LocationsFrom growing up in Bangladesh, then moving to Canada, Mehnaz now finds herself as an integral part of the UNDP team in Fiji.
Meet Mehnaz - International Volunteer with UNDP Pacific
October 2, 2023
Mehnaz Hossain (pictured right) on a recent field mission to Vanuatu.
Photo: UNDP
My name is Mehnaz Hossain, I serve as an International UN Volunteer with the UNDP Pacific Office in Suva, Fiji.
I grew up in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where I completed my schooling, and then at the age of 18, I moved to Canada as an international student. After finishing my undergraduate degree, I was selected for a Master's program at the University of Waterloo, where I qualified for a fellowship and financed my own way through my Master's program. I am still working on my final thesis while serving in Fiji.
Working for the UN and relocating to Fiji was not something that I had ever envisioned for myself. My Master's program included an internship component, and through an internal nomination, I was chosen as one of 10 students to intern at a UN agency.
With tremendous support from my family and university, I completed my internship and was offered an opportunity to return for one of the ongoing projects I had been working on during my internship.
The other day, my Mum told me that she rarely enters my bedroom at home because she starts missing me, and my Dad asked me to come home. After uprooting my life in one significant move from Bangladesh to Canada, neither I nor my family expected another move that would take me halfway across the world.
While I've been away, my Dad suffered a stroke, and my sister underwent emergency surgery for a sudden medical condition. Most days are difficult, being able to talk to my friends and family only through a screen and not being there for significant milestones. However, the opportunity to volunteer my time, energy, and work to serve people is an opportunity that I could not pass up, and I believe my family understands that about me.
That's why I continue to volunteer and give my best to the people I work with and the communities that the UNDP serves.
Mehnaz Hossain
Governance Programme Support Officer
International UN Volunteer
