Saving Lives and Dignity in Crisis

[ALUMNI-INFO TEXT="Working in the development sector has always been a passion for Nikhila Gill, Head of School-Based Programmes, World Food Program (WFP), Sudan and Hana Uraidi, Chief, Relief and Social Services Programme, United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), Jordan. UNRWA provides humanitarian services to 5.7 million registered Palestine Refugees in the Levant area of whom 2.4 million reside in Jordan.

“Working with WFP is a source of immense joy and pride. I am consistently inspired at our capacity to deliver, even in the most challenging of circumstances,” says Nikhila, a graduate of the Master in Public Policy (MPP 2014). Hana, who graduated in 2021 from the Senior Fellowship in Public Service (SFPS) program wanted to be involved with the development sector since her undergraduate days in the UK. “I want to contribute to making the world a better place and enhancing the quality of life of people.”"][/ALUMNI-INFO]

Nikhila Gill (MPP 2014)

Nikhila who has been with the WFP for seven years explains that her role involves working primarily on three pillars: implementation of a school meals program, evidence-based programming focused on expanding knowledge products and data, and capacity support to the government in setting up and managing a national program. “Sudan continues to face challenges to its fragile transition to democracy. Just as things were settling back into a routine after the disruption of the academic year due to the 2019 revolution, the pandemic hit. Schools were closed for nine months. In an effort to continue supporting the communities, we switched our assistance from on-site meals to take-home rations. We had two objectives: continued food security for vulnerable families and stressing the importance of education through community messaging,” explains Nikhila, who previously worked as a journalist in India. She finds that, while working in the international development sector is incredibly rewarding, it comes with its share of sacrifices on the personal front.


Hana Uraidi (SF2)

Hana’s career has spanned 28 years, a decade of which was with Jordan’s specialized Enterprise Development Agency (JEDCO). She firmly believes that entrepreneurship is the backbone of any healthy economy and hopes once refugees meet their basic needs of shelter, food, education and health, they will be ready for entrepreneurship support and private sector development. However, her current work focuses on providing humanitarian assistance to eligible and registered Palestine refugees.

Over the years, UNRWA’s work has evolved from the provision of in-kind food-stuff assistance to cash and e-vouchers in 2016. “This transformation ensures the dignity of recipients of humanitarian assistance,” explains Hana. While the COVID-19 crisis acted as a multiplier of vulnerabilities, Hana says it urged her organization “to become more innovative, flexible, and agile in our day-to-day operations.” As someone who develops the strategy, supervises and manages a team of 110, Hana indeed has her hands full.

For Hana, the LKYSPP journey could not have come at a better time. She was a part of the second six-week SFPS program conducted in a hybrid manner in 2020-2021. “The content was interesting and timely. The SFPS colleagues, faculty and distinguished speakers were diverse. It was educational to speak to them, to share experiences. SFPS is well crafted to introduce senior leaders to what we need to be aware of: globalization, national governance, technology and innovation, law and impact on public administration, communication,” says Hana.

Talking about her MPP days, Nikhila counts sessions with Professor Kanti Bajpai and Professor Dennis Wichelns as “incredibly inspiring”. “Although completely unrelated in subject and style, both professors were open to the intellectual curiosity of the class and passionate about teaching! Studying with and learning from people with diverse backgrounds, being culturally sensitive and open to exploring new culinary experiences, dress, language, religion are critical aspects of having a career in international development and my LKYSPP years primed me for that,” she explains.

Hana and Nikhila both believe humanitarian aid is essential in crises as it contributes to the protection and facilitation of human rights. “It makes the world a better place, and difficulties faced by other humans more tolerable. It is ‘hope’ and ‘a gift’ to those in need wherever they are, letting them know and feel that they are not alone in their suffering and pain. Humanitarian aid is a chance to give back to humanity and is a noble cause and profession. I call on all LKYSPP alumni chapters across continents to be empathetic and responsive to the needs of Refugees, to stand in solidarity with them as it reflects a commitment to a human rights-based approach,” says Hana.

Nikhila’s advice for the alumni chapters is to keep a regularly updated directory of people working across the sector to facilitate contact. “We need to find ways to share experiences. A mentorship initiative is a great way to keep alumni invested in the school and highlight the work done by other alumni.”

LKYSPP-Advisory Alumni Mentorship Programme AY21/22

LKYSPP in partnership with Advisory, a youth-led organisation, will be launching the above alumni mentorship programme to students.  LKYSPP students can benefit from having alumni mentors to help them gain better understanding of themselves and the industry. Participating alumni mentors will come from 5 key sectors namely (1) International Development & Non-Profit Organisations, (2) United Nation Agencies, (3) Consulting, Government Affairs and other private sector (4) Technology & Internet and (5) Research, Think-tanks & Government.