by Adham Effendi

25 November 2005

Barenta, Eritrea: It has been three years since I first joined the World Food Programme (WFP) – first not as a UN Volunteer. I still remember my first day at the WFP Country Office in Pakistan back in September 2002. I was soon exposed to various challenges, from opening a new office in Karachi to starting the new Drought Emergency Operations where WFP was responsible for delivering food from port to the mouth of the beneficiaries. After spending almost seven months there, I was posted to Quetta to supervise the Emergency Operations for drought-affected Afghan refugees in Balochistan Province.

My first supervisor with whom I worked very closely was head of sub-office Mr. Aslam in Hyderabad. Before that, he had twice served as a United Nations Volunteer. Sometimes, he would share with me his UNV experience and the challenges he faced as well as the satisfaction one gets at the end of the day. He was not the only one though. Other colleagues I met at one point also served as a UN Volunteer. Through their encounters I started to think that maybe I, too, should apply to be a UN Volunteer.

After one year, I received an email from UNV headquarters in Germany. It was to inquire whether I would be available to serve in Eritrea with WFP. I must say that was one of the happiest moments in my life. I replied immediately. All was set for me to leave Pakistan on 20 August 2004.

My trip to my new destination was full of surprises. My flight was supposed to be at 8 a.m. in the morning. However, due to bad weather it was delayed. By the time I reached Dubai, I had only 45 minutes to get my connection for Sana’a. After spending almost four hours at Sana’a airport, I happily reached Asmara, and Africa, for the first time. I soon found out, though, that my luggage had been left behind and, therefore, I was only left with the clothes I had been wearing since my departure. A WFP driver met me at the airport and took me to the hotel.

A few minutes later, head of programmes, Piet Vochten, came and introduced himself. He invited me for dinner and inquired about my journey. I told him that I had lost my entire luggage except for the clothes I was wearing. He took off his sweater and gave it to me as it was cold and I was in a t-shirt. The next day, I asked the driver to take me to the market so that I could buy some basic items like a shaving kit and some clothes in case I didn’t receive my luggage at all.

I spent the following day wandering around beautiful Asmara, enjoying the very pleasant local weather. Monday was around the corner and it was, finally, time to start working. I went to the office as it was just within walking distance. The head of the programme unit introduced me to all the staff members in the office. I was then given piles of paper to read and briefings with almost all the unit heads, which was very beneficial in order to understand the operations as well as the role and responsibilities of everybody.

The same day, I went to the UNV country office where I met with the UNV Programme Officer, Margherita Serafini, to settle administrative issues. At lunchtime, she introduced me to other UN Volunteers. That was definitely a nice welcome.

After almost 10 days in Asmara, I left the capital for my duty station, Barentu. Prior to coming to Eritrea, I had visited a number of websites but had not been able to find much information on Barentu, just a picture of a hut and a donkey in front of it with a caption saying, “It doesn’t matter what time one sleeps as s/he would wake up at 5 in the morning with mourn of donkeys.”

Upon arrival in Barentu, we were taken to the UNHCR guesthouse. That would become my housing accommodation for a couple of months until I found a place of my own. Initially, the days were quite tough for me, especially the food, as very limited choices were available. In addition, my cooking experience up that point was basically nonexistent and, as a result, I lost a lot of weight as one can see from the pictures. Now, I can at least cook for a couple of guests.

Back to my first day in Barentu, I had my first meeting with the staff of the Sub-Office. Right after that, we undertook a monitoring trip to Adi Keshi camp where I witnessed the displaced population. I immediately realized that the magnitude of the programmes was quite different from what I was used to in Pakistan. The following day, I was introduced to the concerned regional ministries and the governor’s office.

I soon started being in the field three to four days a week with other WFP colleagues from the office for monitoring purposes (i.e. General Feeding, School Feeding, Adult Literacy Programme, Therapeutic Feeding, Supplementary Feeding Programmes). Life is very basic during these trips: sleeping under the open sky, only using a mosquito net, sometimes no shower for three days, no toilets and limited choices of food. But over time I got used to it.

Over the past year, I have also been given the opportunity of visiting Kampala for Nutrition and Emergency Food Security Assessment trainings. This has been of immense help for me in order to implement my job in the desired manner, both in the office and in the field. When on the road with my colleagues, I always try to help and set certain standards for implementation of WFP programmes, assist the partners and develop their capacities if required.

When I look back, I realize this has been an excellent experience both personally and professionally. What I like the most is that I have been able to be close to the community, from whom I have learned a great deal. Eritreans are hard working, caring, trustworthy and honest people.

Furthermore, my colleagues have been very supportive. We are a very good team working together towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. I hope to continue doing so for a very long time.

Adham Effendi is a UN Volunteer from Pakistan working with the World Food Programme in Eritrea. He joined in August 2004.