Sarah Gowty in Egypt.Sarah Gowty - Program Quality Coordinator, CARE Afghanistan
What first motivated you to work in humanitarian aid?
My parents were aid workers and our house was always full of conversations about aid, development and social justice. When I was 12 we moved to Thailand and over the next couple of years I was confronted by the poverty of Thai slums, taken into refugee camps on the Thai-Burma border, saw poorly resourced rural schools, and even visited the women's prison in Bangkok.
What was your journey from that moment to working with CARE today?
I went to an international school in Bangkok where students like me had no idea there was a slum next door, so I wrote an article for the school newspaper and we started a program where children from the slum would come across to the school and be provided with lunch and play.
When we returned to Australia I got involved in the school Amnesty Group and following the submission of an essay was selected as the first student from the ACT to attend the World Vision Youth Summit. Students from across Australia came to Canberra for a week and discussed issues of poverty, aid and development. After school and during university I lived, studied and worked in China and Thailand. In my last year at university I volunteered for CARE Australia and after I finished I was lucky that an entry level position became available as a program officer.
What is your role at CARE?
My current role is Program Quality Coordinator, Design and Development for CARE in Afghanistan. Essentially, I get to work with each of the different project and program teams to develop proposals, contribute to the design of programs, and build relationships with staff across the CARE world as well as our donors.
What has been your greatest moment/achievement through your work?
Every time a project or proposal I have been involved in is successful I get excited, as it means another step towards overcoming poverty and the challenges facing communities. One conversation that comes to mind is when I asked women involved in a savings and loans group in Malawi what participation in the group meant to them, and the answer was "we didn't go hungry during the 'hungry season' ''. Sometimes it's as straightforward as that.
What have you found most difficult/challenging?
Sometimes the problems seem so desperate - the current food crisis in East Africa; the maternal mortality statistics for Afghanistan; the impact of conflict - that it can seem overwhelming. I find gender-based violence particularly difficult. I feel that if I can be part of making one person's life better, that's something and it's a helpful thought when the problems seem so overwhelming.
Who is the most inspiring/memorable person that you've met?
One of the most inspiring people I've met (and there have been many!) is a lady in Jordan who runs a community-based organisation in a very poor part of Amman. Her name is Mrs Amal and she decided that it made sense for female-headed households to employ female painters instead of male painters, but when she tried to get funding for the training she was told 'no - it isn't possible'. Mrs Amal persisted, and the activity is now very successful.
I also met an amazing woman in Malawi who, despite the stigma of being identified as a person living with HIV/AIDS, disclosed her status to the community to advocate for the rights of and acceptance of people living with the virus. She created awareness of 'living positively' and helped to break down the stigma and misconceptions of the community - and the result of her incredible courage was greater understanding and acceptance of people living with HIV/AIDS.
What is the most surprising thing you have come across during a field visit?
One of the most bizarre experiences I've had is meeting a CARE Project Manager for the first time and being told my surname was the same as a man who used to work in his village 30 years ago. It turned out that he came from the same village my parents lived in for 5 years in remote north eastern Kenya (where I spent the first year of my life) and his brother worked on dad's project. I think there are two lessons to be learnt there; 1) it really is a very small world; and 2) as humanitarian workers, we may come and go from communities, but the work we do and the results of our projects are remembered for decades.
How many stamps are in your passport? And how many have you visited for work?
My passport is being processed for my new working visa so I can't count! I had to get a new one a couple of years ago because I ran out of pages. I do recall I have visas for Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Egypt, 3 for Afghanistan and at least 3 for Jordan as well as numerous transit stamps - all for work. I don't think there are any stamps in this passport that aren't for work!
What 5 things would you always take with you when you travel?
My iPod (so I can listen to music or an audio book at night even if there is no electricity), a tube of vegemite, travel pack of wet ones, medical kit (you never know when something will disagree with you) and a torch.
The theme for WHD 2011 is "people helping people" – what does this mean to you?
This is what it is all about. While the processes and procedures are important for ensuring we achieve the maximum impact, at the end of the day it is all about people working to make this world a better place for other people.
What would you like to achieve through your work in the future?
The purpose of this work is to do ourselves out of work - that is ultimately what I would like us to be achieving - a breakdown of all the barriers preventing individuals and communities overcoming poverty, address discrimination, reduce conflict and live empowered lives.
