In South Sudan, the WFP-led Logistics Cluster runs its largest and most complex operation, supporting the transportation needs for almost 20 humanitarian organizations by road, river and air. As the Deputy Head of the Logistics Cluster based in Juba, it was only natural for Aiedah to find her way here– she’s always been drawn to a challenge.
In 2008, Aiedah took up her first assignment with WFP, working in her come country of Ethiopia.
“I chose to work in logistics because I was passionate about the way one could help people in need, and this job offered the possibility for me to make a direct contribution,” Aiedah says. Dedicated, driven and passionate about logistics, she likes big machines and complex operations.
In South Sudan, her wish for a challenge is answered every day. Flooded roads for months on end and persistent insecurity are just a few obstacles. At the moment, for example, the rainy season is coming to an end, and this is great news for the team who have been mobilizing helicopters to airlift supplies for humanitarian partners. To help carry out this work, the Logistics Cluster recently received a dedicated Russian Mi-26 helicopter, contracted by WFP. Unfortunately it had mechanical problems a week later. A few weeks after that, a replacement arrived, but the helicopter was temporarily grounded due to fuel shortages.
Such challenges confront the logistics teams in South Sudan almost daily. Solving them is a team effort, Aiedah insists.
“My current team is one of the best I have worked with since I joined WFP. They are a pool of fantastic people,” she explains. In turn, the team can also rely on Aiedah’s experience. Previous assignments with WFP involved contracting, warehousing, fleet, port operations, setting up logistics hubs and negotiating access in Somalia region (Ogaden), Haiti, Pakistan, Yemen, Egypt, Sudan and Libya. She is also one of the only female truck fleet managers in all of WFP.
How then, does Aiedah explain what she does?
“To family, friends and children, I say they should think about Indiana Jones and Lara Croft,” she says. “Like them, I also navigate minefields and hop on helicopters, but while they hunt artefacts, I find solutions in a complex and insecure environment to try to save as many lives as possible.”
Originally posted at: https://www.wfp.org/logistics/blog/meet-humanitarian-indiana-jones