Summary:
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The International Day of Volunteers, which is observed annually on December 5, was commemorated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by volunteers working in a variety of areas.
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16-year-old Destin appreciates the help provided by the volunteer program. “
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The approved centre’s director, Guillain Punzu, expressed his happiness and indicated that the material they acquired would raise the quality of instruction.
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The UNVs went to the Saint Kizito orphanage and gave the children medicine.
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“The topic for 2022 is “Solidarity,” as this is the only way we can all work together to “Together, Let’s Act Now” and accomplish the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) program in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the initiatives for the West and Central Africa region that has a significant number of volunteers on the ground. More than 500 volunteers have joined, including 300 from MONUSCO and others working for funds and programs run by UN agencies, including the rescue of Vulnerable Children.
Volunteers in the DRC are still working for peace, justice, and strong institutions. This helps MONUSCO, and other agencies, funds, and programs reach the 16th goal of the 2030 Agenda, which is to create peaceful and inclusive communities. It tries to reduce all kinds of violence, stop all kinds of torture, and fight all kinds of organized crime, corruption, and bribery in an effective way.
The International Day of Volunteers is celebrated every year on December 5. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, volunteers worked in many different areas to mark the day.
In this regard, at the beginning of the month, they supported the activities of the APROJED training centre, which is located in Turunga, a Nyiragongo community in North Kivu, as part of the program “Actions and Projects for Sustainable Development.” This institution teaches vulnerable youngsters, including ex-child soldiers, how to learn skills like carpentry that will help them succeed in life. More than 600 kids have completed vocational training in fifteen years and achieved independence.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, UN volunteers gave this centre a generator and drill hammers, among other tools for building things.
A useful gift for Vulnerable Children
Although the approved training centre has been in operation since 2006, up until this point, it only had traditional carpentry tools. With help from the UNV program in DR Congo, the centre hopes to get more training, which will improve the vulnerable children’s quality of life and professional growth.
The centre’s students and supervisors agreed that the donation would improve their productivity. They, therefore, expressed their gratitude to the volunteers for their show of support.
“I am receiving carpentry instruction at the approved program,” explains 17-year-old Angel. Getting here, far from the armed groups, was not simple for me. I hope to be able to use this chance I’ve been given to help my town grow and never go back to my previous existence. I appreciate the UNV program for this gift because it will be very helpful for our education.
16-year-old Destin appreciates the help provided by the volunteer program. “Thank you for the support; these tools will help us learn better here and develop skills to help us earn a living so that we never return to armed organizations,” he says, pledging to become involved and get himself ready for a bright future.
Educating the Vulnerable Children
The director of the approved centre, Guillain Punzu, was happy and said that the materials they got would help improve the quality of teaching. “I want to express my gratitude to all the volunteers who helped us and these young members of armed groups around the world. These kids, who armed organizations had scarred, now have smiled again, thanks to volunteers from the United Nations. The director of APROJED, Guillain Punzu, says that with this donation, the training will be better and will encourage us to work. Before, we used tools that were common and made locally.
The items obtained, in Mr Punzu’s opinion, “would improve the lives of these former child soldiers by assisting them in their social and economic integration as well as by replacing the weapons they used at the time”
Other events were planned in Bunia, Ituri, on December 2, 2022, in addition to the meeting between the UNVs in DR Congo and Khasim Diagne, the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General. The UNVs went to the Saint Kizito orphanage and gave the children medicine.
Contribution of Volunteers to the DRC
Khasim Diagne told the volunteers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo about his experience at a meeting on December 2 and thanked them for their work. According to Khasim Diagne, Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Protection and Operations, “volunteers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo form a workforce that makes an invaluable contribution to the mission’s mandate, as well as to the activities of the UN Funds and Programs.”
“International Volunteer Day reminds us that everyone can make a positive contribution to world peace and development.” During the event, Bintou Keita, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of MONUSCO, said, “We are honoring the many UN volunteers in the DRC and elsewhere in the world.”
The topic for 2022 is “Solidarity,” as this is the only way we can all work together to “Together, Let’s Act Now” and accomplish the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Mission de l’Organisation des Nations Unies en République démocratique du Congo (MONUSCO).
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