GENEVA, 19 August 2014 (ICMC) – “The world needs more humanitarian heroes.” This is the call of the 2014 World Humanitarian Day, which commemorates the 2003 bombings of the United Nations Headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq. It honors the efforts of all aid workers who support vulnerable people displaced by war, natural disasters and other emergencies.

This year, ICMC honors its humanitarian heroes in Pakistan.

Shahan Abbas, Project Manager

What do you do ?
I joined ICMC in 2010 and I am in charge of program development and of partnership management, ensuring timely and effective completion of project activities. I also spend a considerable time sorting out operational problems.

How did you become involved in this field of work? 
I started working with the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2001. It worked in different parts of Pakistan and met people in rural setting with limited access to basic services. The extreme poverty these people face inspired me to uplift these communities.

What is the most challenging part of your job?
It can be very challenging to resolve operational difficulties and coordinate with government departments with the limited resources of a NGO.

What is the most rewarding part of your work?
It is so gratifying to see hope in the eyes of vulnerable beneficiaries, especially widows and the disabled, as a result of our projects. What, in your opinion, is a humanitarian worker? A humanitarian worker is someone who serves humanity with patience.

Negris Ameer Khan, Case Manager

What do you do?
I am a Case Manager. My responsibilities include helping refugees and asylum seekers as well as providing community services related to health, livelihoods, shelter, psychosocial support, and protection of SGBV survivors.

How did you become involved in this field of work?
I joined development sector accidently in 1998 when I entered Punjab Rural Support Program (PRSP). Before then I knew nothing about the development sector or humanitarian work. My first field visit to a very rural area was very traumatizing. I decided to quit that day!

But something urged me to stay on for a week and actually see what humanitarian work was all about. That one week became 16 years. I am proud of what I have done.

The time flew by improving the quality of peoples’ lives, sharing their joys and sorrows, providing protection, working on rehabilitation, and becoming a mentor. The work was so gratifying; it did not give me time to think of anything else.

Working with communities in distress helped me understand the joy of giving and that the real success is to make a difference in other people’s life. This gives me strength and courage to move forward.

“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.” ― John Holmes

What is the most challenging part of your job?
We cannot reach refugees high expectations. Many refugees believe ICMC Pakistan can resettle them quickly, but we can only support them during their stay here, we are not involved in the resettlement process.

Most of the refugees have experienced traumas and their extreme vulnerability does not allow them to be patient. Sadly we have limited resources and cannot meet all their demands. It is so difficult to help them understand what can be done without hurting them in the process.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?
It is so rewarding to me to counsel a difficult case and then have the refugee leave feeling better. The trust they show humbles me.

What, in your opinion, is a humanitarian worker?
Humanitarian worker saves people’s lives with passion and empathy. They help people who do not have the resources to help themselves.

Mussarat Nawaz, Project Officer

What do you do?
I am a humanitarian worker. I serve communities in Pakistan and have travelled the length and breadth of my country to support neglected areas. My job responsibilities include researching and identifying the needs of communities regardless of gender, race, and religion.

I contact communities both directly and through our partners to truly understand problems and address them directly.I monitor projects from beginning to end and liaise with governments, INGOs, and stakeholders for effective coordination.

How did you become involved in this field of work?
I’ve always liked to manage things – ever since I was little. I was really interested in the environment and the connection between protecting natural resources and providing people with stable livelihoods.

In 1999, I attended seminar in a local hotel on human rights which explored the problems faced by Kashmiri refugees who were temporarily living in the city. After the discussion, the organization’s representative asked for volunteers to help create WASH facilities, to ensure that refugees had safe water supplies. Three people volunteered out of 100 participants; an old man, a women professor, and me.

The next day I started working with the group of vulnerable Kashmiri refugees. Together we discussed potential measures to manage the camp and prevent disease. The work gave me such a sense of internal satisfaction that I realized it was exactly what I wanted to do. I thank God for giving me the spirit, energy and wisdom to complete this task. I am also so grateful to my parents, friends and colleagues for their prayers, guidance, and support.

What is the most challenging part of your job?
Dealing with emergencies remains the most challenging part of my job – we have to reach suffering people despite limited resources and difficult working conditions. The pressure of responding quickly and on multiple fronts while also working with different personalities, communities and stakeholders can be very difficult.

What is the most rewarding part of your work?
At the end of day, it is so rewarding to see people in need smile and thank us for a job well done.

What, in your opinion, is a humanitarian worker?
A humanitarian worker is an ordinary individual with an extraordinary ability to work under pressure and respond to emergencies under hostile environments. Good humanitarian workers do not just hand out aid, but rather empower people by nurturing their skills and capacities.

Photo Credit: Negris works with participants wearing traditional Afghani costumes on World Refugee Day 2014.