Heidi Lehto is a UN Volunteer Child Protection Officer with UNICEF in Sudan whose assignment is fully funded by the Government of Finland. Before becoming a UN Volunteer, she worked with Finn Church Aid and the Lutheran World Federation in Liberia, Ethiopia and Uganda. She is one of 12 UN Volunteers fully funded by the Government of Finland currently serving in nine countries in Africa, Asia and Europe and CIS.
In 2015, I got the opportunity to become a UN Volunteer Child Protection Officer with UNICEF in Sudan. In a country severely affected by armed conflict, displacement and food insecurity, the humanitarian needs remain critical. In addition to an estimated 2.2 million people displaced internally, Sudan has received over a quarter of a million refugees fleeing the war in South Sudan. Approximate 70 per cent of these displaced people are children.
