“Being a humanitarian is a way of life”
Brenda Barton, WFP’s Country Director in Sri Lanka shares why she’s spent her career helping those in need
What does being a humanitarian mean to you?
Being a humanitarian is a way of life — it’s a 360-degree approach. For me, it starts with a daily session of mindfulness and ends doing actions to improve the human condition. As the Country Director of the World Food Programme in Sri Lanka, it means checking if I am doing everything possible to help communities in need through our projects while maximizing efforts with government partners — and others — to deliver. As a leader, I seek to better support the World Food Programme team in the front line to deliver on promised results. Outside of work, it’s about being sensitive and responsive to the people that surround me in my daily life. It means instilling a strong sense of humanity in my children… the next generation.
Could you share a story or experience from your career that has impacted your leadership?
After almost 30 years with WFP, there are many experiences but one that is seared in my mind from my earliest days is from the Somali famine of 1992. I was shocked by the daily spectre of countless small bodies lined up outside a village healthcare unit, covered in white gauzes — people had died overnight. Until we brought in help, some were so hungry they were chewing on boiled camel skins, among other desperate measures. Working almost every weekend for two years in my role as a Communications Officer meant travelling to these sites with media to tell the story of the Horn of Africa famine, and I struggled with the feeling of being a spectator.
I wanted to do more because I was feeling inadequate. Moving over time into my current role as a Country Director, I converted my strategic vision into concrete deliverables. There are still immense challenges in improving food security and nutrition and we won’t make progress unless we pool our efforts and band together.
Consequently, my leadership style embraces strong partnerships. I also believe in identifying the many humanitarians in our society who are willing to help in some way, people who care about hunger. We have a regular flow of young volunteers and interns who bring vibrant energy and ideas to our country office team now. Finally, public figures and inspiring individuals from many walks of life who believe in humanitarianism can be brought in to make powerful contributions to Zero Hunger.
Read more about WFP’s work in Sri Lanka.
