UNV and Southern Africa

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UNV and Southern Africa

“In my department, family medicine, I make sure my student and interns interact and gain practical experience wih my patients” Jason Rayos (Philippines) UN V Doctor in Tshilidzini, Hospital, Limpopo Province, South Africa

In the context of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, the Southern Africa portfolio consists of the following countries: Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. With the exception of Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, these are middle to higher middle income countries.

(UNCDF), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and various Government Ministries.

UNV is working with the United Nations Country Teams in all the countries to help the Governments deliver on their development agenda, most of which address achieving improvement in such areas as health service delivery, poverty reduction, decentralized governance, HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment, food security, environmental management, refugee care and maintenance, and volunteerism and participatory development.

In 2012, a total of 266 United Nations Volunteers from 15 countries were deployed in the eight countries, where they work with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA), UNAIDS, UNICEF, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the United Nations Capital Development Fund

Flagship programmes: Health UNV provides support to the health care systems through Doctors Projects in South Africa, Malawi and Lesotho by deploying UN Volunteers who are medical personnel to improve health service delivery. The UNV Specialists, through their example, training and mentorship, build the capacity of local health service personnel. UNV medical specialists assigned to these countries also work in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.

Food security and livelihoods In Zambia, UNV supports projects to improve food security and livelihoods as a means to reduce poverty. The Asia Youth Volunteer Exchange Programme provides rural youth groups with training and practice in sustainable agriculture, beekeeping, forest management and fish farming.

Through the Microfinance for poverty reduction project, women in rural communities receive training and support in setting up microfinancing collectives, to mutually support their income generating endeavors.

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UNV volunteer Medical Doctor George Pape (right) from the Netherlands, attends to Elinah Phiri and responds to her mother’s questions at Mzuzu Central Hospital in nothern Malawi.

(Eldson Chagara/UNV, Malawi)

National UNV Human Rights Officer Chipasha Mulenga (left) provides feedback to a community in New Jerusalem village, Zambia, on the status of a legal case regarding a land dispute with their chief (Sirak Gebrehiwot/UN, Zambia)

“I volunteer because I have the knowledge and skills to assists less privileged people ... Local law or practice may result in suspected human rights violations, and one has to go beyond and look at the international laws, norms and practices in order to change this.

My hope is that justice should always take its course.”

Chipasha Mulenga, Zambia - UNV Human Rights Officer

Environmental management and climate change UNV supports projects in Lesotho, Namibia, Malawi, and Zambia which provide people in remote rural areas with training and opportunities to apply environmentally sustainable practices to raise crops and livestock, and use their land and water. The Africa Adaptation Programme (AAP) in Lesotho, Malawi and Namibia and the Community Based Adaption Programme (CBA) in Namibia also encourage local innovation, income generation and entrepreneurship in climate change mitigation.

Refugee care and protection In Malawi, South Africa and Zambia, UN Volunteers are among those responsible for the protection of refugee populations. They ensure the provision of services in camps (namely, food, access to health care, housing, and protection and security for children, women and anyone who may be at risk). In South Africa, UN Volunteers determine the refugee status of migrants and in Malawi and Zambia, UN Volunteers handle the settlement and integration of long-term refugees.

“The National Volunteer Corp contributed a lot to my career development ... because after all those years of study, I was able to witness the practical application of my discipline and even debut my newly acquired skills as a working economist.”

Nts”olo Mochelkele, Lesotho Institute of Public Administration and Management

Volunteer policy and volunteering activities UNV has played a key role in the establishment of the National Volunteer Corp in Lesotho and continues to contribute to development of the national volunteer policy in Namibia.

Human rights UN Volunteer Specialists are deployed as Human Rights Officers in the national and district Human Rights Commissions in Zambia and in the Southern Africa Regional Office of UNOCHR, located in South Africa.

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that promotes volunteerism to support peace and development worldwide. Volunteerism can transform the pace and nature of development and it benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer. UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for volunteerism globally, encouraging partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing volunteers.

UNV is administered by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

For more information about UNV, please visit www.unv.org