Lived experience
Growing up in conflict-affected Uganda during the 1990s, Samuel’s lived experience sparked his passion for humanitarianism and gave him a deep understanding of the challenges faced by displaced communities.
‘There were different conflicts within the country [Uganda], including the Lord’s Resistance Army. Many of us grew up in internally displaced camps in our country,’ said Samuel.
‘I am responding to the critical need of people who need us during times of conflict. That’s why I’m so passionate and compassionate about what I’m doing when it comes to responding to the humanitarian crises.’
‘It is deep rooted into a desire to help those who are vulnerable, like me. I am vulnerable. You are vulnerable. Anybody can be vulnerable, because at any time – you can be a displaced person, you can be seeking refuge – depending on the situation, conflicts and circumstances of different countries,’ said Samuel.
'I am vulnerable. You are vulnerable. Anybody can be vulnerable, because at any time – you can be a displaced person, you can be seeking refuge – depending on the situation, conflicts and circumstances of different countries'
Safety in times of crisis
In humanitarian crises, people at-risk of marginalisation, such as women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities, are at risk of getting left behind. It’s humanitarian specialists, like Samuel, who support these programs and services to be relevant, safe and accessible to everybody’s needs.
‘When people are running to a community, they are those that are directly affected – the ones who are running away from a problem. But also, the host community who are receiving these people, they are also affected because they are now going to share resources,’ said Samuel.
‘Who are the most affected people? It is women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities. So, my role – in gender and protection – is to create a more equitable and secure environment for these people who are in crisis… and to work closely with all other institutions, partners and colleague to address issues, as a result of the displacement,’ said Samuel.
''Who are the most affected people? It is women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities.'
When it comes to gender and protection, there are many key considerations in designing effective programs and delivering essential services. Samuel and the Gender, Protection and Inclusion (GPI) team conducts gender analyses to identify gaps in services and to ensure that voices of people-at risk of marginalisation are heard and included in their design and delivery.
‘At the end of it, we see how do we address all these needs in our services to be a resilient program? What could be needed for distribution? Are all our outlets accessible, even for people with disabilities? All our outlet service and distribution points have got a safe space where women can respond to the needs of children; all our facilities have got washrooms and toilets, that are separated from male and female, and also people with disabilities. This is part of the “safety” we’re talking about,’ explained Samuel.
Humanitarian coordination
A fundamental part of Samuel’s role was the ability to work with local government and relevant organisations and partners. In Cox’s Bazar, there are a wide range of organisations and partners servicing around one million people across 33 camps. This can provide unique challenges for the local government who must approve the activities, but also present challenges to the UN and other organisations when communication, clarity and coordination is not always guaranteed.
‘Cox’s Bazar has got a big number of NGOs, and it also has the local government. All of these stakeholders are responsible for the Rohingya response. Sometimes there are delays in communications and coordination. It also brings in the duplication of services, where it also conflicts with other priorities,’ said Samuel.
‘So, how are we able to address this? It is through the continuous building of strong relationships with leadership and different stakeholders – including being a part of the coordination meetings that sits regularly, it could be monthly, quarterly. All of this helps us to check and regulate how partners work, how we work, how we get information, and of course, how we share our resources.’
Samuel also highlighted the importance of working with different local community stakeholders to help them understand the community’s needs, challenges and perspectives: ‘It could be community leaders, it could be the local group leaders, it could be the youth bringing out their issues… So, all these things, when you work with different actors, we’re going to identify the needs.’
One Voice
Through continuous advocacy, building relationships and, more recently, building the capacity of local government on issues related to safeguarding, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse, Samuel remarks that planning and coordination is a lot easier than how it used to be in the past.
‘The big thing that has built us, that has built me – is working hand-in-hand with the local structures, local community, local government,’ said Samuel.
‘The local government and institutions are able to understand: Why is it important to have these people’s rights? Why is it important for them to realise that this is a crisis? So, institutions like the Cox’s Bazar District Authority Ministry of Disaster Relief, has meant that the capacity of all these institutions has allowed us to coordinate things together… When it comes to advocacy, it’s very easy – because we speak one voice.’
Looking forward
Samuel’s humanitarian and international development career has so far spanned across Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Nigeria, Zambia, Syria and Iraq and now in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Despite the immense humanitarian challenges that he’s seen across different contexts, he holds hope for the people and communities he serves.
‘Let’s have hope. Let’s believe that this crisis will come to an end. And let’s continue to build the capacity of each other, for us to adapt and cope… Now is the time for us to look for ways of having more effective and sustainable people-centred way of responding to the needs of people, in order to create long-lasting change in the lives of people who have endured so much.’
Disclaimer: The information and views published here are the individual’s own and do not necessarily represent the partner organisation, Australia Assists or the Australian Government’s views, positions or opinions.