Op Ed from the UNV DEC to Afghanistan, Toily Kurbanov, the occasion of his visit to Afghanistan for the celebrations of IVD 2016. Published in 8am, Afghanistan national daily. (dari)

Op Ed from the UNV DEC to Afghanistan, Toily Kurbanov, the occasion of his visit to Afghanistan for the celebrations of IVD 2016. Published in Pahjok, Afghanistan news agency. (english)

Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo . My name is David Bzhania and I work as a UN Volunteer network technician for the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO).

Being a UN Volunteer was one of the most meaningful experiences in my life so far, and, being in my eighties, I think that holds some weight. In the early 1990s, having raised a family, already at the end of a successful business career, and well settled into retirement, the unexpected excitement and humility of reaching out to truly touch peoples’ lives showed me that life can always bring the unexpected. At a gathering with leaders from UNHCR and business associates, I had a conversation that led me to UNV.

Alois Neza Sikuka (Zimbabwe) is a UN Volunteer Peace, Community & Security Specialist with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in South Sudan.

Maria Paula Fernandez Morel is a Online Volunteer Spanish Translator with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Argentina. 

Aissata Ba (France) is a UN Volunteer Communications Officer with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, West Africa Regional Office (OHCHR/WARO) in Senegal.

Yasmine Mohamed Mohamed Zaki El-Demerdash is a UN Volunteer Reception Coordinator with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Egypt.

Wendy Betancourt García (Colombia) is a UN Volunteer Project assistant with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Colombia.

My first experience with the United Nations was with the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo* (UNMIK) in February 2000. I was responsible for preparing for the first ever elections in the newly divided region. The excitement of working with UNMIK was incomparable to anything I had done before. I came into contact with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme later when I was heading the Victims’ Recovery and Identification Commission. I got the rare opportunity and privilege to work with a team of UN Volunteers.