متطوع الأمم المتحدة مع برنامج الأمم المتحدة الإنمائي، أحمد المدلل، موجود على الأرض في غزة. وهو مهندس يراقب توزيع الوقود للتأكد من استمرار تشغيل آليات إزالة الأنقاض وفتح الطرق أمام سيارات الإسعاف والمساعدات. بينما تقوم زميلته، ميساء العجرمي، وهي مهندسة معمارية، بجمع بيانات مفصلة من أربعة مشاريع لإزالة الأنقاض، وتوثق أحجام الأنقاض والآليات واستهلاك الوقود وأعداد القوى العاملة، وتقوم بعد ذلك بتحميلها على منصة معلومات المشروع.

"I played an active role in exchanging ideas and identifying representatives who could contribute to the project," says Elifnaz Sağlam, a fifth-year medical student at Başkent University in Ankara and Chairperson of the National Audit Board within the Turkish Medical Students’ Association.

UN Volunteer with UNDP, Ahmed Al-Mdalal is on the ground in Gaza. He is an engineer and monitors the distribution of fuel making sure debris removal machines keep operating and the blocked roads for ambulances and aid remain open. While another counterpart, Maysaa Al-Ajrami, an architect, gathers detailed data from four debris removal projects, documenting rubble volumes, machinery, fuel consumption, and workforce numbers, which she then uploads to the project’s dashboards.

Andrii began his assignment by designing a strategic plan focused on the geospatial component of the project, researching each participating city’s geographic, historical, and socio-economic context. This helped him gain a deeper understanding of the forces shaping urban development.  "Once the groundwork was laid, I began sourcing data—vector, raster, and statistical—while organizing everything in a way that would support efficient geospatial analysis. This step was more than just data management; it was about building a foundation for meaningful insights," shares Andrii.

Why engage Online Volunteers?Through UNV’s Online Volunteering service, you can access a diverse pool of motivated candidates with specialized backgrounds and skills. 

In 1968, the Shah of Iran, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, made a visionary call for the establishment of a formal United Nations Volunteers programme. During an honorary speech at Harvard University, he emphasized the need for an international legion dedicated to combating the true enemies of humanity: poverty, hunger, and social injustice. His words resonated deeply, planting the seeds for a global volunteer movement.

A linguist in Thailand, Busawan Kachonnarongvanish has a Bachelor's degree in Arts and a Master's degree in Economics and Development Studies. “Tasked to translate survey dissemination guidance from English to Thai, I have gained insights into best practices for data collection centered on the principle of upholding empathy and respondent confidentiality. Translating collected responses from Thai to English opened my eyes to a myriad of challenges that the target audience has encountered.

My dream had always been to work in construction and pursue a career in electrical engineering. However, the accident forced me to reconsider my future. Refusing to let my disability define me, I set small, achievable goals throughout my rehabilitation. While these accomplishments may seem minor to some, for someone like me, living with a disability, they were monumental. Each success strengthened my determination to embrace life with my new prosthetic leg. Accepting this new reality was not easy, and I struggled to share my story.

The common thread in these stories is that each of the protagonists was an Online Volunteer. Through their laptops, their smartphones, their tablets, Online Volunteers—as expert and dedicated as any other professionals in their field are—clicked away their share of assistance to humanitarian and development. We can’t see them—they’re conveniently behind a screen somewhere around the world. But we can see their work—it’s in plain sight all around us.

“Online Volunteering gave me a sense of connection and hope during challenging times and an opportunity to support important causes like climate action,” shared Anastasia Andreeva. Like many young people volunteering for climate action, Anastasia wanted to do the same. She applied to the call for Online Volunteers to support Y4C.