In moments like this, my role is not to lecture or impose. It is to listen, to ask questions, to remind the group that within their own customs and traditions lie paths to peace. I have learned that people want solutions to come from themselves. My job is to create the space where that feels possible. By the end of that day, nothing dramatic had shifted. No handshake sealed a deal. But the room felt lighter. Neighbours who had stopped speaking to each other had looked one another in the eye. And for me, that was enough to keep going.

I stood among the community and colleagues from the Mission and across the UN agencies, watching hope return. My work often happens behind a desk—drafting reports, shaping data, telling South Sudan’s story. But moments like this remind me: the words I write carry the weight of real lives. And this is why the work matters. 

In South Sudan, I serve in Central Equatoria State, in the counties of Yei, Morobo, Lainya and Kajo-keji. These are communities that have lived through years of conflict. People here wake up each day facing threats that should never be normal: killings, abductions, sexual violence, cattle raids, looting of homes, and arbitrary arrests. The danger is constant. Yet people still hope. They want safety. They want dignity. They want peace.

After she graduated, Yoojeong discovered that being a Korean national, she could apply for the fully funded UN Volunteer opportunities with the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). She sent in her application for the role of a UN Volunteer Operational Data Management Associate with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). 

As an Emergency Response Officer focused on gender, I make sure women and girls are seen, heard, and supported when disasters strike. Whether it’s a cyclone, drought, or flood—everyone feels the impact, but women and girls often carry the heaviest load. I work to ensure their voices guide how Zimbabwe prepares for and responds to crises—so no one is left behind.

My name is Zahra Vaziri. I am from Iran. I serve as a UN Volunteer Associate Programme Officer with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Malawi. My role is to help ensure that humanitarian projects are not only implemented, but that they bring dignity, opportunity, and hope to both refugees and the communities that host them. I also make sure that the projects we design and fund are not only implemented but also carry meaning for the people who live here. 

I recently travelled to Mbire with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Zimbabwe communications team. As a UN Volunteer, my job was to help tell the stories of women and families we met. We were documenting the impact of a One-stop Centre provided by UNDP in collaboration with the Zimbabwe Gender Commission. The initiative started in response to alarming findings from a national inquiry on child marriages and abuse of young girls, including those with disabilities. 

One hot afternoon in Harare, in the course of my work, I sat down with Debbie Chinochema, a young community member and beneficiary of UNICEF programmes in Zimbabwe. She looked me in the eye, smiled shyly, and shared her story with me. Debbie lives with HIV. But more than that, she’s a fighter. A volunteer. A voice.

I come from Inhambane City, a small town in southern Mozambique. I am currently based in Nampula Province, where I have been serving as a UN Volunteer with UNFPA since February 2023. Child marriage impacts far too many girls, far too early in life. I help local partners by offering support and helping organize activities like mentoring, getting children back into school, and improving access to health services, especially those related to sexual and reproductive health.