Fast Approaching

It's almost exactly six months since I arrived back from my 4-month secondment to Kenya Children's Home in Nairobi. I was deeply affected by my experiences working with the children at the home and was inspired by their incredible ability to overcome the worst imaginable start to their young lives. The family atmosphere at the home allowed them to flourish and will hopefully give them opportunities that few Kenyan children have. I realised quickly that I could put my skills as a Chartered Accountant to use in developing countries to try to make a sustainable difference to the lives of vulnerable populations. Working for the benefit of the children was liberating. Suddenly, working for a Bank felt incredibly selfish and worthless. Seeing the children develop, even in the short time I was there, opened my eyes to a wider world and since I arrived back in Scotland in a cold, rainy November I have spent every spare moment looking for opportunities in humanitarian aid or international development.

After six long months of persevering, I have accepted a six-month contract with Johanniter International Assistance, a German aid agency. They run projects in South Darfur, Sudan, with the objective of delivering primary healthcare services to vulnerable populations in remote areas of South Darfur, which is unstable and lacks basic physical infrastructure. I will be working as Financial Controller/Project Coordinator with a very small team of ex-pat Germans supporting around 20 Sudanese staff.

It's not been a smooth road. I was initially offered the job back in early April. About a week later I received a call to tell me that the German Foreign Ministry, the main donor for the projects, was considering withdrawing their funding due to the security situation in the region. This was a reaction to the kidnapping of two French Aid workers in the area in April. Thankfully, a week later I received confirmation that the funding was in place and my contract could be prepared.

Therefore, last week I resigned from the Bank and I'm just waiting for my Sudanese visa to be issued (fingers crossed). I am due to fly to Berlin for a briefing on 10th June before flying on to Khartoum, Sudan on 16th June. I still have loads to do - I'm selling loads of my outdoor kit, my car and other household stuff that I just don't think I'll need for the next few years. My wordly possessions will now have to fit into two bags and weigh less than 40 kgs! It's incredibly exciting and terrifying in equal measure. But hopefully it will be the start of something special, both professionally and personally.