DUTY STATION: Afghanistan
POSITION: Civil society assistant

"Helping the needy in Ramadan"

Since childhood, Huma dreamed of working for war-affected and vulnerable people in Afghanistan, especially women. For that reason, she studied sociology, focusing on Afghan people.

Working with IOM in the Community Cohesion Initiative as a Civil Society Assistant, Huma develops ideas that encourage community cohesion. She appreciates that her work gives her the freedom to be creative in helping people.

The programme aims to strengthen ties between the Government and local communities, particularly in insecure areas. Huma coordinates the development of grants focusing on civil society (e.g. sports, education, infrastructure, training) in the northern Afghan provinces of Balkh, Samangan and Jawzjan. She works closely with local Governments.

Travelling to provinces and districts can be challenging, given the absence of women in the work force in the area. But Huma says her most rewarding work so far has been developing grants to help the most vulnerable people with food packages in the month of Ramadan. These packages will satisfy families’ needs for more than a month.

“Many of these families have not had enough food for months. This will be a great help to them.”