Grace Kironcho and Ousséni Demba Sidibé come from different parts of Africa and serve with two different United Nations entities. Grace serves with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Ousséni is with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). What connects them is a common goal — volunteering and through it — humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable populations in their home continent. We pay tribute to all humanitarians as we mark the World Humanitarian Day.

Grace Kironcho is from Kenya and serves with UNHCR in Nigeria. She is 33 years old. An Associate Protection Officer — focusing on protection programmes for Gender-Based Violence. Over the past two years, she has led a series of training modules on gender-based violence and Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse for over 200 participants, including government representatives and UNHCR partners. Her volunteer assignment is geared towards ensuring that Gender-Based Violence Information Management System is used across several states in Nigeria, improving how survivors of gender-based violence receive support. 

Grace finds meaning in her work, she says, while training frontline workers, conducting safety audits, and developing procedures that create safer environments for refugees and internally displaced persons. The words of a woman benefitting from UNHCR's programmes deeply resonated with her, “Before I met the UNHCR team, I felt invisible and powerless. The support I received has given me hope and strength to face the future.”

I was very pleased when a survivor of gender-based violence shared her story of recovery and empowerment, expressing gratitude for the support she received from UNHCR. It’s inspiring to see how our training and systems make a real difference in people’s lives." Grace Kironcho, UN Volunteer Associate Protection Officer with UNHCR, Nigeria.

Ousséni Demba Sidibé is from Burkina Faso. At 43, he is a Civil-Military Coordination and Humanitarian Access Associate with OCHA in Chad. A dialogue between humanitarian workers and military authorities is what Ousséni helps facilitate — this further helps the delivery of humanitarian aid to those who need it most.

Ousséni has set up operational cells for civil-military coordination in eastern and southern Chad. He supported the creation of a working group and helped organize the Abéché Forum, aimed at developing a roadmap for using armed escorts in Chad. 

The training sessions we held for military, civilian, and humanitarian actors on humanitarian principles and access have been some of the most rewarding moments for me. It's fulfilling to know that these efforts are making humanitarian operations in Chad more effective." Ousséni Demba Sidibé, UN Volunteer Civil-Military Coordination and Humanitarian Access Associate with OCHA, Chad.

Through this short story, we get a glimpse into how Grace Kironcho and Ousséni Demba Sidibé dedicate their time and efforts to volunteer assignments in Nigeria and Chad. The humanitarian actions they support have a tangible impact on those facing urgent situations.

The theme of World Humanitarian Day 2024 is Act for Humanity. Grace, Ousséni and countless other humanitarians worldwide personify this theme and remain steadfast in their commitment and resolve.