LocationsBy Martin Namasaka
A Bold Journey of Service: Giving More Than a Helping Hand to Change Lives
August 15, 2025
Naomie doesn’t just talk about change, she builds it, one story, one connection, one act of service at a time. Meeting her feels like stepping into the hum of purposeful energy, the kind that makes you believe that small, deliberate actions can ripple across borders and generations. She has the kind of warmth that draws you in, yet a focus in her eyes that says she knows exactly why she’s here.
We’re sitting outside the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in a pod, the afternoon light catching the edge of her smile. Naomie’s path to the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme wasn’t plotted on a career map. It began, instead, with a conversation, one of those chance encounters that shifts your trajectory. A close friend, deeply involved in volunteer work, spoke with unshakable conviction about the communities they served and the transformations they’d witnessed. Something in their words ignited a spark in her. “I just knew,” she says, “that I wanted to be part of this movement.”
What first inspired you to join the United Nations Volunteers programme, and how has that decision shaped your journey?
Honestly, it all began with that one conversation I’ll never forget. My friend was telling me about their volunteer work, the projects, the people, the challenges and I could literally feel the energy radiating from them. It wasn’t just about helping people. It was about communities coming together to create solutions that worked for them, that lasted.
That talk planted a seed in me. It wasn’t just, “This sounds interesting.” It was more like, “This is where I belong.” I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself, something that connected me to people across the world, yet still felt deeply personal.
Joining UNV turned out to be so much more than a career decision. It was a turning point in my life. Professionally, I’ve sharpened my skills in communications and digital strategy in an international context, telling stories that can actually shift mindsets and drive change. Personally, it’s made me braver. It’s taught me the value of showing up even when things are tough, and the magic that happens when people work together toward a common goal.
How did your journey actually begin, and what was your first real taste of impact?
It all started in 2022, during Kenya’s general elections. I came on board as an online volunteer with UNDP for the #LetPeaceWin campaign. My main role was to help counter misinformation and hate speech online which, during an election period, is no small task.
But this wasn’t just about posting positive messages or fact-checking rumors. We were safeguarding the democratic process. Every post, every clarification, every timely response mattered. I worked closely with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), UWIANO, and UNDP communications teams to make sure people had the right information when they needed it.
It was intense, and it was eye-opening. That’s when I really understood the power of digital volunteerism it can shift narratives, calm tensions, and build trust, all in real time. That campaign laid the groundwork for everything I do now as Programme and Communications Assistant at UNV Kenya, where I get to share the stories of volunteers transforming communities every single day.
You’ve told some powerful stories. Which ones have stayed with you the most?
So many stories have moved me, but two will always stay close to my heart: Didier Habimana and Elizabeth Leona.
Didier’s journey is the kind of story that makes you pause. He grew up in a refugee camp, faced challenges most of us can only imagine, and now he mentors young refugees facing those same struggles. When I was writing his profile for World Refugee Day, it hit me that volunteerism isn’t just about creating change “out there.” Sometimes, it’s about healing your own past while lifting others up. Despite everything he’s achieved, Didier is quick to credit the communities around him. That humility is rare, and it’s powerful.
Then there’s Elizabeth. She’s a self-taught software developer who started in Land Resource Planning but felt this pull toward technology. She taught herself coding through online courses and bootcamps, then had the courage to apply for a UNV tech role. The interview? A full-on coding challenge. She passed with flying colors. Today, she’s building systems for the UN and breaking barriers for women in tech. She’s proof that boldness sometimes means stepping into a world you’ve never been part of and making it yours.
You’re a communications professional. Should communications really be treated as a strategic function in development work?
Absolutely. In fact, I think it’s essential. Communications isn’t just a nice add-on it’s the driver that moves the mission forward. If you’re not telling your own story with clarity and strategy, someone else will tell it for you, and not always in a way that reflects your truth.
In development, we’re tackling enormous challenges like climate change, inequality, and poverty. Strategic communications ensures that the right people hear the right stories at the right time. It’s how you build trust, mobilize resources, and inspire action. Without it, even the most brilliant projects risk going unnoticed.
This year’s International Volunteer Day theme is ‘Be BOLD. Make Change.’ How are Kenyan volunteers bringing that to life?
Boldness looks different for everyone. Sometimes it’s standing in front of a crowd and speaking truth to power. Other times, it’s the quiet, consistent act of showing up for your community day after day.
Didier is bold because he’s turned his own lived experience into a tool for change, mentoring young refugees so they can dream bigger. Elizabeth is bold because she walked into an entirely new industry and is now making it more accessible for other women. Both of them and so many others remind me that boldness doesn’t always roar. Sometimes, it whispers… and still moves mountains.
Looking ahead, where do you see youth and digital changemakers in the race to 2030?
They’re going to be right at the heart of it. Just look at the growth in online volunteering: from fewer than 10,000 in 2021 to 23,000 in 2024. That’s thousands more people sharing their skills, coding, designing, analyzing data, running advocacy campaigns from anywhere in the world.
And then you have onsite volunteers rooted in their communities, working on everything from sustainable farming and climate adaptation to education and gender equality. The real magic happens when you bring these two forces together, the reach and flexibility of digital work paired with the grounded, context-specific knowledge of local action.
That’s how the Sustainable Development Goals will shift from being words on a page to realities in people’s lives. And I’m honestly so excited to see how the next generation of changemakers will take this momentum and run with it.
Naomie’s journey is proof that the most transformative paths often begin quietly, with a single conversation, a spark of conviction, and the courage to say yes. From countering harmful narratives during elections to amplifying the voices of unsung heroes, her work reminds us that volunteerism is not just an act of service, but a powerful declaration of belief in humanity’s capacity to rise together.
As she continues to tell the stories that inspire boldness, Naomie embodies the truth that change is built not by grand gestures alone, but by the steady, relentless hands of those who choose to show up, again and again, for the world they believe in.
