As an international UN Youth Volunteer fully funded by the Czech Republic, Tereza dedicated most of her time at MiLab to designing technology-based solutions to address development challenges in the country. Her work involved projects such as digital education for Moldovan children, using behavioral science to reduce plastic and energy consumption, utilizing Big Data for urban development, and introducing blockchain-based solar power solutions for public institutions.

Having volunteered for various causes over the past 10 years, from working in animal shelters to supporting playgrounds for disabled children, Polina quotes Mahatma Gandhi to explain her motivation: The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. These words of Gandhi describe my attitude towards volunteering. --Polina Listopad, UN Volunteer with UNICEF, Moldova

Chisinau, Moldova: The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) community in Moldova is a diverse group. It comprises people of different ages, from different social classes, different political backgrounds, and various levels of education. It includes citizens from grassroots movements to institutional NGOs, activists, professionals, and it has support from the international community.

The summer camp ‘The Star of Desires’ was an initiative of the municipality of Elbasan in collaboration with local NGOs. The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme also joined to help and support the initiative, involving five young women as volunteers. The women, mainly students and local activists, were a great help for the camp.