Age
51
Education?
A thee-year college diploma in marine insurance and a passion to make a positive difference to the world after being brought up in Ethiopia amidst the big drought in the 80s.
So, what do you actually do?
I’m a Mombassa-based logistics officer for the United Nations World Food Programme. I help get food and humanitarian aid to people who so desperately need it.
What’s so ethical about your job?
Mombassa is the largest port for food aid going to Somalia, Uganda and Southern Sudan. Whatever shipping comes through here, we handle it, process it and make sure it gets sent to it’s final destination. This job is all about helping people and I co-ordinate all of that which is a huge operation. I have to constantly check everything – here you are part of a chain and if one chain breaks, nothing is moving; if no food moves, you don’t deliver to those who are starving.
How did you get into your ethical career?
During the famines in Ethiopia in the 80s, I saw people’s lives being saved by the relief organisations, which was inspirational for our generation. People were dying and I could see how agencies were helping them. I volunteered to help with food aid projects and my first full-time ethical job was working for the Catholic Relief Services World Food Programme Project in Ethiopia. This job changed me – once you’ve got into an ethical career, the personal satisfaction keeps you tied to the job. I’ve now worked all across Africa including Dijbouti, Tanzania, Rwanda and Kenya, as well as in Turkey providing WFP aid for the Iraq operations.
What skills and experience do you need in this area of work?
You really need to want to make a positive change to people’s lives. The people who work for the World Food Programme make daily sacrifices, sometimes they are even hijacked or murdered. I’ve been lucky, but many of my colleagues haven’t. You have to really believe in the importance of this work to do the job. We go to risky areas because that is where people are dying of hunger, someone has to deliver the food to the people who need it most.
Most memorable experience in this job?
The best thing about my job is getting the food out to people and seeing it reach them. You get to see the difference that donors’ contributions and the UN World Food Programme aid effort really makes to people’s lives – in fact you are part of it.
Any top tips for someone wanting to get into this work?
Voluntary work is a good place to start – it will give you time to see if you’re ready for the job. We have many voluntary placements, internships and Junior Professional Officer so if you are ready to accept this kind of responsibility and are really willing to make a positive change to people’s lives, get in touch.
The United Nations World Food Programme
www.wfp.org
