“The work was challenging, inspiring and action-packed”
WFP’s Ihab shares why Syria means so much to him, the moments that have challenged him and why he’s proud to be a humanitarian
At the World Food Programme, all 20,000 staff members have a story; of the challenges they face, of risking their lives and of taking huge leaps into the unknown in countries far from home.
Egyptian Ihab Serageldine spent the last seven years working as a Security Officer in WFP Syria and is the longest serving international staff member in Syria. As he prepares for his next role with WFP Somalia, Ihab looks back on his time working on the frontlines during an intense period of conflict, displacement and during one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Ihab’s time in Syria was focused on one goal — to keep his colleagues safe so they can make sure that families can receive lifesaving humanitarian assistance.
With an uncanny ability to remember dates, to stay calm under pressure and a genuine affection for the country he has seen change forever, Ihab shares his story and his hopes for the future of Syria.
Life on the frontlines
“I joined WFP Syria in July 2014, it was the peak of the conflict that had started in 2011. I had been a police officer for 22 years in Egypt and was the commander of the anti-terrorism battalion for seven years. While working with the police I served four peacekeeping missions to some of the world’s most challenging places. I was on the top floor of a building in Haiti when the earthquake struck and also served in Kosovo and Congo.”
“When I got to a point in my career where I was most probably going to face routine work for the rest of my life, I decided to join the United Nations.”
“I arrived in Syria on a Wednesday and I’ll always remember this. The beginning was horrible. The security measures were very high. Restrictions were everywhere. It was very hard.”
“Three weeks after arriving I went to Aleppo and on our way back to Damascus, non-state armed groups suddenly started shooting at our convoy of two armoured vehicles with machine guns. I told the driver to speed up and get us to safety. Both vehicles recieved many bullets, but we were lucky. It took seven months to repair the second car, but I was grateful nobody was hurt. That was all that mattered.”
“When this happened, it took just seconds, but I thought about a few things at once. I was thinking about the staff and how to protect them, about the weapons that were being used and I was thinking about my family. What would happen to them if something happened to me? I had mixed feelings and emotions, but I had to focus on one thing above all — to get all of us to safety.”
“That was my first month in Syria and the work was challenging, inspiring and action-packed for the next seven years.”
It felt like mission impossible
“I had never been to Syria before and what I saw on the ground at the beginning was heart-breaking. I found people in need, a lot of families who lost one, two, three members. I found some people who had nothing to eat and so many people who were dedicated to helping these families.”
“The first time I was in Homs I met one of WFP’s partner organisations. My colleagues were pushing to distribute food to families who were living in red and black areas. This meant they were off-limits for security reasons, but staff still wanted to go there; they knew that families were in desperate need.”
“If a truck carrying food ever had a small accident, at the time we really suffered. They were carrying life for the Syrian people. Every bag of rice meant so much back then, and it still does today.”
“This time was really hard for everyone. Syria’s future wasn’t clear, and we never knew what was coming. We didn’t think about tomorrow, we could only focus on how we could help people today.”
“During my first few years in Syria the conflict was at its peak. Every day new areas were experiencing clashes and the number of people who needed our help kept on increasing. For us every day felt like mission impossible.”
Responding to humanitarian needs in Aleppo
“I moved to Qamishli in 2015 and stayed there for two and a half years and then I moved to Aleppo, where I lived for the remainder of my time in Syria. I was very attached to Aleppo.”
“Moving there was like being thrown in the water and having to swim. When I arrived the four year siege had recently ended and 35,000 people left the city to move to the northwest. It was a time of complete change, and it was change we could see. This hadn’t happened to me before.”
“This was a very important time because places that were extremely dangerous became accessible. For the first time in years, we could go everywhere to help people in great need. I could see how our colleagues immediately made plans to help people. I was grateful during these four years for the support of the Syrian Security colleagues. They made our work possible and stepped up to ensure we could keep everyone safe during years of instability.”
Working towards future without hunger
“Looking back on my time in Syria I’m most proud that I could be a cog in the big machine to deliver lifesaving food. I felt happy to see needy people getting help because of the work of the team and the progress of the organization to try to reach those hard areas. This, I’m really proud of.”
“If you spend one month with some people, if you are about to leave you miss them. So now you have to compare with seven years of your life. Egypt and Syria have similar habits, behaviors and cultures. So, it’s like leaving my people, so it’s really hard. At the end we have to move, we cannot stay endlessly. Every story must come to an end, including my own in Syria.”
“After many years in Syria, I would say that humanitarian work is a noble job and honestly at the end of the day all know we have done something important. This is an opportunity given by God for you to help others. You shouldn’t miss it.”
“In Syria people are thinking about how they will eat and how to survive. When they don’t have to think about these things anymore, they can think about their futures, and how they will rebuild their country. This is what we are all working towards.”
“In the future I think that Syria will be a strong country. I saw Syria when it was weak, and I can see that it’s improving. Maybe the steps forward are not so quick. After the last 11 years it won’t be so easy. If we weren’t talking about another country, I’d say that if it would be completely devastated.”
“I leave looking forward to spending time with my family, joining a new WFP operation in Somalia and filled with hope for the future of Syria.”
Read more about WFP’s work in Syria.
