As part of the celebration of the International Volunteer Day which is observed globally on 5 December, UN Volunteers serving with the African Union – United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) rehabilitated and extended the laboratory facility of Zalingei Hospital in Central Darfur. The volunteers also handed over a 1,000-liter water tanker and other equipment to the medical center.

The project aimed to improve the health working environment and alleviate the suffering of the patients at the hospital who did not have seating spaces inside the waiting area before its rehabilitation.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony on 4 December, the focal point for UN Volunteers (UNVs) in Central Darfur, Ms. Lydia May Ramos, said that this is the day in which volunteers are recognized and appreciated for their efforts in changing the world into a better place. “We hope to inspire others to do something for the community through our actions, through the projects that we have undertaken.”

As the slogan for this year International Volunteer Day is “Make change happen”, Ms. Ramos urged the people to contribute in to improve the lives of those around and to take the first step and make things happen.

Dr. Mudathir Adam, representative of the State Minister of Health, congratulated the UNVs for their sense of solidarity and the work well done. He praised the cooperation with UNAMID and also the support provided to them, in terms of assisting the fistula programme and the rehabilitation some of the hospital’ sections and units. He appealed to UNAMID to continue these endeavors for the sake of the population.

In the same vein, Dr. Imad Eldin Mohamed Salih, Director of Primary Health Care at the Zalingei Hospital, expressed his gratitude to UNVs for conducting such significant human project in the hospital, indicating the positive impact that the project will have on the patients as well as the general working environment.