Helping others is motivation to work as humanitarian

Jeosue (Joshua) Demba Coulibaly works for World Vision Mali as a Field Distribution Officer, and was profiled as part of the UN's Humanitarian Heroes. 

What does Humanitarianism mean to you in one word? Helping

Why did you become a humanitarian worker or volunteer?

I come from a region of the world that is very prone to drought and floods and when I was a child I experienced both of those things.  As a child I said if one day I can support and help populations, I will do it. It was a personal call.  Being a humanitarian provides me with the opportunity to exert all effort possible (physical and intellectual) to save lives and give hope to disaster-affected populations.

Every time I think about these women it gives me greater motivation to continue doing the job. 

What's the most rewarding part of your work? 

For me it is the fact that I am able to become a small link in helping people who are in deplorable conditions and to be able to see the joy in their eyes when they receive aid – especially children and women. It brings tears to my eyes. I am happy to be a helping link. They were in a bad situation and because of an intervention they are now able to be in a different situation and that is most rewarding.

What are some of the more challenging aspects of your work?

Since joining World Vision one of the most challenging aspects is staying in areas where they have very limited amenities. There are lots of mosquitos and not enough water or food. But because I am working with people who live in even worse conditions I can bare the challenging aspects.

Recently World Vision secured a World Food Programme grant for food and cash distribution and nutrition activities in an area where we did not have offices, so several of us moved there to carry out the work. It was a very under developed area and that was challenging. I was there for five months and left my fiancé, mum and sisters behind, who I missed greatly.

Tell us a little bit about the work you do.

As well as distributing assistance to beneficiaries, I receive food on our site and work with local people to see who needs it the most. I also teach people how to prepare the food that might not be known to them and teach them how to store it to keep it from roaches and rodents.  I also explain how to recognize malnutrition and administer first aid care.

What is the most memorable moment you’ve experienced during your work? 

Back in 2012 there was a big drought in Mali. I had just started work for World Vision and I was sent to a region to work on a cash assistance project. While I was there I met a group of women who told me that this money was a lifeline for them. They’d hardly had any rain so the women had not been able to harvest and they had depleted all their stocks. As their husbands had left to find work in the city, they had to fend for themselves. If they had not had access to this money to buy food there was going to be a lot of people who may not have survived the drought. The women were amazed when they received the aid - I could see the amazement in their eyes – that’s really rewarding. Every time I think about these women it gives me greater motivation to continue doing the job.