The importance of mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic

The importance of mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic
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Through International Volunteer Day (IVD) 2020, we aim to thank volunteers and celebrate their efforts in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and supporting many through the COVOD-19 pandemic. 

Mental health has been a critical theme during the pandemic. This article shares voices from around the world on how UNV is supporting efforts to raise awareness of the importance of mental health.

We live in turbulent times and compacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the issue of mental health is not only relevant but crucial.

Mental health is more than the presence or absence of a mental illness. It is a crossroad between emotional, psychological, and physical well-being.

Volunteer action counts – a story from Sri Lanka

WHO Sri Lanka
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On the occasion of International Volunteer Day this year, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme in Sri Lanka is featuring a series of articles for IVD 2020 authored by youth and volunteer organizations on their work during the Coronavirus pandemic. This is the second article in the series.

In Sri Lanka, schools have been closed for a while now due to the Coronavirus pandemic situation. Anuki and Nadeesh have been at home ever since their school closed down. Classes are still conducted online, but it’s getting boring day by day. Staying indoors is no fun!

Bringing the talents and skills of youth in Sri Lanka to a greater stage

Kavindu Kasun Sigera, District Rotaract Representative, Sri Lanka & Maldives
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International Volunteer Day (IVD) is an international observance, mandated by the UN General Assembly in 1985, and celebrated on the 5th of December every year. This year, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme in Sri Lanka is featuring a series of articles for IVD 2020 – and have invited youth and volunteer organizations to showcase their work during the Coronavirus pandemic. This is the first in this series. 

Rotaract, Sri Lanka's largest non-aligned youth movement, has not only been an eminent force of strength in bringing up the talents and skills of our youth to a greater stage, but also an impactful contributor towards supporting deserving communities within Sri Lanka and even beyond.

Rotaract in Sri Lanka and Maldives has aimed at assisting the nation with safeguarding the country from COVID-19 and its effects.

IVD 2020: watch and listen

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Supporting communities across the globe in fighting COVID-19

Ekaterina Polishchuk, UNV Communications, Europe & the CIS
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Volunteers are coming together in search of innovative solutions to help their communities, and across the globe, have become the forefront of the pandemic community response. Trained by the UN Volunteers (UNV) programme, community volunteers bring trustworthy information, innovative solutions and a sensitive approach when acting in response to COVID-19. They also become ambassadors of volunteerism, inspiring many others to do the same. This article showcases how volunteerism has played a critical part in grassroots efforts to educate and inform communities about the COVID-19 pandemic.

From India, to Uzbekistan and Zambia, the spirit and commitment of volunteerism is alive and well.

Raising awareness of domestic and sexual violence against women

Anton Gille, UN Youth Volunteer for Gender Equality and the SDGs
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As the lockdown begins to ease in some countries of the world, UN Volunteers are helping people return to their ‘new normal’ lives. Anton Gille (Sweden) serves as a UN Youth Volunteer for Gender Equality and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the UN Development Coordinator’s Office in Pristina, Kosovo* (as per UN SC1244), He shares his experience during his assignment, which is funded by the Swedish International Cooperation Agency (Sida).

A crucial part of Anton’s work is to promote gender equality and raise awareness about domestic and sexual violence against women; an issue that has worsened during the lockdown period, as witnessed by the dramatic increase in reported cases.

UNV and the Russian Federation offer volunteer opportunities for Russian citizens

Bonn, Germany
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Under a new partnership with the Government of the Russian Federation, UNV is offering UN Volunteer assignments in different areas of expertise for Russian nationals.

How professional internships are enabling youth to build businesses and employ peers in Angola

Ana Ernesto, Communications Assistant, UNDP Angola
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The Saber Fazer project, implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Angola, contributes to professionalization and entrepreneurship in local communities to enhance local development and combat high unemployment among young people. This is one of the main concerns in the country, and threatens to be exacerbated through the COVID-19 pandemic. As a UN Volunteer Communications Assistant with the project, Ana Ernesto is responsible for documenting and sharing lessons learnt from the project, and shared the below article.

"I used to sell tomatoes in the morning, at the Mutondo street market, to help my family, and in the afternoon I went to school," said Cecília Augusto, 25. The shy girl was forced to speak louder than usual because all we could hear in the room was the sound of sewing machines and people talking happily. That is because Cecília is doing a professional internship in sewing, after finishing training at the National Institute of Employment and Professional Training (INEFOP) in the province of Huíla, southern Angola.

How volunteering can enable women and children to regain a decent life

Deborah Benja, UN Volunteer Community Resilience Specialist
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Karen Deborah Benja Veromanantsoa is a 27-year-old UN Volunteer from Madagascar. She joined the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in her country in 2014 as a national youth volunteer for two years, and then served as a national specialist volunteer until 2018 as part of a project promoting youth participation in development. Deborah shares the highlights of her volunteer journey.

Years of volunteer experiences in my home country have been fascinating to me and have allowed me to meet people from different backgrounds, to exchange with many groups of young beneficiaries, and to accompany them in their activities. From these experiences, I aspired to work where I could contribute my knowledge and skills beyond Madagascar, and luckily, I got an opportunity to serve in Burkina Faso as an international UN Volunteer Community Resilience Specialist.

Volunteerism building solidarity and solutions transcending borders

Ms Gita Sabharwal, UN Resident Coordinator, Ms Pattarat Hongtong, TICA Director-General, & Ms Shalina Miah, UNV Regional Manager in Asia & the Pacific
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"Initially, some people didn’t believe I could do anything. I was only 28 years old at that time, but I said, 'join me and we will learn together'," said Suphawit Pharom, a volunteer with the Friends from Thailand (FFT) volunteer programme on his experiences in Mozambique.

Since 2003, more than 160 people have volunteered through the programme, which places them for one or two years in countries across Asia and Africa, where they use their expertise to contribute to Thailand’s development cooperation projects.

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