Giving thanks, building hope.

'I recall the civil war in Liberia vividly,' says Elfreda Dennice Stewart, a United Nations Police (UNPOL) officer serving with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

'My parents managed-with many sacrifices on their part-to put me through high school during a time of great turmoil in my country, following which I started doing a number of odd jobs to help out financially.'

Elfreda braided hair and tutored younger children in her community, often returning home late at night, afraid of being raped at a time when sexual violence was rife in Liberia.

Rachel Briggs, another UNPOL officer from Liberia deployed to the world's youngest country, has a similar story. 'I had so many dreams but the war in my country shattered them. I was separated from my mother in 1990 and till today, I don't know if she is dead or alive. I continue searching for her, but my life has moved on,' she reveals.

For UNPOL officer Alfreda Tozay, memories of people being killed, destroyed properties and extreme hunger stand out. 'Liberia, when I was growing up, was an endless saga of horrors. My parents didn't have enough food for us, and I would go to the bush, make charcoal to sell on the streets. I sold bread on the roadside. But still, there was never enough to eat,' she recounts.

But their lives changed after the former United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) was deployed in September 2003. The UN's mandate in Liberia was to monitor the ceasefire agreement following the second Liberian civil war.

When I came to Bor and started patrolling among communities, I knew exactly what they are going through because I and all the Liberian people have suffered the same.' - Elfreda

But Blue Helmets on the ground didn't merely broker a hard-fought peace for the troubled country; they were a beacon of hope for the Liberian people, especially women, to rise up and contribute towards shaping a brighter future.

Elfreda, Rachel, and Alfreda joined UNMIL's police training and became some of the first women to join the Liberian National Police.

Now, these remarkable women are part of the first-ever deployment of UNPOL officers from Liberia to UN Peacekeeping.

'Our experience of a 14-year civil war and the impact that UN peacekeepers had is real and tangible for the people we are on the ground to serve,' adds Alfreda. 'We benefited so much from peacekeepers, and it is our honour to now serve in this young nation under the iconic blue flag.'

South Sudan, and specifically Bor in Jonglei...