UNV Kenya

VOLUNTEERING FOR CHANGE A newsletter of the United Nations

Volunteers Programme in Kenya| December 2012

INSIDE

:: Joy Maina is UNV of the Year :: International Volunteer Day In 4 Towns :: UNV Retreat Held In Mt. Kenya

Photo ©UNV Joy Maina is handed

the UN Volunteer of the Year 2012

Award by UNDP Country Director Maria-Threase Keating.

In total, 13 awards were

given out to UN Volunteers, 12

agency-based and one overall award for UN Volunteer

of the Year.

Joy Maina is UN Volunteer of the Year 2012

Joy Maina has been named the inaugural winner of the UNV of the Year Award, chosen

from among the 145 UN Volunteers currently serving in the country.

Joy, a UN Volunteer serving with UNHCR in the Dadaab refugee camp as an eligibility

assistant, received the award at a colorful gala dinner on the last evening of the annual

UNV Retreat at the Mt. Kenya Safari Club in Nanyuki.

While presenting the award to her, UNDP Country Director Maria-Threase Keating and

UNV Manager for East Africa Tapiwa Kamuruko lauded her volunteering ethos and

contribution, urging fellow volunteers to emulate her.

Joy herself was exceptionally delighted – and surprised - by the award, pointing out that it

was motivating to note that the work that volunteers do is recognized.

The overall award was Joy’s second of the night, having earlier been named one of the

three outstanding UN Volunteers in UNHCR, the others being fellow Dadaab colleague

Ally Said and Kakuma-based Tomoko Yasunaga.

UNEP on its part named Bernard Muinde, Sarah Cheroben and Karishma Thethy their

outstanding UN Volunteers, while UNDP picked Narok-based Peace Monitor Elly Maloba,

Mary Alobei and Manaan Mumma as its agency winners. At UN-HABITAT, Sarah

Laisney, Lilia Blades and Eric Luguya emerged tops.

UNV Programme Officer Dmitry Frischin also awarded the UNV Field Unit team,

applauding their work throughout the year.

The awards will now be run every year and presented at the Annual UNV Retreat, with

every agency hosting more than 10 UN Volunteers eligible to award three outstanding UN

Volunteers, and the overall winner picked from all the volunteers serving in the country.

Photo ©UNV Joy Maina is handed

the UN Volunteer of the Year 2012

Award by UNDP Country Director Maria-Threase Keating.

The International Volunteer Day is

observed on December 5 every

year, and UNV leads coordination efforts with local

partners in observing the day.

International Volunteer Day Celebrations Held In Four Towns

Over 400 volunteers turned up at the main celebrations of International Volunteer Day in Nairobi’s Korogocho

slums. Held for the first time in the slum area, the day was aimed at celebrating the impact that volunteers can and

do have on a daily basis in the lives of communities.

The event kicked off at the local chief’s camp in Korogocho, aptly hosted by Chief Nyabuto, himself a former UN

neighborhood Volunteer. Present to preside over the opening of the event was UNV’s Manager for East Africa,

Tapiwa Kamuruko, who made the Secretary General’s remarks for the day, lauding the work of volunteers as well

as urging greater community involvement.

After this, it was down to the business of the day, starting with a tree-planting activity in the Chief’s compound.

Together with members of the community, moctly young people, the volunteers then went into the slum area to

clean up the streets and alleys, sensitize the community on fire safety and health matters.

The events were organized by the Volunteer Involving Organizations (VIO) Network in conjunction with UNV and

other partners, including VSO Jitolee, Progressive Volunteers, Kenya Red Cross, St. John Ambulance,

HOPEWorldwide Kenya among others.

The IVD celebrations were also held in Kenya’s second-largest city, Mombasa, involving over 500 volunteers in a

procession, clean-up and theatre activities. Supported by VSO Jitolee, this was the first time official celebrations

were being held in the coastal city, and several partners worked with VIO to ensure the day’s success. IVD was

also marked in upcountry towns of Nakuru and Kakamega, the latter also for the first time.

It is expected that the 2013 celebrations will cover even more parts of the country as more partners get involved in

promoting volunteerism at county level.

Photo ©VSOJ Volunteers attack a mound of garbage in Nairobi’s Korogocho slums as activities to mark IVD get underway

The Annual UNV Retreat brought together 111 of the 145 UN Volunteers serving in the country, as well as colleagues from UV Somalia.

The Annual UNV Retreat was held on 3rd

– 5th

December at the Mt. Kenya Safari Club, bringing together nearly

120 participants, the largest turn-out ever. The two-day retreat provided an opportunity to reflect on their

assignments over the past year, discuss successes and challenges, get information on various areas of interest as

well as have fun and build team connections.

The retreat was also attended by the UNDP Country Director, Maria-Threase Keating, UNV Programme

Manager for East Africa, Tapiwa Kamuruko, UNV Partnerships Specialist Deborah Verzuu and Portfolio

Associate Josephine Sinyan.

The Retreat included a gala evening on the last night, during which several UN Volunteers received awards,

acknowledging their exemplary service over the last one year. On International Volunteer Day, the participants,

led by the UNDP Country Director, cut a cake in commemoration of the day before officially closing the 2012

retreat.

Photo © UNV UNVs take a group picture on the sidelines of the Annual UNV Retreat at the Mt. Kenya Safari Club.

For more information on this Newsletter, the UNV programme or to submit stories of your volunteering, contact the UNV Communications Officer in

Kenya George Oloo on george.oloo@undp.org or unvkenya@undp.org or call us on +254 20 762 5540

www.ke.undp.org/un-volunteers UNVKenya @unvkenya