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    United Nations volunteer Marie Contini has a challenging job. She arrived in Kosovo in November 1999, four months after the war ended and was sent straight to Mitrovica, a city still torn by deadly clashes between the bitterly divided Serb and ethnic Albanian communities.One of 200 UN volunteers initially assigned to the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), 32-year old Marie and three colleagues worked with municipal officials and local leaders to help restore essential services, repair the damaged infrastructure, set up a civil administration system and winterize damaged homes. In that first harsh winter after the war, Marie and her small team —Gheorghe Stanescu, a construction engineer from Romania and one local staff member—managed to rehabilitate close to 500 houses and flats in the city and in the mountain villages around Mitrovica. It was not an easy task. In the city, many people who had spent the summer in tents provided by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) or hastily erected huts, dreaded the cold months ahead. Marie and her team raced against the clock as administrative procedures and bottlenecks at the border delayed delivery of essential construction materials. In the villages, where a warm, safe house was essential for survival, roads would become virtually impassible during winter. Finally, every family was able to secure a roof, one or two warm rooms and a stove. In the city, construction crews were hired to winterize about 200 flats and Marie estimates that 75 percent of homes in the region were winterized. United Nations volunteers come from more than 140 countries, nearly two-thirds from the developing world. With an average age of 39, they have strong academic and work experience. Marie, a French national, advised patients on the best use of available services at Medical Care in Paris and lectured on French culture and civilization at an Indonesian University. This varied background helped her respond to the many urgent needs of people in Kosovo. The United Nations Volunteers Programme (UNV) extends hands-on assistance for peace and development in some 150 countries. Administered by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) its strength lies in the 4,500 professionals who, each year, donate their skills in their own country or abroad to help people become the driving force in their own development. UNV is the focal point for the International Year of Volunteers 2001, which is being celebrated around the world. FIND OUT MORE about how UNV works by going to the links next to Marie. To learn about volunteering on line, contact <manuel.acevedo@unv.org>. ADDITIONAL PEACE STORIES: Zamira feels safer | Andres is in a new field A star shoots for peace Photo credit: Jean-Baptiste Avril/UNV |
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