El Salvador: ‘We thought we’d seen it all before coronavirus arrived’
To mark World Humanitarian Day, the World Food Programme’s Carlos Soriano explains what inspires him to serve every day
“Mine was not a small family: my parents, my brother, my sister and I lived together with my grandparents. Dinner was a special moment when we would chat about our days and it was there, at the family table, that I learned the importance of serving others — something I can now do with the World Food Programme (or PMA, Programa Mundial de Alimentos, as it is known in Spanish).
“I serve my fellow Salvadorans through logistics, managing WFP’s warehouse in El Salvador’s La Libertad Department. (Logistics operations include making sure foods and other essential items reach the people who need them the most.)
“I grew up in Chalchuapa, a history-rich colonial town in El Salvador’s department of Santa Ana, famous for the Mayan archaeological site of Tazumal, the Cuzcachapa lagoon, and the delicious traditional dish of cooked yucca with chicharrón (pork rind).
“When I tie up my boots, wear my face mask, put on my WFP gilet and go to work, I feel a shot of adrenaline which fills me with optimism and energy.
“Without the shadow of a doubt, this is my passion: working in a team to carry out all tasks relating to the import, export, packaging, storage, transport and efficient management of the warehouse to stock both food and non-food items.
“One of my biggest professional achievements as a humanitarian was to be able to do my job during the coronavirus pandemic, in spite of the risks of getting infected. My workdays at the warehouse would start early in the morning and ended at night, seven days a week.
“There was no other way to do it. With the help of volunteers, we managed to prepare 4,000 food parcels for people whose main sources of income was left in tatters by the pandemic.
“Working through the emergency was not easy, but when I remembered the state of extremity facing the families needing food assistance, I kept repeating one of my favourite phrases: Píquele… píquele pues (come on, quick).
“I was blessed to begin working for WFP in El Salvador in 2008 and I have more than two decades of experience working in logistics and humanitarian assistance. I serve in other countries, too.
“In El Salvador it’s been hurricanes, earthquakes, droughts, flooding and volcanic eruptions; abroad, I have done emergency work in Colombia, Dominica, Paraguay, Peru and the Dominican Republic.
“To be honest, I thought I had seen every possible kind of emergency — before the COVID-19 pandemic arrived.
“Coronavirus required me to step up my efforts. The hardest thing was having to use personal protection equipment during long working days, especially as the temperatures in warehouses in our country are so high.
“But it was all worth it. I’ve got used to the warmth of the equipment. It’s all about overcoming fear, adapting, coming up with a new hygiene routine to protect yourself; and planning down to the tiniest detail. Humanitarian work is great and gratifying.
“It requires lots of passion, a sense of responsibility, efforts and great sacrifice. But it’s also rewarding in so many ways — knowing you are serving those who need it the most and perhaps leaving a legacy of service.
“At these times of global emergency, fear cannot stop us because there are thousands of people that need our efforts to have food on their table every day. I have no doubt that from my warehouse, and sometimes from the field, in my jeans, t-shirt, boots and face mask, I am doing my bit to save and change lives in El Salvador.”
