In 2023 UNV launched two separate, but interconnected initiatives.
Several UN Volunteers with disabilities were contacted and requested to provide feedback on the accessibility of the UNV applications. Highly valuable feedback was received, including a comprehensive Keyboard Accessibility Assessment Report, prepared by Hudoykul Hafizov, UN Volunteer who served as Disability Inclusion Advisor with UNDP in Uzbekistan.
My name is Lynn Karanja. I am from Kenya and I serve as an international UN Volunteer with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Ethiopia. As an Associate Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Officer, I engage directly with forcibly displaced people, government representatives, and healthcare professionals. My primary responsibility is to enhance the capacity of UNHCR and its partners to deliver quality mental health and psychosocial support services to refugees and their host communities.
Through community interviews, group activities, and dialogue sessions, I often gain insight into the unique mental health and psycho-social needs of community members, many times in dire situations. These interactions not only inform our programming but also foster a sense of belonging and support within the community.
Since 1971, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and United Nations Volunteers (UNV) have had a strong alliance for the protection and promotion of children's rights. In Ethiopia, UNICEF is currently UNV’s largest partner, hosting over 35 UN Volunteers (more than a third of UN Volunteers currently serving in the country). Selam Tsige, Country Coordinator for UNV in Ethiopia spoke to Dr. Aboubacar Kampo, UNICEF Country Representative in Ethiopia about volunteering and why it matters, especially for young people.
In this premiere INSPIRE episode, we share reflections from their conversation.
The interview transcript of the UNICEF Country Representative in Ethiopia was edited for brevity.
This is the story of two UN Volunteers in West and Central Africa who contribute to reproductive heath in Benin and Chad with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Through their volunteering assignments, Lydie and Charlotte underscore the United Nations commitment to elevating health standards and promoting Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good health and well-being.
Lydie Nodjimadjim Mbaidje is a senior midwife and UN Volunteer serving with UNFPA In the heart of Logone, a province located in the south-west of Chad. Her contribution pivots around the crucial aspects of health education and awareness. She supervises midwives, and trains the local population on contraceptives and emergency neonatal obstetric care.
