International Volunteer Day, celebrated annually on 5 December, recognizes the contribution of UN volunteers who play a vital role in supporting development, peace, and humanitarian efforts worldwide. Their work is crucial to OCHA's efforts to help protect people during emergencies and ensure that they can access essential services. To honor their dedication and commitment to OCHA's mandate, we will share the stories of some of our outstanding UNVs who every day, across the globe, demonstrate incredible bravery and professionalism.
This week, meet Lorenna, Rhinadel, Apassara and Thinwasit from OCHA’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. Despite different nationalities and backgrounds, they are united by a common goal: to help communities affected by natural disasters become more resilient.
I grew up in Brazil, and I started volunteering with civil society organizations and in social programs when I was just a child. I landed in the humanitarian world because that was such a fulfilling experience that after more than 14 years in the private sector, I realized that I really wanted to go back to something that would allow me to create meaningful change in the world.
The most rewarding aspect of my work is the privilege of engaging directly with affected communities. Last year, I was deployed to support the Herat earthquake response in Afghanistan. Visiting the villages, witnessing the devastation, and hearing about the immense loss that so many people had experienced was deeply moving. Yet, despite the destruction, I saw so much resilience and strength. And I did see OCHA’s advocacy efforts translate into tangible assistance and necessary resources at a time of dire need. It was both humbling and extremely fulfilling.
Growing up in the Philippines, a disaster-prone country, I witnessed firsthand the suffering of vulnerable and at-risk communities. This inspired me to use my expertise in finance, cash programming and disaster response to create solutions that make early recovery efforts more inclusive and sustainable and that empower communities to be part of our response planning and to become more resilient to future shocks.
I am especially proud of being able to amplify the voices of local communities in regional and global platforms. Bridging local resilience efforts with international support ensures we all contribute to creating lasting solutions that are truly tailored to the unique challenges and capabilities of every community we serve.
I have always been driven by a passion for human rights, humanitarian work, and global issues, and this is why I decided to put my knowledge and skills at the service of OCHA. Working in the Asia-Pacific region, one of the world’s most disaster-prone region and home to some of the most fragile countries, is a huge opportunity for me to turn my motivation into meaningful action and, I hope, leave a positive mark on my region.
I am especially passionate about supporting the localization of crisis management capabilities. By ensuring that operational readiness and response tools and services are seamlessly integrated into national strategies, that local actors can lead the response, is critical in my view to make our work more meaningful and sustainable, but also to empower local communities by helping them build more resilience.
I decided to join the humanitarian field because I wanted to help people in need. I know we tend to say this a lot, but the reality is that it really gives me purpose to know that through my work, I can make a positive impact in people's lives. It gives me joy and fulfillment.
I truly enjoy working with a diverse team, where I feel I can share my ideas and above all, where, by working together, we can make a real difference for those in need. Working in IT, I like to see firsthand how this supports field operations, especially in disaster-prone areas.? As part of my role, I ensure that our communications devices – from computers to power supplies and mobile phones - are ready for use and can handle a crisis setting – where connection is often an issue. So, I feel especially proud when I see that the work I do helps run our operations seamlessly during an emergency.
