Polio vaccination campaign in Asadabad, Afghanistan.
Workforce testimonials
Asantesana Kamuyango
Technical Officer – Headquarters, Switzerland
When I was a young girl growing up in Malawi I saw first-hand the striking health disparities that lead to so many preventable deaths in mothers and their children. My awareness of these deep-rooted health inequalities prompted me to become a state-registered nurse and midwife. I remember relying on WHO’s Family planning global handbook in my job and would often think about how valuable an asset it is to have an organization dedicated to global health.
From the beginning of my career I have worked on the development and management of sexual and reproductive health programs, focusing on the reduction of child marriage and adolescent pregnancy in Malawi. I’ve led teams of mobile clinic service providers, community facilitators for demand creation, community based distributor agents, peer educators and community volunteers.
Today I am a technical officer for contraception and fertility care at WHO headquarters in Geneva. I joined through the Young Professionals Programme for least developed countries, which gave me the opportunity to sit at the table with other professionals who work to develop knowledge for the global good. I synthesize knowledge and contribute to the development of standards and guidelines in contraception and fertility care. I have conducted multi-country research studies focused on evaluating the influence of social structural and national family planning programs on contraceptive use. My work with WHO has taken me on a journey to develop my skills and deepened my understanding of the global health space.
Our team recently launched the latest version of the Family planning global handbook, and I had the privilege to lead the launch of this work at the international conference on family planning. Working with other experts to disseminate this important document made me remember the early days of my career, and how that book was both an essential guide to my work and a source of aspiration for where life could take me. It is such a beautiful transition from being a user of knowledge to an expert working with WHO to create knowledge that can help others around the world.
Tuan Nghia Ton
Technical Officer – Viet Nam Country Office
I am a Technical Officer in WHO’s Environmental Health team for the WHO Viet Nam country office. I am happy to work with WHO today, but I didn’t set out on this path. I enjoyed the sciences at school and went on to complete a chemical engineering degree. This led to a job in atomic energy research, which I found to be a rather isolated environment. My father motivated me to think more about the value of my work, rather than simply aiming for the highest qualification and then hoping I would find a purpose. I took a fellowship opportunity in India so I could branch into environmental solid waste management, as this was clearly an area for development. When I returned to Viet Nam, the government was in the process of normalizing relations with the US, and I was surprised to be accepted on a scholarship there to further my environmental science studies.
During my master's degree, I not only learnt about waste management, environmental impact and policy development, but I also noted the regard for evidence-based studies and the many WHO linkages to sanitation and water borne diseases, and many other environmental related health issues. I was well qualified and inspired when I got back to Viet Nam, but it was not easy to find work in this specialized area at the time. Eventually I found a Danish bilateral environmental project where I could apply my knowledge and was engaged in a multifaceted environmental project in a steel and tea production town north of Hanoi. I gained experience in waste management, air pollution and many aspects of occupational health. My focus moved further towards the management of environmental problems and their health impacts on the Vietnamese population. At the end of this project, I applied to work in various international organizations. I felt that after my reorientation, further studies and my specific experience, it was pure fate that my application to WHO was successful. It was as though everything had been leading to this.
Today I work with water suppliers and the government to support the development of the water safety plan. This is part of a WHO global project, and the implementation guidelines, which manage risks in the whole production process of drinking water, have already been successfully implemented in several cities in Viet Nam. The outcomes in reducing water borne diseases are clear. It will take a long time to implement the project across the entire country, but we are on the right road and seeing results. I’m proud of Viet Nam’s progress in water and waste management to date and of WHO’s involvement.
I find it inspiring to be part of these global WHO projects and I’ve been involved in others like the water sanitation and hygiene practices projects, which have been rolled out in a growing number of health care facilities. As we look at the effects of climate change, I’m looking forward to progressing this project and improving conditions in healthcare facilities across the country. I’m also grateful to be part of WHO’s transformation into a more diverse workforce and really feel I have a place to contribute to WHO’s mission.
Hala Habib
Communications Officer – Lebanon Country Office
My name is Hala Habib. While I was growing up in Nigeria, I remember clearly hearing and seeing reports about the terrible injustices of the apartheid system in South Africa. Even as young as 11 years old, I wanted to reach out and help those who were discriminated against in their own country. As I grew older, I realized that there were elements of apartheid around me in my own country. In Nigeria I saw firsthand how impoverished local people were treated harshly and unfairly by a minority of privileged expats. There were few repercussions for their cruel actions and like in South Africa it just did not seem right to me. This spurred my interest in humanitarian work and in the rights that we all have. From then on, I wanted to be part of a movement to improve human rights. I simply never saw myself working in any other field.
Today I am a Communications Officer in the WHO Lebanon Country Office. I think of myself as “the right to health office megaphone”! I love working with people in communities and feel I have a sacred role to deliver clear messages in order to further WHO’s mission to serve the vulnerable and change lives. The current COVID-19 pandemic is accompanied by a misinformation pandemic, and fighting it is just as urgent as the vaccine. I believe that one of our biggest communications achievements here in Lebanon, has been staying ahead of the misinformation about COVID-19 and other diseases. We have used every channel available to us to provide information and avoid panic in an already anxious population.
Our team has achieved many successes here, from our key role in the recovery efforts after the 2020 Beirut blast to being part of the drive to vaccinate children against polio. I am proud to be part of the team that work relentlessly to make sure no one is left behind. Everyone, no matter their status, color, religion, or sexual orientation, can in their small way, contribute to global public health communications and thus save lives.
Priya Pathak
Technical Officer – Headquarters, Switzerland
I trained as a medical doctor in Nepal and worked for three years in paediatrics, starting in the country’s only children’s hospital. With limited resources and ever-growing need, we would often use WHO documents to guide our work, drawing on experts who at the time felt a million miles away. This work was extremely gratifying, but I soon came to realize that I could make a bigger difference by working in public health. There I could contribute to preventing disease and promoting health at the population level. After completing a master’s degree in Thailand, I returned to Kathmandu and started teaching community medicine to medical undergraduates as a next step in my career. I also started working with international partners for non-communicable diseases in children in Nepal.
The perfect opportunity presented itself with the WHO Young Professionals Programme (YPP). Having recently commenced a position in the WHO Nepal Country Office, where I trained health workers and engaged with rural communities, the YPP became the avenue to extend my impact, prompting me to seize the chance to relocate to Geneva.
When I started working at WHO headquarters, I saw first-hand the huge amount of work that goes into creating WHO publications. Experts from around the world would collaborate on guidance that could then be made into policy at the country level. I had seen the impact in rural communities and now had an opportunity to contribute my own expertise.
The YPP programme provided me with opportunities that were once only distant dreams during my days as a medical doctor in Nepal. Today I’m an integral part of the team that works to control neglected topical diseases (NTDs), which are often found amongst the poorest billion people of the world in the most remote communities. I’ve travelled to six African countries, contribute to 13 different working groups, and recently organized the first-ever global conference on skin NTDs.
Somewhere along this transformative journey, my perspective shifted from an individual focus to a collective "we." Instead of contemplating the impact of my work in isolation, I now consider the collective efforts of the entire WHO family in aiding people worldwide. It is an extraordinary experience to be part of a community that genuinely makes a meaningful difference.
Maline Tuon
Assistant to WHO Representative – Cambodia Country Office
I am the eldest daughter in our family and grew up in Krong Suong, Cambodia, where my father worked at a rubber plantation. My parents had lived difficult lives and I believed that with an education, I would be able to support them better. I studied accounting and finance at university in Phnom Penh, and after my master’s degree I stayed there to work in the accounts department. I was so grateful and learned so much that I felt guilty when I was caught updating my CV. I wanted to do more and thought that the most secure jobs may be in the finance industry. However, two opportunities were offered to me and I had to choose between a bank and WHO Cambodia.
I’m so glad that I made the choice to work for a humanitarian organization. I joined WHO in 2006 to support the Preparedness Surveillance and Response team. I was excited to work with dedicated experts who served the Cambodian people in emergencies. My job was varied and involved logistics and travel support, human resources and budget planning, donor agreements and workplan management. They were an amazing team that prepared for and responded to many emergencies including outbreaks of swine flu, H1N1 and Zika. I was progressing in my career using my finance skills and I learned how to implement programme support using WHO financial rules.
In 2018, I applied for a promotion to a very different job to work as assistant to the Cambodian WHO Representative. My new supervisor was especially supportive, and I quickly learned to coordinate with our team leaders and communicate with the government and partners. During the COVID-19 pandemic the WHO Regional Office Emergency Director joined our office as the new WHO Representative. We had worked together in emergencies and I was ready to do everything possible to support her leadership in Cambodia on convening partnerships, technical cooperation, administration and management, and communication protocols. I really love what I do every day at WHO and am now even prouder to be a WHO staff member and to serve my people and my country.
Maria Intan Josi
Health Research Assistant – Indonesia Country Office.
My aunt was a nurse and a spiritual person, and she often went to help with the responses to natural disasters, including Aceh, Indonesia, after the 2004 tsunami. Her eyes would always sparkle with joy when she helped people and I used to wonder how such selfless acts could bring her so much strength and happiness. I would be a few years into my career before I understood.
My extended family comes from a rural area of Indonesia, and I had the opportunity to attend university for pharmacy studies. My first job was in capacity building and research, and I noticed that while conducting small scale research posed some challenges, I found it quite interesting. I moved to a government/NGO collaboration that specialized in infectious disease research and this really opened my eyes to working in public health. Indonesia has a heavy burden of disease, and these same diseases affect people in many parts of the world. I may not deal with patients directly since I work with data, but to see them suffer in the hospitals I visited really touched me. I started imagining how research tools could be improved, and how research contributes to health systems.
I came across WHO during my master’s degree in pharmacy studies and used their guidelines while working on clinical trials, but to find a job with the Organization seemed as far away as the stars at the time. I recalled during a field trial seeing holes in the data gathering tools for tuberculosis diagnostics, which could have led to the wrong treatments and waste. I kept wondering what an entire health organization could do to solve these issues and if I could be a part of it.
I joined the WHO Indonesia country office health systems team in 2020 to facilitate the creation of a database to gather COVID-19 research for the Indonesian government. However, there is also a longer-term project goal to build consensus on the use of evidence to make informed policy, which will support the role of research in building health systems. My team gives me clear guidance, and I am looking forward to having more direct interaction with them when the pandemic allows. I feel I have found a place where I can learn and grow, and WHO has motivated me to consider another master’s degree, this time in public health. I can contribute to this area of work, and in an organization like WHO it means I can have a lasting impact on the lives of so many people. I hope that one day in the future I’ll have the same sparkle in my eye as my aunt did when she talked about her life.
Vinoda Vythelingam
Health Promotion Officer – Mauritius Country Office
I have always been inspired by my mother’s dedication, determination and courage. I have had many opportunities because of her hard work and promised myself since childhood that I would devote myself to serving others and my family have supported my choices. My happiness relies on the happiness of others. Today I continue to keep my promise working in the non-communicable diseases and health promotion team for the WHO Country Office in Mauritius, an important area of WHO’s mission.
After studying psychology, English and French and working in private industry, I started working as a health educator with the Ministry of Health. One of my first jobs involved creating awareness and promoting health in the community, workplaces and schools. I used to be an introverted person and had to work hard to resolve this, but the goal of helping the community and promoting health motivated me. I joined the WHO Country Office in 2017 and I’m still promoting health and working to reduce the non-communicable disease risk factors such as an unhealthy diet, alcohol, tobacco and physical inactivity.
I was glad to reconnect with my colleagues in the government on a project to empower schools to promote the theme "better health and better future" through health clubs. The children shared their ideas on healthy lifestyles, for example offering herbal drinks instead of soft drinks during the National Independence Day celebration and encouraging their family and friends to practice physical activities. They were really engaged, and it made me proud to contribute to positive change in my country to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases. It is also what motivates me as a life-long learner as I further my communication studies.
Recently, we have been involved in the national COVID-19 awareness campaign, which focuses on transmission prevention measures. As a small team, we pull together during challenging projects, for example implementing the prioritized risk communication and community engagement activities needed to control COVID-19. It was inspiring to be part of such a dedicated team, all working towards a common goal.
It is a great privilege and gives me a sense of patriotism to work for the WHO Mauritius Country Office. I'm proud to be able to better serve my country and contribute to the health of the population.
Mahmoud Sabra
Logistics Assistant – Lebanon Country Office
My mother was always the inspiration behind my choice to help others, especially after my father's stroke at only 34 years old. This was a changing point in my family’s lives and we realized the importance of healthy living. This is the reason I aimed my personal and professional goals at contributing to improving health in our own communities.
I’m a logistics assistant with the WHO Lebanon Country office. Logistics are a key part of programme delivery. There’s a huge amount of work that happens between when plans are created and budgeted in the office and when they are executed in the field. The planned goals cannot be met without the hard work of an experienced logistics team. If logistics are handled well, our work is nearly invisible. We are often out in the community, meeting people, making connections, solving problems and working behind the scenes.
I played basketball for more than 20 years. In each game we had 40 minutes to win and had to be present, focused and we had to forget about anything outside the court. It was all about teamwork and executing what we learned during practice. That focus and energy is paramount in my work, especially during emergencies. After the devastating 2020 port explosion in Beirut, we needed to work as a team. I worked to receive, count, sort and distribute donations and supplies to the hospitals from the airport and to move the the government’s medical warehouse after it was damaged in the blast. We all had to handle a lot of pressure and give everything we could to help our community. When I was young, I watched a movie called Annapolis and one line has always stayed with me: "Before you achieve, you must believe." I believe my work makes a real contribution to improving health in our own communities. Through WHO, I strive to make the world a better place. I believe that real wealth is measured by the health of our communities.
Mierette Goma Mboungou Née Mieret
Receptionist – Regional Office for Africa
I grew up in Nkayi in the Republic of Congo. My father worked hard as an engineer and I inherited his strong work ethic. I was competitive at school and tried to do better than the boys in my class. I’m also the eldest of 6 children and I’ve always encouraged my siblings and their children to study hard. Since my childhood, I’ve looked around me and seen apathy and struggle, and I always knew that I wanted to have a meaningful life in a public organization that would make a difference in my country.
After school, I continued my studies in computer science and telecommunications and with this diploma I found my first UN contract as a radio operator in UNDSS in 2003. I helped train other operators and documented our processes to improve performance and enjoyed this work, knowing it was about ensuring the security of our personnel and their families. I gained a lot of experience during that time, but I wanted to find a more secure contract. I continued studying and completed training in accounting.
Today I work for WHO African Regional Office in Brazzaville. I receive visitors, provide information for students and researchers and orient library visitors. It’s a large office and I am the receptionist; I like that I know and work with everyone. I feel I contribute to the Organization’s goals when I give all my energy to my work. I’ve also gained an understanding of WHO administration and meeting organization through contracts with the WHO sexual and reproductive health and the child health units, which were both interesting experiences that gave me a useful skillset.
I see WHO’s work all around me in the community and it makes me proud to contribute to this mission. One small example was how WHO guidance for 6 months of exclusive breast feeding was turned to policy in our government, communicated to hospitals, doctors and midwives, and on to the mothers themselves. My own sister followed this policy and her new baby has grown strong and healthy. These successes are the result of so many people working for WHO’s mission, and I love that I get to be a part of it.
Moreblessing Moyo
Programme Management Officer – Viet Nam Country Office
I grew up in a large family in Zimbabwe. Watching my mother’s daily struggle and quiet determination to raise us gave me the desire to help others. Suffering the loss of a sibling meant I’ve always dreamed of building something to help the many vulnerable children that were around me, and I continue to work towards that goal. I also understood that I needed to prioritize taking the pressure off my parents and pull my own career forward to something meaningful.
While working in various jobs, I got myself through university doing night school and found a position with WHO in Harare and later in Brazzaville. I had short-term general service contracts in finance for the disease prevention team and I’m glad I didn’t give up after Harare. I learnt about administering programmes using WHO’s in-house systems and financial rules and how to operate during an emergency. I volunteered and deployed to support finance operations in the context of WHO’s emergency response framework. My deployments and support included the Ebola outbreak in west Africa, the South Sudan conflict and operational management in Mozambique and Tanzania. I remember that my family questioned my choice of deployment destinations, but I trusted in the UN security protocols and felt that each position gave me valuable experiences, skills and competencies in the field, all of which enabled me to grow professionally and led to an opportunity in another UN agency in Chad. I’m grateful for these experiences as they gave me the confidence to know that my work makes a real difference in the world.
I transferred back to WHO because I wanted to contribute further to our mandate. I had contributed to part of the WHO transformation agenda from the Regional Office for Africa before successfully applying to my current role in the Viet Nam Country Office as a Programme Management Officer. During the COVID-19 pandemic I am ensuring our emergency framework can be fully funded and implemented and our programmes meet with the government’s expectations as the situation changes from week to week. My experience working with staff from diverse backgrounds in different country settings and in various administrative roles adds value in our team. The office staff here are hardworking and motivated and I continue to learn so much from them. As the year draws to a close, I am now fully involved in the country office planning, implementation monitoring and evaluation and the reporting for the biennium. It’s exciting work that brings health into focus across so many areas and ministries. I feel I am on an exciting journey, but I’m exactly where I need to be today. Ultimately, I am supporting WHO’s mission and feel that I have room to progress and continue to grow wherever I go.
Lucia Dell Amura
Administrative Associate – Regional Office for Europe
Growing up in a small town in southern Italy, I have always had a strong sense of community. There’s an understanding in my town that everyone matters and that common needs can only be met by working together. I knew as a child that I wanted to be in a bigger universe with the same soul, one that respects the individual and the team. I care about people, and I am happiest when I work with, and through, the people around me. I studied political science but didn’t find my calling in international politics, so I promised myself that I would find a job in an organization that cares about people. I had no idea that this feeling would lead me to a career with WHO, but it was a welcome surprise.
The idea of working for an organization that serves the vulnerable, that aspires to goals such as universal health coverage, is priceless to me. I see health as a fundamental right for every human being, without distinction of race, religion, political belief, wealth or social status. Everyone should have the opportunity to live a healthy life and have access to health care without financial hardship. I've seen too many loved ones suffering from diseases that could have been treated or avoided. I want to contribute to building a better, healthier future for people all over the world.
My job is incredibly rewarding. As the Administrative Associate for the Division of Country Health Policies and Systems, I ensure the smooth operations of our work. When I supported a meeting to galvanize commitment at the highest levels of leadership for public health preparedness in our region, I could not have imagined the COVID-19 pandemic or the timely importance of those efforts, but being part of the engine behind such critical work meant feeling connected to something much bigger than myself.
I embrace WHO’s principles and ideas, and I am proud to work for such a noble cause. It is extremely motivating to work for an organization that combats diseases, prepares for and intervenes in emergencies, and brings nations together to further the attainment of the universal health coverage.
Sergey Diorditsa
WHO Representative – Mongolia Country Office
It may sound strange, but my inspiration to follow a medical career came from a movie; an unlikely source perhaps, but the film showed me a doctor’s place in the world and the impact they have on people’s lives. That simple insight broadened my mind and motivated me to study harder. In medical school, I began to dream of travelling the world researching tropical diseases. I soon discovered that the Institute of Medical Parasitology in Moscow was researching malaria in Central Asia and so my career in public health began.
Over my career I have held positions in many countries, including consultancies with WHO in Ethiopia to Uzbekistan and on reflection, this added to the thrill of working in my chosen field. I enjoy the challenge of planning and implementing public health strategies, particularly in so many different country settings – and I still love to travel.
Today I’m the WHO representative in Mongolia and I’ve worked with some of the leading experts in the world on vaccine preventable disease elimination and eradication. If I hadn’t found the unusual speciality of tropical diseases, I may not have completed a PhD in virology or studied English to work with the CDC who deployed me to Ethiopia where I worked with WHO on polio eradication. My career with WHO started as a consultant, took me to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, to Bangladesh as Medical officer on immunization programme and on to Mongolia.
I’ve learned that public health is not a surgical operation; it requires time and patience to succeed and seeing the results is the greatest reward. It’s exciting to feel that our work has so much positive effect. Of all my experiences, I am most proud of our efforts implementing a measles campaign in Bangladesh that ultimately vaccinated 35 million children. It was an amazing effort and a reminder that as a WHO officer, we make an impact every single day. Not bad when you think it all started with a movie!
Mina Brajovic
Head of WHO office – Montenegro Country Office
My father was a lawyer as I grew up, and what I saw in his work shaped me from an early age. I learned to value integrity, defend the vulnerable and fight for justice. Those values still inspire me, and they drove me to dedicate my life to protecting the rights of others.
I began by studying law at the University of Montenegro and the University of Cambridge. Later I obtained a PhD from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ljubljana.
Those roots launched me on a challenging and stimulating career. I have worked in both law and politics, and as a legal advisor in the private sector. I also managed a World Bank programme on health sector reform and co-authored one of the first laws on free access to information held by public authorities. Today I am head of the WHO Country Office for Montenegro.
Joining WHO may seem like a sharp change from working in law, but I believe these worlds share common goals. Just as a lawyer advocates for the rights of others, WHO helps people exercise the most fundamental of human rights: the right to health. I believe that no one should be left behind in our societies, and I continue to be motivated to serve the world’s most vulnerable.
I perform my role as Head of WHO office with pleasure and pride because I know that I am following my father’s footsteps and living my dream. Each day I rise to the challenges of my position, shifting between technical areas and different teams of people, all equally driven. This diversity and ambition are at the heart of what it means for me to be a part of WHO. With every action I take, I am living my passion. Here, I am home.
Martin Dohlsten
Technical Officer – Malawi Country Office
I’ve always been very curious about places different from where I grew up. I had the privilege of being a professional footballer until I was 24 and my teammates were from all over the world. I was fascinated by their stories and where they came from. When I left football and began to build another career, I knew I wanted to incorporate my personal ambitions with my professional ones and work in some of those countries.
Public health appealed to me on several levels and I pursued bachelor’s degrees in public health and global development and a master’s degree in infectious disease control. After that, I was ready for my first adventure! I began in Sierra Leone and later worked with NGOs in Rwanda and Mali before moving back to Sweden to work in public health system strengthening. The experience with small scale projects and working to improve national health systems was a great way to understand the full scope of public health, from policy and guidelines development to implementation. This led to an opportunity to apply for a junior professional officer (JPO) position with WHO in Malawi. My wife and I jumped at the challenge of another country level experience and haven’t looked back since.
I may not have had a typical start to a public health career, but I have been open to gaining experience in a variety of national settings. This was always one of the keys to my work life balance, and it helps me to provide effective support in any country I find myself. Through these adventures, I’ve learned that every member of a team has something different to bring to the table, from technical and national government expertise to a broad understanding of the cultural contexts in the places we work. This has given me a way to influence and contribute to public health goals, and love WHO for embracing that diversity. Choosing public health has given me all that I was hoping for since I decided to hang up my football boots.
Teresa Zakaria
Health Emergency Officer – Headquarters, Switzerland
I was in my second year of medical school when our campus became the centre of growing social unrest in my country. Students provided medical support, and while I didn’t fully appreciate it back then, I had been exposed to my first large-scale medical emergency situation.
That experience made me remember reading a book about the Red Cross movement and hearing about MSF’s work on the local news as a child. Those stories inspired my project for a 5th grade class assignment at school, where I wrote about medicine and health as a basic human right. Being a female from a conservative culture in a developing nation, joining an organization like that seemed out of reach at the time, but I never stopped working toward my goal.
After medical school I worked with an NGO as a physician in a remote, rural area. Most patients there suffered from the poor nutrition and living conditions prevalent in their communities. These were problems that a clinician could only treat as they occurred, and I realized that I could make a wider and more sustainable impact by focusing on improvements in public health policies. I knew I could contribute to saving more lives through public health responses than I could by treating people in the emergency room. More specifically, I could see first-hand the connection between politics and health care, policy and practice, and decided I wanted to work in emergency situations at the public health level.
Working for WHO came naturally from there, especially when I learned about the WHO Health Emergencies Programme. It’s been 4 years now, and I love being part of a team with so much expertise and experience. Learning from my colleagues and contributing to our projects has been so fulfilling. More than anything, it’s taught me that everyone has a role to play to improve health. Whether it’s helping your neighbours to enjoy healthier lives or responding to a global public health emergency, everyone has a responsibility to contribute, and we all benefit when we work together.
Rajesh Pandav
WHO Representative – Nepal Country Office
Public health has always been my passion and I knew from a young age that I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives. It led me to study public health and to spend my career working to improve health outcomes around the world.
After leading the country programme in Timor-Leste since 2015, I recently took on a new challenge to become the WHO Representative to Nepal. It also marks an exciting anniversary, having worked with WHO now for over 15 years.
It can be challenging work, with competing priorities, relationships to manage and the need to be able to respond to any situation, from a disease outbreak to a logistical problem. However, it is also incredibly satisfying. My wife and I love to travel, and I am always delighted when we are in a country and see the influence of WHO’s work. For example, it was wonderful to witness the impact of immunization in children in the remotest areas of Timor-Leste.
WHO is a large organization but it maintains a personal touch, especially when identifying the successes of its staff. I was humbled to receive the 2016 Director-General’s Award for Excellence for my work with collaborative health programs, and proud of my team when the Timor-Leste Country Office received the same honour in 2019 for our work with the Walk the Talk Initiative to promote physical activity.
In many ways WHO is like a large family. We are united by the challenges of our work but also by its rewards. We share the knowledge that we are contributing to something bigger; something that can improve the lives of people around the world. This is my greatest motivation and the reason I continue to be proud to be a part of WHO.
Sahar Roshangar
Human Resources Officer – Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean
My name is Sahar Roshangar. I am from Afghanistan, a country that ranks among the least favourable for gender equality. The literacy rate for women is among the lowest in the world. I knew from a young age that I was fortunate to grow up in an educated and open-minded family. My father decided to move us to somewhere his daughters could all study, and that changed everything. My parents held down three jobs to provide for us.
Although my return to Afghanistan found few opportunities for women, my education gave me options. I began in the UN at the national level, which lead to a Health Sector Resiliency project to support our own Ministry of Health. Daily life was difficult and dangerous, but I applied my father’s work ethic and learned a lot about public health and its impact on people’s lives.
Eventually, with my aim set on public health, I joined the UN Volunteer programme to gain international experience. Just as my parents had done years before, I then moved my family to join WHO in a safer environment where I could still pursue resiliency in the public health sector. Today, I work in the Polio Eradication Programme in Amman, and I feel privileged and happy to support such an impactful WHO initiative.
Working with WHO in dynamic and international settings with a multicultural workforce and opportunities for professional development motivated me in my career. Working fulltime and raising my child isn’t easy, but I have found WHO provides enough flexibility for a work-life balance, and the job has been incredibly rewarding. I love knowing that I am a member of the WHO family and can make a real difference in people’s lives. I’ve come a long way and broken many barriers, and I’m proud to be able to live my family’s values in my work with WHO.
Nuhu Yaqub
Technical Officer – Regional Office for Africa
My name is Nuhu Yaqub Jr., and I am from Nigeria. I have been passionate about health and its links to development since medical school. I leapt at the chance at joining WHO because of the clarity of its mission, the ability to work with high levels of governments to shape health programmes and the skills I would learn from working with so many experienced and talented people around the world. Since joining WHO I have worked in a variety of programme areas, including HIV, adolescent health, women and children’s health, outbreak response and recovery, and health planning in various countries in Africa, Asia and Europe. Working with WHO gives you these unique opportunities.
I joined WHO in 2012 through the Junior Professional Officer Programme at the headquarters in Geneva, and later worked in the WHO country offices in Tanzania and Sierra Leone. Today I am based in the WHO Regional Office for Africa, where my work involves the design and implementation of programmes, policies and strategies to improve the performance of health systems for maternal, newborn and child health services in low- and middle-income countries.
There have been many memorable moments in my time with WHO but the most satisfying was in Sierra Leone in the aftermath of the Ebola outbreak. I learned so much from the nurses there, who work so hard in the most challenging conditions. The team I worked with was able to collaborate with them to implement a programme to improve the quality of care children received while in hospital. Together with our partners, we successfully reduced the number of child deaths.
Having the chance to collaborate with the leading experts in health care around the world has helped me to develop a wealth of knowledge and expertise and knowing I can make a real difference in people’s lives is incredibly rewarding. This is the true value of WHO and why I am proud to be a part of it.
Maria “Masha” Greenblat
Languages Coordinator – Regional Office for Europe
Languages have always been my passion. Being a daughter of two language professionals, I grew up with the sound of typewriters, surrounded by dictionaries and manuscripts. After studying history at university, my career soon moved to professional translation. It was a dream come true to begin working with the WHO Regional Office for Europe as a Russian translator, and later as the Languages Coordinator.
I am passionate about multilingualism and believe that language helps to define our identity. Despite being multilingual myself, my native Russian allows me to express myself to the fullest, and knowing this drives me to help others by contributing to multilingualism within WHO. I consider this one of my most important missions as a professional. For me, leaving no one behind means speaking and writing in the languages of the Member States WHO represents.
When I was working as a freelancer, the translator’s job seemed lonely. In contrast, providing language services with WHO is very much a group effort. Today I am proud to manage a team of a top-notch professionals and wonderful colleagues.
I consider myself very privileged to be working for WHO with wonderful people in support of a good cause. It’s so satisfying after a long and busy day to close my computer and know I have contributed to something important.
I am Masha Greenblat. I am a translator, proudly international and a citizen of both the Russian Federation and the United States of America. I am WHO, and I love my job.
Title of WHO staff and officials reflects their respective position at the time the testimonial was provided.
Reja Sarkis
Administration Services Officer – Headquarters, Switzerland
I was born in Lebanon and grew up there during the first part of the civil war. It was a difficult time. Fortunately, we were surrounded by people working for various local and international organizations providing all kinds of support to refugees, injured people and families who had lost everything. I was too young to participate but always remembered those aid workers, who became an important influence in my future career choice.
In 1995 I heard about the United Nations Volunteers Programme and decided to give it a try by applying for a job in logistics. I didn’t know much about the UN in general, but I was young and looking for adventure. When I was accepted, I was sent to Haiti as part of the UN peacekeeping operation, and later continued my work in Croatia. That was certainly an adventure! I learned so much about the world and about my own aspirations; I found I was as proud as the work was rewarding.
After nearly three years in peacekeeping operations, I decided it would be a good time to put down the suitcases, get married and have a family. My UNV experience was the entry door to the UN family. Over the years, I have gained more skills while always working with a diverse cross section of motivated and talented people from all walks of life. From an initial general service post I now hold a professional post in logistics, making a satisfying full circle.
It has now been 25 years since my first assignment in Haiti, but it seems like no time has passed at all. I continue to be proud to work for WHO, an organization whose staff are committed, today more than ever, to promoting health and serving the world’s most vulnerable.
Title of WHO staff and officials reflects their respective position at the time the testimonial was provided.
Ryoko Takahashi
Technical Officer – Indonesia Country Office
My career in WHO, eight years on and off, began with an internship. With an understanding that a career in public health would be multifaceted and a keen interest to having a well-rounded experience, I set out to gain diverse experience in multilateral, bilateral, public, nongovernmental and private settings covering global, regional, national and local levels. In my pursuit to enrich my career in evidence-informed practice and policy, I wanted an internship at a global multilateral organization, and this experience ended up being an unexpected career milestone.
I was given an opportunity to undertake a social inequity analysis examining HIV infections in urban areas in 23 countries and was able to contribute the findings to a global report on health inequities in urban settings. This was an incredible opportunity for an intern, but the bigger gain was understanding first hand that WHO is not just about crunching numbers and creating global guidelines; it’s also about having the best interest in the countries it serves and supporting them to make the informed public health decisions by offering a robust and reliable body of evidence and technical support, with no agenda other than public health.
I’m in an evolving career path in the field of public health. In WHO, I have now worked at the global, regional and country levels. I have had the privilege of working in a team of experts on health governance, education, law, environment, emergency, infectious diseases and more using WHO’s unique platform to convene, persuade, advise, coordinate and catalyze evidence-informed public health policies.
Title of WHO staff and officials reflects their respective position at the time the testimonial was provided.
