Meet Rafiatu Umarayi Alhassan and Samuel Peprah Bekoe. Both are UN Volunteer Field Coordinators and part of Young Africa Innovates (YAI) with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ghana, a bold initiative helping young people across all 16 regions of the country turn their ideas into solutions. 

In Niger, Kadiatou Moumouni is more than a UN Volunteer; she’s part of what defines the new normal in the UN system—inclusion. At the Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO), she connects government, UN agencies, and civil society to champion gender equality, human rights, and disability inclusion. One of her standout contributions? A simple attendance sheet—redesigned to track the participation of persons with disabilities.

Raised between Kathmandu and Dublin, and half Irish, half Nepali, I am shaped by two vibrant cultures on opposite ends of the world. That dual experience frames my perspective: I’ve seen the glaring inequalities that exist, but also the resilience of communities facing them.