Please could you tell us a little about yourself and your professional background?
I was born and raised in Yemen. When I was in high school, I knew that I wanted to continue my university studies abroad, which was a very lofty thing to dream in such a conservative culture. However, with the support of my parents, I was able to finish high school with a very high score which enabled me to get a scholarship to study in China. This was my first step to build my future. My experiences studying in China widened my horizons, allowed me to learn the Chinese language and meet different people from different cultures. I finalized my Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering and Computer Science and then returned home to Yemen where I worked with the Government of Yemen and continued my learning journey by studying subjects related to my major. After seven years, I joined a national NGO and worked with them on youth and women’s capacity building programmes for one year. I then joined OCHA Yemen in the information management field (IM) as an assistant, and after a couple of years, I was promoted to IM officer. Last year I started my new journey as an international staff with OCHA in Nigeria, where I now work as, Information Management Officer.
When and why did you choose to work for OCHA?
Coming from a country that suffers from a severe humanitarian crisis, I felt driven to use my career to help people in need. At the same time, I wanted to pursue my professional goals. I was able to contribute to my country and develop in my career when I started working with national NGOs in Yemen. This expanded my knowledge about humanitarian work and the role of international organizations and UN agencies, such as OCHA, in the humanitarian field. Since OCHA plays a key role in humanitarian coordination and depends on information to support better response, and because I had skills in this area, I was interested in joining OCHA.
What do you believe is/are the most important skills needed for a career in the international humanitarian field?
Before choosing a career in the international humanitarian field, you need to have a clear objective or goal for why you are choosing this path. This is very important so that when you face any obstacles, which you will indeed, you can remind yourself of why you are doing this so you can enjoy the work despite difficulties. One of the key skills to work on in the international humanitarian field is the ability to multi-task amidst the high pressures of work demands. International humanitarian work can sometimes be fast-paced, depending on the humanitarian environment. This means you will have to handle multiple tasks with varying requirements and deadlines. The ability to collaborate and work with others is another key skill to enable you to achieve the best result at your work. This means you need to allow people to lead and share credit for success. Another key skill is to be willing to receive feedback, which will help you to make progress on your own growth and become more successful.
What are the main benefits/challenges of working in the International humanitarian field?
By working in the international humanitarian field, you will become more able to adapt to different environments. You will learn how to work easily with others who have different personalities, cultural backgrounds and communication styles. You will also gain new qualifications and professional skills that will help you in your career. On the other hand, sometimes it might be difficult to balance between your personal life and your professional life, with conflicting demands at home and at work.
What according to you is the most effective way to address gender parity in the workplace?
I believe promoting gender equality in the workplace is one of the key ways to address gender parity and create an open-minded environment. Also, as women, we need to truly believe in the importance of this issue and our right to have equal opportunities.
Do you have a personal habit or trait that has been critical for your success?
I am open to accepting the challenges I face in my work or in learning new things and I never give up. With challenges, I push myself to learn more, achieve more and reach my goals. I also see my work as a learning process, and I try always to find something new to focus on so I can learn. I never limit myself only to the things I think I can do. Also, when I work on something, regardless if it is big or small, I always try not only to complete it on time but also to do it in the best way possible. So, the more I work on something, the better the results are. I also carefully listen to feedback either positive or negative. By being open to feedback, you can learn from your mistake and always grow and improve.
What decision accelerated your career the most?
My decision to take my career up to the next level from being a national staff working in my country with an international agency to apply to and become an international staff working in a different country.
What is the best piece of career advice you have ever received?
Focus on building your confidence and have the courage to lead.
We know that many of our audience would like to hear some advice on how to pursue a career with an international organization like OCHA,
do you have any good tips to share?
I would advise you to start off by building your capacity to exercise the skills needed by the Organization. You need to do your homework by learning about the different organizations in the humanitarian space, what their mandates are and what their work is about. You need to be sure that working in the humanitarian field is the career you want to pursue. Working within your own country can also be a good start to engage more with humanitarian work and be closer to more opportunities to work at international organizations.
This article is produced as a part of Impactpool's Gender Parity month-long campaign in March 2021, supported by OCHA. Curated to shed light on gender parity in the International Public Sector and empower women with career resources, job opportunities, and employee spotlights, and a unique virtual career fair. Register now #genderparity