Interview with Natthinee Rodraksa

Current employer: OCHA Myanmar Country Office (based in Rangoon)

Past employers:

1. Coordinating Office for the ASEAN Humanitarian Task Force for the Victims of Cyclone Nargis, Rangoon, Myanmar
2. UNICEF Pacific Office, Suva, Fiji (covering Vanuatu and Western Samoa)
3. UNICEF Thailand Country Office, Bangkok, Thailand
4. Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre, Bangkok, Thailand
5. Bangkok Post Newspaper, Bangkok, Thailand
   

QUESTIONS:

1. What first comes to your mind when you think of your years of study in the NOHA programme?

Friends and networking. The NOHA years allowed me to learn a lot from friends, particularly those with work experience, than what is in the textbooks. Being introduced to many well-known humanitarian scholars (through being forced to read many many articles through the course of NOHA!) has actually paid off positively as at times I have to refer to those academic articles/research, especially for advocacy purposes. Comparing notes based on work experience of my classmates was also an eye-opening exposure as you learn there are more similarities in this field of work than one would think regardless of the locations you are working in. Plus the friends you made during NOHA can also render help when needed once we are back in the game (meaning when we start working again), for example, in identifying external expertise (in case a consultancy is needed), exchanging lessons learned and, sometimes, solutions on similar projects/activities.

2. What skills have your acquired during the NOHA programme and which other skills would have you liked to acquire? How did you upgrade your skills and knowledge while in the field?

Hmm…this is the hardest question! I guess what I like about NOHA is the fact that the programme covers a broad range of issues, allowing us to get a quick glance on almost every aspect of humanitarian actions, from international laws to emergency medicines. Then you can decide which specific direction you want to go into, based on your interest or previous academic/professional background. If possible, perhaps some additional modules like coordination skills (including cluster coordination mechanism), information management (including assessment) and advocacy (including resource mobilization) can be included in the programme to broaden its coverage.

Most of my skills and knowledge have been obtained on the job (and learning from my colleagues and supervisors) and through reading and self-study. Learning is a continuous process and doesn’t stop just when you receive a NOHA degree!!!

3. What was your toughest learning experience, helping you to transition between theory and practice?

1. Facilitating the CERF (Central Emergency Response Fund) process! I’ve just experienced it the first time a month ago. It is particularly tough when the available resources are small while there are lots of competing humanitarian priorities. That means you have to be extremely focused and justify your prioritisation (which can be a very painful process!) In the meantime, the decision has to be based on inclusive consultations, with support from all partner organisations. I didn’t learn much about the CERF during NOHA…it was just mentioned in the papers we had to read, such as in ‘management’ and ‘geopolitics’ modules. When I resumed working again, I heard of it, but never got to ‘work’ on it myself. What helped me get through it was the support from the superiors and also self-study on the subject. I did it ok in the end, but feel that I still need to learn a lot more on the CERF, perhaps through CERF-specific training.

2. Getting stakeholders’ buy-in! Again, this wasn’t something we learned during NOHA, nor could it be taught in class. In work, there are lots of political elements (although there should be a clear separation between politics and humanitarian assistance. In reality, that dividing line is extremely thin!), and organisational egos and competitions that sometimes obstructs or delays some good initiatives. What helps are a lot of coffee appointment J, informal ‘chitchat’ and trust in your colleagues. It is commonly said that the real meetings and decisions are made outside the meeting room!!!!

4. What are the 2-3 top qualities you developed during your career or consider essential for any humanitarian worker to develop?

Flexibility, accountability and inclusiveness. Flexibility because things can change rapidly in both stable circumstances and particularly more in emergencies. If one is too rigid, s/he wouldn’t be able to cope with rapid changes.

Accountability because that’s a quality of utmost importance—accountable to the organisation, to the donors and most importantly, to the people you work with/for (Note: accountability is the quality that most media do not have as they are answerable to no one! I’m not bitter, but this is based on my observation! Inclusiveness as it’s a way to ensure accountability at all levels. Oh, one more thing, PATIENCE! You’ll need a lot of that as things are often not turning out the way you have planned. Make sure to keep your head cool in all circumstances!

5. When you think about your time as an aid worker, what are the best or strongest memories? Please elaborate on at least one of them.

So many good memories, for example:

• Seeing both direct and indirect impact (even the smallest) of your work on the people and how their lives are improved. In case of disaster, there is nothing more rewarding a feeling than seeing/knowing that affected population is able to get back on their feet again to rebuild what they have lost. Example: I arrived on the tsunami (2004) scene in Thailand 48 hours after, witnessing phenomenal damage and loss. I was fortunate enough to have a chance to continue working throughout emergency to recovery phase (2 years). During this time period, it was remarkable experiencing first hand people’s strength and optimism that expedited the speed of their social and economic recovery. There were many challenges in between, requiring ‘tests and trails’ and lots of adjustments though. Having said so, there are a lot of ‘down’ moments as well…I often feel a sense of helplessness as there are many other issues that need to be addressed quickly, but for some reasons (including funding constraints), they aren’t...there is nothing more heart-breaking than being ‘forced’ to stand idly watching a bad situation gone worse and you know something can be done to improve it, but you just cannot do it!!!!
• Meeting a lot of good-hearted, experienced individuals/professionals who are so passionate with and dedicated to their work. Having a chance to work with them is amazing and really helps boost my professional growth.

6. How have you dealt with stressful periods of time? What advice would you give to new graduates to last as a humanitarian worker?

• Support from friends & colleagues. Having good friends and colleagues is the best luck one could ever ask for!
• Physical exercise helps release work-related stress and takes your mind off whatever issues you are stressing out about. Sometimes I imagine the face of the person(s) who pissed you off on the ball I am hitting…this may sound sadistic, but it feels great!
• Try to keep work-life balance. Easier said than done, I know…but a few simple hobbies help.
• Involve yourself in some volunteer work. No financial returns, but it leaves you with this wonderful satisfying feeling.

7. Are there new issues that have emerged during your time in the humanitarian sector? How do you see the future of the humanitarian sector, e.g. in 5-10 years time?

• DRR! Emerging concept/theory (over the past decade, at least) and it’s here to stay!
• Private partnership (such as Corporate Social Responsibility-CSR) as corporate/private sector is becoming more and more involving and influential in humanitarian and development field. Minus the possible strings attached, it represents a HUGE source of resources that can be tapped into. Perhaps it’s not so much a case of some countries such as Myanmar, North Korea, Iraq, etc…but you can’t deny the emerging roles of private sector in humanitarian response in many countries in the world, particularly in the event of natural disasters. If regulated well, it has a lot of potential to become a permanent actor in both humanitarian and development sphere.
• Humanitarian sector continues to be more professional and accountable because more people, including public donors (not only ‘conventional’ government donors), are more aware of humanitarian work due to the media, especially the Internet. They want to see the worthiness of their dollars. In return, that applies pressure on humanitarian community to improve its professionalism and accountability.
• Humanitarian situations arising from ‘traditionally non-conflictable’ manmade causes (not only ‘natural’ causes, including natural disaster), for example, food price crisis, oil price crisis, which have impact on people’s everyday life.

8. Can you tell us about a country that has particularly marked you? Please elaborate on both professional and personal aspects.

Myanmar. For the first time in my professional life have I experienced working in a severely underfunded context mainly because of political reasons (USD 5.5 per capita in 2010. This figure shows a significant increase compared to that of the pre-cyclone Nargis time which merely stood at USD 4 per capita), resulting in challenges in strategic humanitarian targeting. Then you will face a dilemma as in how strategic is strategic and how your decision is justifiable. Working here for the past two years has triggered my questioning so many things and wondering if the plight of people really matters. Everyone is scouting around for fund which is extremely limited to begin with. Funding competition is particularly more aggressive under such circumstances.

Despite the setbacks, I’m so touched and astounded by the positiveness and courage of ordinary Myanmar people. To me, they are perhaps the nicest, friendliest and most honest people in the world…and this view is shared by many fellow expats who have worked and are working here. The hardship of Myanmar people is not readily reflected on the surface, but deeply rooted. I strongly hope one day people would have a chance to get what they truly deserve.

9. How often have you come across other NOHA graduates in the field or at work and what did you make out of it?

Not very often. I have randomly met at least three NOHA graduates in different capacities since my graduation in 2007—basically one a year perhaps, which can be considered as rare. Maybe this is because most NOHA graduates may have concentrated in particular part(s) of the world, say in Africa or the Middle East. Not so many in Asia and the isolated South Pacific.