young woman from Kyiv, has been living in Chișinău, Moldova, for more than four months. She is a UN Volunteer Refugee Support Associate within the Mayors for Economic Growth initiative, implemented by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and financed by the European Union. In the interview below, Oksana shared from her life in Moldova and her experience serving in an international organization.

What does your assignment with UNDP mean to you?

To me, this assignment is an opportunity where you don't just serve for livelihood, but also to change people's lives as much as you can. I am aware that one person cannot do much, but I am convinced that the change starts within each of us. This is much easier to do when you are part of a team of professionals who share common values. I am fortunate, because both in the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, I have very open-minded colleagues, who helped me to change my mindset.

"Through volunteering, we contribute to personal and community development"

Mirza Muratagić and Zorica Srdić, UN Community Volunteers 
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Volunteering is an extremely important component for personal development. Through volunteering and helping others, individuals gain the opportunity to develop new skills, network and provide personal contributions to advance progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals within their communities.

The project sustaining peace and social cohesion in Bosnia and Herzegovina through enhanced inter-municipal and inter-entity cooperation on local services is implemented by UNDP in nine locations acorss the country. It engaged 18 UN Community Volunteers within their communities. At the beginning, two of them shared their positive stories and experiences about their volunteer engagement.

Raising awareness in rural communities on ending violence against women and girls in Timor-Leste

UNV partnersing with UNDP
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Fidelia Mendonca and Rogerio Lopes are national UN Volunteer Programme Coordination Assistants with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Timor-Leste. Serving under the Spotlight Initiative Project, they are raising awareness about national laws and policies related to combating violence against women, girls and marginalized groups, domestic violence and access to the formal justice system. 

With approximately 1,3 million population, Timor-Leste has made milestones in ending violence against women and girls and intimate partner violence. More than 75 per cent of the population under 35 and more than half of the youth live in rural areas and have been unable to shift the high tolerance for men’s perpetration of violence against women.

"The biggest challenge I have faced is the stigma associated with mental health"

Interview with UN Volunteer Hazal Kalıncı
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Hazal Kalıncı is a UN Volunteer Staff Counsellor with the World Health Organization (WHO) in Türkiye. She has been supporting mental health and well-being of staff since the earthquake that struck 11 cities in the country on 6 February 2023. Her perspective is that good mental health and well-being is vital for those serving in humanitarian and emergency response. We interviewed Hazal on the occasion of World Mental Health Day, 10 October.

Volunteering in the mental health field has been a deeply enriching and transformative experience. It reminds me of the resilience of the human spirit and the power of compassion in making a difference in people's lives. --Hazal Kalıncı, UN Volunteer Staff Counsellor with WHO, Türkiye

When and why did you decide to volunteer?

"Mental health is vital to humanity"

UN Volunteers Leonardo Martínez, Tani Pratiwi and Shatabdi Khastagir
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Mental health is vital to humanity, allowing us to lead fulfilling lives and contribute fully to our communities...Mental health is not a privilege, but a fundamental human right. --United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres

On the occasion of World Mental Health Day, marked on 10 October every year, we salute the 60+ UN Volunteers currently serving with our United Nations partners in mental health, psychosocial support and counselling. Meet three of these UN Volunteers: Leonardo Martínez, Gisella Tani Pratiwi and Shatabdi Khastagir. 

Leonardo Martínez is a UN Volunteer serving as Protection, Childhood and Humanitarian Action Specialist with the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Colombia, which is the lead host country for Venezuelan migrants and refugees.

These migrants and refugees face a hoard of humanitarian issues. The situation is worsened by internal armed conflict, as approximately 6.9 million people in rural areas are under the control or influence of non-state armed groups.

"Volunteering propelled my career from UN Volunteer to Head of UNDP office"

Abha Mishra, Head of the UNDP office in Odisha
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Abha Mishra joined the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in India in 1999. She was one of 10 UN Volunteers supporting the emergency response to the Super Cyclone that ravaged the state of Odisha and was based in Balasore for over one year. Fast forward to 2017: Abha returned to Odisha to head the UNDP office. She reminisces about the most enjoyable experiences of her journey from a UN Volunteer to this senior position.

A young postgraduate in Development Anthropology, I started my journey as a developmental professional with a provisional non-governmental organization in 1991, working as Coordinator for a Course on Ecology and Environment in a remote tribal district of Kandhamal in the state of Odisha, India.

Over the next 8-9 years, I worked with many provisional non-governmental organizations and international universities on issues of forestry, environment, tribes and livelihoods.

Offer to UN partners for the emergency response in Libya

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The floods in Libya have caused extensive loss of life and devastation. UN Volunteers can add talent and human resources to your rapid response teams. United Nations partners can refer to the UN Partner Toolkit for information on the process to recruit UN Volunteers and engage Online Volunteers. Mobilizing volunteers is facilitated through the AI-powered and cloud-based Unified Volunteering Platform (UVP). 

Together, we can do so much to protect children from violence and abuse

UNV partners with UNICEF
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The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) implements Child Protection Programme across 17 states in India. The organization aims to build a safe environment where children, especially the most vulnerable, are protected from violence, exploitation, abuse, neglect and harmful practices. Ten UN Volunteer Child Protection Officers support UNICEF in strengthening child protection systems in the country. 

“Volunteering with UNICEF has helped me expand my knowledge on child protection issues and develop a passion for advancing children’s rights,” says So Dam Hong, a UN Youth Volunteer who supports adolescent empowerment to end child marriage in India, a core strategy of UNICEF.

Support the emergency response to Libya as a volunteer

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