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. 

Yeran Kejijian knows what it means to be displaced. Her grandparents were refugees in Lebanon, and their stories shaped her path. Now, as the United Nations Volunteers Country Coordinator for Lebanon and Syria, Yeran helps Syrians return home after years of exile. For her, rebuilding communities isn’t just about logistics—it’s about restoring dignity. 

Humanity in action

Among them was Hotrika Joshi, a UN Volunteer with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), who was based in Roshi Rural Municipality in Kavrepalanchok District, where ten lives were lost and hundreds of homes and farmlands were destroyed. 

Douglas Mikioo, UN Volunteer Engineering Assistant and Plant Equipment OperatorFor Douglas, peace starts with pipes, concrete, and clean water. His day begins at a desk—signing off on supply requests. But it quickly shifts to the field, where he makes sure water flows across the base and building materials reach remote teams. "My various roles are part of moving forward with peace, step by step." Jean Bavuge, Water and Sanitation Technician

In the MENA region, climate change is intensifying existing hardships—shrinking food and water supplies and deepening instability for communities already displaced by conflict. Enter Jahidul Islam: a Bangladeshi climate and disability inclusion expert who brings both technical insight and lived experience. He is a wheelchair user who has faced structural barriers firsthand.

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.