On the ground and behind the scenes, female humanitarian workers are at the core of humanitarian sector with 40% of workers in the industry worldwide being female. The challenges women around the world face related to work in general are evident: salary gaps, gender-based discriminations… However, female humanitarian workers face specific challenges related to the uniqueness of their job: cultural dynamics, vulnerable community engagement, instability, risks, stress and more.
MOAS is an international humanitarian service provider, and we often highlight frontline members of our teams in the field, most recently featuring several of the women leading our medical teams on the frontlines of the war in Ukraine. However, today, we want to spotlight members of our staff here in HQ in Malta.
Alina, Financial Officer
Alina joined us few years ago as a financial officer. She came on board to focus specifically on MOAS’ programming in Ukraine, for which she is the focal point for the finance team.
Alina is Ukrainian and she shared how she feels about the importance of her work: “I’m one link in the chain between Malta and my country but I hope I do an important job. Working with MOAS now gives me the opportunity to do something to contribute, being so far from Ukraine, and to somehow to help my country.”
In her opinion, “Women are more attentive to details and responsible”.
Being aware of how hard it can be to work in this field, something she wishes for people to understand is that: “women working in humanitarian or emergency-related fields have big kind hearts and they are so much brave”.
Christina, Director of Operations and Fundraising
Christina is part of MOAS Malta since 2015, when she started as a volunteer developing her position over time. Her whole career is focused on the Humanitarian and Development sector: leading her to work in several countries, including Cambodia, Madagascar, Ukraine and Bangladesh.
With years of experience, she shared a key moment recently when she was moved by the work being done by MOAS: “When I recently visited our evacuation program in Ukraine, I was honoured to be invited to join one of our teams during a critical care transport. The patient we were evacuating had been hit by a drone strike on the front lines and was in critical condition (…). As I conducted my small tasks in support of the team I was deeply moved by how much this strong, fit and brave man resembled my own partner. (…) That man is just one of the 81,000 people we’ve evacuated from the front line in the last four years, each one with their own family and loved ones waiting for them back home, hoping for their safe return.”.
Alessia, Fundraising and Communication Team
Alessia is a bright young woman who is starting out a career in the humanitarian field. With a Master Degree in Global Refugee Studies, she joined MOAS in October, thanks to the ESC program, in search for a new experience. Her contribution was initially focused on fundraising, but through her work with other departments she has had to learn how to adapt and to be flexible; now contributing to tasks across fundraising, communications and project development.
Alessia has been working in international environments for quite a while, believing the work to be bother personally and professionally enriching. She particularly interested in the benefits of working in a multicultural environment and the lessons to be learned from a diverse professional community.
Reflecting on her experiences working in the reception centres in Malta, she shared a memory of a moment when she knew her work was impactful: “I remember one student, who didn’t know how to read and write. In the span of a couple of months, I saw him slowly transforming and after two months I discovered that he could in fact speak basic English. In that moment I realised that teaching English was about creating a safe space for those we work with.”
Silvia, Communication and Education Team
A graduate in Migration, Cooperation and Development, Silvia is part of our Communication Department. Alongside this work, Silvia has been keen to participate in activities at the local reception centres, where she manages the homework club, literacy classes and more.
Her main motivation to join MOAS was to learn what it means to work behind the scenes for an international humanitarian organization, and to understand how complex logistical operations are funded and managed at an administrative level.
Silvia is empathetic and sensitive, which she uses as tools when coping with the sensitive or challenging topics MOAS deals with, and the people she meets through our activities. Being involved in projects in Reception Centres, she shared something important for her: “Thanks to my knowledge of Arabic and my passion for teaching, I manage our English Classes. However, my job is not only to teach but to be a safe space for students to open up, hence I try to be a reference point for them. I am 25 years old, and most of our students are older than me, so I sometimes ask myself: how can I be a reference point for adults with traumatic backgrounds, who went through war, discrimination, violence, being this young myself? But then I remember the people I met these past years: they all taught me something. I understand that I can support them, and I am capable of doing it well”.
Camilla, Communication Department
Insightful and caring, Camilla is an essential part of our HQ Communications Department: she takes care of shaping and managing our communication strategy, and she creates media content for our social platforms in an engaging and accessible way.
In addition to her work with MOAS Malta, she has been involved in the humanitarian sector for almost three years; she cherishes working in international environments, saying that: “(…) different cultures create a natural space for dialogue, learning and connection” and that “Cultural differences remind us that there isn’t just one way of doing things”.
Camilla strongly believes in women’s solidarity, always showing support for and encouraging those around her. She is aware of the challenges women face nowadays, but her perspective is always that there is space for change. One thing she wishes people understood about women working in the humanitarian field is that: “(..) women are incredibly strong. They can navigate sensitive situations with resilience (…)”.
Camilla’s motivation to keep looking forward, even on harder days, is that: “I believe everyone has a mission, and mine, coming from a place of privilege, is to help create safe, inclusive environments for people from different backgrounds. Remembering that keeps me going”.
Final Thoughts
These stories we highlighted are only few examples of how women contribute to the humanitarian sector in different ways daily. On the ground or behind the scenes, their impact is essential and should not be threatened by stigmas or stereotypes related to women in general.
At MOAS, women play a vital role in shaping our work and our impact. From operations and finance to communications, education, and fundraising, their dedication, resilience, and empathy are present in every project we carry out.
Your support can make a difference. Please consider donating to help us continue our missions and save lives. Visit www.moas.eu/donate to contribute. For more updates on our work, follow us on social media, sign up for our newsletter, or contact us at [email protected].
Disclaimer: “Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.”