It’s the best job in the world
Inaam Salih, DFID Sudan
On a perfect day this is the best job in the world. Indeed, there is something to be said about being a part of the global humanitarian team of an organisation. They are the first responders in times of crisis, often risking exposure to deadly epidemics, and the wrath of nature and fellow man. They are also the ones working tirelessly behind computer screens and in meeting rooms, planning and coordinating with the kind of meticulous perfectionism that is a part of the job description. The superheroes the world will not remember. This is what made me want to become a humanitarian worker.
On the ground, the world of humanitarian relief work is often governed by a forceful set of politico-economic realities of a given country. And funding shortages are an ever looming threat to the continuity of vital programmes. This is a job where immense responsibility is tightly wrapped in the challenges of the operating environment, and one requiring a great deal of personal and institutional self-awareness.
I joined the UK’s Department for International Development office in Sudan a few months ago as a Programme Officer to support the Conflict and Humanitarian Team. Before this, I worked with several UN organisations for nearly twelve years in development, family planning and health, which enriched my life with a lot of experience and knowledge. I worked for peace and development in war-torn societies in Darfur, Sudan; and in complex situations in Juba, South Sudan.
My first field mission with the UN was to Elobaid, the capital city of Sudan’s North Kordofan state, in 2006 for a health assessment mission. It was a harrowing situation with people in real need. I cannot remember exactly how I felt, but the look on the faces of women and children when they saw us lingers in my mind still: they were relieved by our presence and hoped we could help relieve their suffering.
I have since learned that vulnerable communities often believed in us, but whether this belief was driven by necessity or choice, there remains something empowering about this exchange of hope. For the people who had believed themselves forgotten, it was hope in the knowledge of human solidarity and that everything might just be alright in the end. For us, it is hope that we can do something and that we can do better.
As a humanitarian worker I, too, believe in us. It is both a blessing and a great responsibility to be able to make a difference somewhere in a world of continuous turmoil. In the end, even the faintest glimmer of hope has the power to impact significantly.
Even in the worst and most stressful of days, this is still the best job in the world.
The UK is providing humanitarian assistance to over 550k people every year who have been affected by food insecurity, conflict and climate change in Sudan.
