‘Greening the One UN in Vietnam’ Campaign.

      Where are you interning and what are you focusing on?

Hello everyone! I am currently working as a Capacity Building Officer for the UNICEF country office in Viet Nam, based in Ha Noi. My programme is called the ‘Provincial Child Friendly Programme’ and aims to strengthen the capacities of provincial authorities to take into account Children’s Rights. Concretely, most of my time goes to supporting UNICEF’s research undertaken in the provinces, to preparing programme documents and reports, to developing concepts and strategies for our engagement at the decentralized level and to strengthening linkages between UNICEF and other donors who work on governance in Viet Nam.

 

Describe one specific project that you have worked on, which promoted volunteering and was successful in mobilizing people.

Together with all the other UNV’s in Ha Noi, we have committed to being ‘Green Champions’ and to making our respective offices more environmentally friendly. In Viet Nam, all the UN agencies are preparing to move into a ‘One UN Green House’ by the end of 2012 as part of the ‘Delivering as One Initiative’. Instead of waiting until then, we have decided to already start ‘greening’ our behaviours and call upon others to follow our example. As a young and motivated ‘inter-agency’ group, UNV’s can have a real impact when they coordinate their advocacy for behaviour change in their different host agencies.

This month (September) is a huge milestone because we launch our three-month ‘Greening the One UN in Viet Nam Campaign’, aiming to reduce the environmental impact of the UN’s operations in Viet Nam. As a group, we contributed to drafting the ‘Green Action Plan’, with specific targets, which will help us gain the World Wildlife Fund’s ‘Green Office Certificate’. In addition, many of the Campaign’s activities are spearheaded by Green Champion UNV’s: for example, we are organizing ‘green (i.e. vegetarian) lunches’ and green film screenings (or ‘Sgreenings’, as we like to call them). One major challenge is improving the environmental friendliness of our transport. Getting people to bike to work, when it’s 38 degrees and humidity is 98 per cent, is no easy task! But that won’t stop us (see picture).

 

Have you seen any personal growth in yourself since arriving in the field?

Certainly. It’s been a tremendous experience to live and work in such a fascinating country and not a day goes by that I don’t feel lucky to be here. With regards to personal growth, I believe it’s fair to say I have refined my intercultural skills and learnt much about Vietnamese, and by extension, South-East Asian culture and traditions.

What has been your favourite experience since arriving in the field?

One of the most interesting aspects of working in a decentralization project is that I have the opportunity to travel to the different provinces where UNICEF is active. In May I visited An Giang province, in the Mekong Delta Region for a consultation workshop on the ‘Situation Analysis of the Children of An Giang’, a comprehensive research report we are currently finalizing. The first evening our counterparts, staff from the Department of Planning and Investment, invited us to go sing karaoke with them. It was great fun and I really enjoyed the submersion into Vietnamese culture. The bad news was (ignoring my exceptionally poor singing skills) that all the songs were in Vietnamese, so not easy to sing along! Nevertheless, I gave it a shot, and our counterparts seemed to appreciate the effort. At least, I think they did.

FAO Rabat – A rich and dynamic work experience in a mix of field activities and decision maker’s meetings.

Five months after the workshop in Bonn, I feel very satisfied of my first half year as a UNV. I am really proud of working as an expert on water and environment at the Representation of the FAO in Marocco! This being my first professional experience in the UN system, and the first experience of the FAO with a UNV, the first days were not easy. There was a need to study each other, to define our exact roles and tasks! Fortunately, it didn’t take too long, largely thanks to the “savoir faire” of my Chief and the cooperation of my colleagues. After only six days I was already on the field with the Pilot Project GCP/MOR/033/SPA to “save and enhance the irrigation water in the Doukkala”. For the first time I was in touch with the farmers, trying to really understand what their needs and challenges are, something one cannot do merely by reading documents in an office. As time goes by, so do the missions: two, three, four trips to the field to check on progresses, to coordinate a project documentary, to organize a final workshop and to collect the project’s needs (ex: replacement parts, diesel tanks, market experts) My favorite part of this all is the sense of hospitality that Moroccans have.  Being invited for lunch and tea, spending time with farmers during their daily activities (playing with their children), forcing yourself to think in their ways, is something unforgettable.  At the same time, it wasn’t easy to convert and explain the farmers’ requirements and expectations during high level meetings with national and international partners and local authorities, even with the support of headquarters. The project, which started in 2007, ended last June and it was a great success. Considering it was a pilot project in the framework of the “Plan Maroc Vert” (National Moroccan strategy to improve the Value of Agriculture), the conclusions after the final workshop gained the full support of the Ministry af Agriculture and other participants. In parallel with this project I was asked to guarantee the monitoring and evaluation of another one, this time in Midelt on the Tatiouine watershed management. This project gave me the chance to work with local associations, to meet with nomads, and to see with my own eyes what impact climate changes has on forests and, consequently, on the communities’ social life. This inter-regional project is still ongoing and after the new coordinator’s arrival, we are really advancing well. New activities in the field, new partners are identified and a working group is constituted to implement and coordinate the work of the local administration. We are working hard to obtain more financial resources and support for this project. Another important dossier I am working on and really feel addicted to, is SIPAM. This is a multi-aspects project on the valorization of the agri-cultural heritage of the local communities. The pilot-site is in Imilchil. My first mission to this project included such an original experience: in the middle of the desert, I was taken down inside the khettara, a system of subsurface irrigation channels, 13 meters below the surface, scary but amazing! What I like the most? The fact that I’m always in touch with the direct beneficiaries, that I can see the results of our job with my own eyes and touch them with my hands. I’m really excited and curious about what my next six months here will bring. But I have a feeling it’ll be fantastic, inch’allah!

 

Simone Targetti Ferri Volontaire des Nations Unies Chargé de programme dans le domaine de l’eau et de l’environnement Rabat

A patch of hope for children of Fushë Kosovë

When I’ve been for the first time in the RAE district of Fushë Kosovë, I thought I was prepared enough not to remain shocked and at the same time fascinated. Driving in a warm and comfortable jeep, I didn’t have to walk on a muddy and uneven road to reach the so called “school”, where I was asked to go for an assessment visit. As soon as I shyly entered the classroom, all the bright children eyes where on me, and I couldn’t do anything apart from raising a smile: 48 kids of a wide range of ages, sitting on the bare floor, proudly trying to write their names and carefully listening to the teacher’s instructions. It was probably colder inside the classroom than outside, and the empty walls immediately made me thinking about all the colours and toys and fairy books of my childhood.Later on I was explained the problem The Ideas Partnership NGO (TIP) is addressing: according to a house-to-house survey, the TIP’s volunteers found out that a lot of children of the district were not attending schools. Inquiring about the reasons why, a big gap in the Kosovo educational system surfaced: if children don’t register for school when they are 7 or 8, they have to pass an exam to rejoin the mainstream education. But at the moment there is no provision for them to catch up and successfully pass the entrance test which should allow them to attend school. Basically they irreversibly lose chance to get education, which excludes them from the job market of the future and prevents them from improving their already miserable situation.Considering this burdensome context, TIP volunteers decided to roll up their sleeves and set up catch-up classes, in order to give them a second chance to join the mainstream educational system and to pass the exam. Being a UN Volunteer working in UNDP, I was looking forward to leaving my office for a while and experiencing directly on the field. I was moved by the every-day effort, the patience and engagement of the volunteers, who are committing their time for this valuable initiative. Thanks to several private donations, the NGO managed to obtain useful and essential items for the school, such as tables, carpet and small funds to provide kids with a yogurt and a piece of fruit every day. The day after the first visit,  UNDP and UNV jointly started procedures in order to support the project, and on Thursday 14^th April, we delivered new desks and tables, notebooks, bookshelves, grammar books and stationary. What always surprises me about children, is their contagious enthusiasm:  after a loud ‘ooohhh’ appreciation for these small items provided, they allowed us – perfect strangers for them – to play and conduct an activity altogether. After only three weeks since the catch-up classes started, the school already looks much more cosy and colourful. It gives a sense of homely environment, with pictures and drawings hung everywhere.  Of course what has been done so far is not enough. Hopefully this project will be considered as a pilot project and it will be extended Kosovo-wide under the Municipalities’ competency, but at least for now it gives a patch of hope to the children of Fushë Kosovë, who are now given a possibility for an inclusive growth. 

Giulia Martin

Story of Lorena Lombardozzi from Uzbekistan

Here you can find story of Lorena Lombardozzi UNV-UNODC in Uzbekistan.

Urban Refugee Women host tea party to mark World Refugee Day. Niamh O’Sullivan in Ethiopia.

An exceptional partnership between female ambassadors to Ethiopia and urban refugee women representatives was established last week during a tea party that took place in the UNHCR offices on June16th. The Urban Refugee Women’s Association (URWA), after having been awarded funds for a project by the globally known V-day network, invited some of the female Ambassadors to celebrate their Association and their success. The event also saw the participation of spouses of diplomats and heads of mission, dignitaries from the Africa Union and members of the humanitarian community. An all female, multi-cultural event organized with the support of UNHCR Community Services to celebrate women’s empowerment and the resilience of refugee women!

25 refugee women hosted the tea party. The guests included Her Excellency, the Irish Ambassador, Sile Maguire and representatives from the Danish Embassy, the African Union, and the UNHCR and the Spouses of Diplomats and Heads of Mission.

The President of the Urban Refugee Women’s Association spoke of her gratitude to the Irish Ambassador. She was referring to the donation of $1000 from the Irish Embassy which was granted to the Urban Refugee Women’s Association in May. The fund is ear-marked for organizations that support and empower women and promote women’s rights.

“We now have our own bank account, thanks to the funding we have received indirectly from the Irish Embassy. Slowly we are taking control, organising ourselves and now we are able to support each other. We are going to provide home visits to very vulnerable refugees and establish a Mothers and Babies group.”

She also spoke of the hardship of being a refugee

“It is scary when your husband can no longer protect you, we’ve lost everything, we witnessed terrible horrors and now we are alone in Ethiopia. That is why we have come together to form this organisation. There is strength in numbers and we can share experiences, advice and support to each other”.

Her Excellency, the Irish Ambassador, Sile Maguire commented on how difficult it is to imagine the experiences of a refugee yet it’s encouraging to see the positive steps that these women are doing to help and support themselves.

Speaking at the event, HE Sile Maguire said:

“You are our sisters. It is difficult for us to imagine the horrors you have faced, we can only imagine what a refugee must endure.”

“It is inspiring to see how you have come together to form your Association, how you have decided to ‘unite’ and offer support and help to each other. In Irish we have a saying, ‘Ar scath a cheile a mhaireann na dhaoine’, which is translated as ‘we live in one another’s shelter’.  It is you, the Women’s Association, which brings real meaning to this phrase. You offer strength and support to each other and you are looking after each other.”

The Ambassador also commented on the level of interest the Irish government has on the issue of refugees.

“The Irish government is particularly interested in the issue of refugees. An example of their commitment to the cause of refugees is that the Irish government funded three international UNVs to the UNHCR to provide expertise and additional support to the services provided to help refugees.”

The Urban Refugee Women’s Association was established 2 years ago and works closely with the Irish Aid sponsored UNHCR Community Mobilizer, Ms Niamh O’Sullivan.

Facts:

Currently Ethiopia alone hosts over 100,000, refugees from conflict ridden countries such as Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

To ackowledge the plight of refugees, the UN has designated June 20th as World Refugee Day.

Experience to Share

EUROPEAID (European Commission) is looking for  testimonies (interviews) from UN Interns/Volunteers preferably under 25 years old. These short interviews will be used in a campaign about the fight against poverty. If you are interested to share your story or you would like to get to know more please contact Scott McQuade on email Scott.McQuade@unvolunteers.org or Estelle Jacques on email Estelle.Jacques@tipik.eu.

Living the UNFPA experience – Kosovo

Kosovo is one of the emerging democracies in Eastern Europe, coming to terms with its turbulent history. Progress has been made in a short amount of time but issues concerning gender, reproduction and population are left wanting. UNV Volunteer Sarah Davoren gives her take on the opportunities ahead.

Life through a lens: Thailand

Being a UNV Volunteer means going above and beyond to make a difference. UNV Volunteer Linda Germanis in Thailand has a real passion for photography and development, and when they were put together success was the output.

Timor Leste and Climate Change

It’s a new year and new decade but for emerging countries like Timor Leste, the future hinges on how it will react to the impact of Climate Change and if the rest of the world is willing to bridge the gap.

Climate change: a challenge for humanity?

The complexity and debate surrounding climate change is currently on the world stage with the 15th International Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen. With this important event upon us it is paramount to have an overview about global warming, the dramatic consequences of temperature increases and the main causes of this scientific phenomenon.