Associate Resettlement and Complementary Pathways Officer
Counseling a refugee on his resettlement case, Djabal camp, Gozbeida-Chad. © Ava-Devi Thancanamooto
“I will always remember and admire the resilience and the dignity of every gender-based violence survivor I have worked with.”
How would you describe your work?
I am currently based in Gozbeida, a town in southeastern Chad, just 70km away from West Darfur. My work involves conducting interviews with refugees who have been identified for resettlement[1]. I provide recommendations regarding the individual cases of refugees and their families and I work to advocate for their resettlement in host countries. In eastern Chad, we work mostly with the forcibly displaced from West Darfur. What touches me emotionally and motivates me is that most of these persons have lived their whole lives as refugees, inside refugee camps; and resettlement can have a huge impact on their lives.
What made you decide to become a humanitarian worker?
I have always been touched by people fleeing, what I would call in Greek “φευγιό”. This was maybe due to my family’s history, as my grandfather was a refugee from Asia Minor and the notion of displacement and losing one’s home has been always present in my family’s narrative. During my studies, I focused on human rights, refugee and humanitarian law. In parallel, during my internship at the NGO Greek Council for the Refugees and the Office of the UNHCR in Greece, more than 15 years ago, I realized that helping people forced to flee was the career pathway I wanted to follow.
Which is the greatest challenge you have faced working far from Greece?
Immersing yourself in the deep field, especially in an emergency context, is hard. You need to adjust to the simplest and the most complex things at the same time: from getting used to the local food or learning to live without hot water or electricity, to adjusting to the culture and the dynamics of the workplace. I think the biggest challenge is to learn to give time. Changes are not always easy, and I had to train myself to accept that I will have to go through a transition period, and that I need to be gentle to myself.
Counseling a refugee on her resettlement case, Djabal camp, Gozbeida-Chad. © Ava-Devi Thancanamooto
Please describe an experience you had working in the field, that you will never forget.
I will always remember and admire the resilience and the dignity of every gender-based violence survivor I have worked with. When I worked in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, I met a 29-year-old woman, sole caregiver of her son and nieces, and her disabled mother. She was a refugee from Eritrea, who had lived through a challenging life herself, being exposed to violence and exploitation. She had even been displaced within the country of asylum due to war, but she never stopped trying to secure a safe place for her family. The strength of this woman and the look in her eyes while she was sitting in front of me narrating her life, the story of this woman, but also the engagement with other refugees during my work, are things that keep me motivated.
What does solidarity mean to you and how could we foster it further?
Solidarity for me is supporting and helping with empathy and understanding. As a humanitarian worker, I try to work together with people forced to flee, with a view to support, assist and empower them, while respecting their dignity. So that their needs are addressed and their capacities and potential are strengthened. Humanitarian work is not charity. It takes integrity, compassion and substantial connection with the individuals and groups one works with. It also requires full commitment and respect to humanitarian principles and a code of conduct.
[1] Resettlement is the transfer of refugees from an asylum country to another State, that has agreed to admit them and ultimately grant them permanent residence.
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