United Nations Volunteer Peter Bradbury shares his experiences from South Sudan
Peter, originally from Athy, Co Kildare served in South Sudan between 2017 and 2022.
Volunteer Peter Bradbury's role as a Civil Affairs Officer involved getting to the root causes of conflict among communities, including cattle herders and farmers, military and civilian populations and facilitating community-led peacebuilding initiatives.
Peter said: “Volunteering in a country like South Sudan, which has endured prolonged conflict and significant adversity, exposes you to a spectrum of human stories—both inspiring and heart-breaking.
“Nevertheless, what truly stands out is the resilience demonstrated by local community leaders and authorities. Despite these challenging circumstances, they are tirelessly working towards enhancing security and improving healthcare and education for their communities.”
Peter’s volunteering mission to South Sudan involved conducting conflict management and capacity-building workshops aimed at empowering grassroots organisations and government authorities.
He continued: “These sessions focused on women's empowerment and fostering good governance and accountability, all while emphasising the promotion of social cohesion and reconciliation.
“Daily, my responsibilities revolved around information management, encompassing monitoring, analysing, and reporting on political, economic, and social developments.
“Additionally, I drafted program proposals and took the lead in organising UN assessment patrols to remote villages.”
Making a difference
Peter attended the 2023 Volunteer Ireland Awards ceremony which took place in Limerick on Saturday, December 2.
He encouraged anyone interested in becoming a UN volunteer, particularly within a peacekeeping mission, to pursue it.
“It offers an incredible opportunity to interact with people from diverse nationalities worldwide, uniting with the goal of supporting nations in need.
“This experience opens doors to exploring remote regions and discovering indigenous communities that wouldn't be accessible through standard travel visas, enabling a deep dive into their cultures, traditions, and customs,” he said.
Peter is also a member of the Rapid Response Roster, a panel of humanitarian experts managed by Irish Aid at the Department of Foreign Affairs.