Boosting skills to support women and girls during COVID-19

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In another home office situation in Moldova, UN Youth Volunteer Florence Homberger (fully funded by Switzerland) is busy answering emails and calls, preparing analytical papers and conducting research... all with the Knowledge Management and Monitoring and Evaluation sections of UN Women. Florence shares how she manages to perform successfully, despite the challenges of the lockdown.

During her first months of assignment, Florence contributed to ad hoc tasks, like gathering gender-disaggregated data concerning COVID-19 together with the Bureau of Statistics in the country or assisting with drafting concept notes for new projects.

Furthermore, UN Women also actively provided Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during the pandemic all over Moldova and once, as help was needed, many colleagues and Florence were personally helping to pack hundreds of boxes for different beneficiaries.

Volunteering Offers Opportunity for Developing Youth Skills

Zuha Al-hammadi, UNV Communications
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Today’s youth are the most educated generation ever – with more than 92.58 per cent of young men and 88.61 per cent of young women literate. However, youth still face difficulties in entering and remaining in the labour market, with young people three times more likely to be unemployed than adults. Volunteering can be one of the solutions to address youth employability challenges. Reports show that volunteering can improve chances at a job by enhancing a person’s vocational and social skills.

Young people gain professional, technical, and soft skills (creativity, leadership, critical thinking) that are crucial for employability through their volunteering activities.

Young people enhance education by volunteering

Zuha Al-Hammadi
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Investing in education and youth volunteers creates a foundation for a better future for everyone. Globally, we are part of the largest generation of youth in human history. There are 1.8 billion young people worldwide, a third of them are volunteering. Youth literacy has in general increased in the last 65 years (from 42 percent in 1960 to 86 percent in 2015). Despite this improvement, there are still substantial challenges ahead. Engaging youth and making education relevant, equitable and inclusive is a key factor for the achievement of 2030 agenda.

By 2030, the sustainable goals (SDG4) aims to ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes. Nowadays, young women do not have the same access to education and training as their male peers. According to UNICEF, globally, 264 million children and adolescents do not have the opportunity to enter or complete school.

Former UN Volunteer supports LGBTI and other vulnerable Venezuelan migrants in Brazil

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In all crises, those in situations of vulnerability are inevitably the ones who suffer the most. In northern Brazil, this is true for Venezuelan migrants, facing the COVID-19 pandemic. UN Volunteers support these migrants, particularly those who are LGBT or who have suffered sexual or gender-based violence.

A year before the global pandemic began, Francisco, who had recently graduated in medicine, was in Roraima facing the migrant emergency which is yet to be resolved. Serving as a UN Youth Volunteer during the first half of the year would teach him a life lesson that changed his perspective.

Social aspects of volunteering in the context of COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka

Siri Hettige, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, University of Colombo
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This is the third in a series of articles featured by the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme in Sri Lanka, as part of celebrations marking International Volunteer Day 2020.

The prevailing COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the long-established patterns of day to day lives of a large majority of people in Sri Lanka. Many people have lost their income sources leading to serious social and economic problems for their families. Disruption of education has adversely affected school children, university students and other youths engaged in diverse training activities. Lockdowns and other public health restrictions have drastically curtailed the mobility of people in affected areas, seriously limiting their normal activities.

Volunteering strengthens women’s health and safety

UN RCO, Papua New Guinea
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On International Volunteer Day (IVD), we recognized the valuable contributions of the many individuals in Papua New Guinea who dedicate their time and expertise to supporting our communities. This year, as we look back on the people who supported the COVID-19 response and secondary impacts of the pandemic, we thank the volunteers who have worked to strengthen the health and wellbeing of women across the country.

In 2020, there has never been a more urgent need for members of our community to step up and support the health and safety of neighbours and friends as we united to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. United Nations Volunteers have assisted in sharing information and personal protective equipment (PPE), particularly to the most vulnerable – women and children experiencing violence.

COVID-19 education is child’s play for Thai UN Volunteer

UN News
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An innovative initiative to provide child-friendly information about COVID-19 was launched by UN Volunteer Rasa Pattikasemkul in Thailand, who recognized that children needed to know more about the dangers of the virus, while also having fun learning at home during the lockdown. On International Volunteer Day, marked annually on 5 December, Rasa Pattikasemkul talks about motivation, family loss and keeping children safe.

I am in charge of the Volunteer Leader programme of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) which is part of the I Am UNICEF initiative.

International Volunteer Day recognizes volunteers' worldwide

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On this IVD, with the campaign ‘Together We Can through Volunteering’, we showcase volunteers’ contributions and impact during COVID-19 and thank volunteers for their actions and commitment. We are also highlighting that volunteers must be safe and taken care of, both mentally and physically.

The United Nations stands-by volunteering as a mechanism to advance people participation and action for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). And now, while the world is in crisis, the UN expresses the even more essential engagement of volunteers for response and recovery. 

UN Volunteers stand up for others during COVID-19

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Three international UN Volunteers assisted six pregnant students to resume classes and attend the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE). These UN Volunteers serve with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and are assigned to monitor the impact on human rights during the COVID-19 state of emergency in Liberia. 

Ashu Orock Ernestine from Cameroon, Danai Kudya from Zimbabwe and Francis Igiriogu from Nigeria serve as UN Volunteer Human Rights Officers with the OHCHR Liberia Country Office to address inequalities resulting from COVID-19 collateral damage.

In June, the volunteers discovered that six pregnant students of a catholic secondary institution in Grand Geddeh County were barred from attending classes and even from taking the WASSCE exams, even though they were already registered.

Across the world, UN Volunteers step forward to leave no one behind

Dishnika Perera, UNV Communications, Asia and the Pacific
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 As the Coronavirus pandemic rages across the world, marginalized and disadvantaged people have become even more vulnerable. Emergencies like COVID-19 present unique challenges, hence vulnerable populations are more likely to experience increased hardship, due to lack of access to effective information, surveillance, early-warning systems and health services.

As the pandemic continued to spread, UN Volunteers across the world stepped forward. They ensured marginalized and disadvantaged communities, including people with disabilities, indigenous communities, refugees and people on the move are included in COVID-19 response and recovery efforts.

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