UNV Online Volunteering Awards Honor NABUUR's Maria Zandt!

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme today announced the winners of the "Online Volunteering Award 2010", an award which honors outstanding contributions by online volunteers to projects aimed at achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The announcement this morning brought some very happy news for the NABUUR community: Facilitator Maria Zandt was chosen as one of the ten winners of the award! Maria was nominated in recognition of her tireless work with the community of Wakitaka, Uganda.

Emmanuel Menya, local representative of Wakitaka, explains the impact that Maria has had on the community's project: “In less than two years, Wakitaka Youth Development Group (WYDG); a CBO found in Jinja-Uganda has been able to register many successes under the facilitation of Maria Zandt; an online volunteer on Nabuur.com. Maria, who became the facilitator of the CBO early 2009 when the group had only six goats and 250 broilers for the poultry project, has been able to transform and elevate the CBO activities which involve both income and non-income generating activities that are benefitting the community."

“No idea presented by the youth to Maria as the CBO facilitator has ever failed. All the ideas end up turning out into feasible projects," Emmanuel adds.

Maria's nomination was also in part for her continued involvement with NABUUR in various roles, including supporting other projects and taking an active role in discussions geared towards improving the NABUUR platform. In all her involvement, Maria brings a high level of commitment and dedication, along with great enthusiasm, and she is always employing her creativity and initiative to achieve results.

Congratulations, Maria, we are beyond proud of you and of your work with Emmanuel and the community of Wakitaka!

To read the rest of the winners' inspiring stories, visit the UNV website here.