unicef

Paul Molinaro has been the Regional Chief of Supply and Logistics at UNICEF Middle East and North Africa for the past three years. He has previously worked with UNICEF country offices, Supply Division and other UN agencies. 

Clara Barona de Ayerbe, Chief of Communication for Development, UNICEF Angola

After 25 years with UNICEF in Colombia, Bolivia and Angola, Clara has just retired. Before returning to her native Colombia, she spent the last eight years of her career at the UNICEF office in Luanda.

Tell us a bit about your background.

I am Colombian, born in Cali, a city located southwest of the country where I lived until I was 8.  My family then relocated to the capital Bogotá. I grew-up there, graduated from high school and studied Social Communication Sciences with a focus in film and communication for development in the Universidad de Bogotá, Jorge Tadeo Lozano. Afterwards I did my post-graduate studies in Organizational Communication Management in the Universidad de la Sabana, also in Bogotá.

What do you do?

In my 25 years at UNICEF, I have worked in all areas of communications, external and internal, communication for development (C4D) and communication for fund-raising.

What’s your working day like?

A day full of many activities and commitments, team meetings, counterpart meetings, field visits, revision of documents and materials. At the end of the day, I mostly focus on revision, planning, responding to emails and adjusting my agenda for the following days.

How would you describe your job to a 5-year-old?

If I am in Angola I will ask: Do you remember the messages and songs about polio, the Estrellita Kuia (Little Star Kuia)? Well, that is me behind those messages. I love helping children and that is why I do this!

What did you want to be when you were a child?

I wanted to be a doctor or a nurse to help children!

How and when did you join UNICEF?

A friend from University who worked for UNICEF encouraged me to apply to a Communication post at UNICEF Colombia. I started working on the 1st of July 1991 as Assistant Officer in Communication and Information.

What are the most satisfying parts of your job?

Being in contact with people, with women and their children, presenting them the messages and explaining to them how to enhance their children’s health, nutrition and development. Listening to them to understand their views and knowledge.

What’s the most challenging aspect of your job?

Constantly developing new communication strategies for UNICEF programs, with a creative and scientific approach: Communication for Development implies the use of investigation as the fundamental tool to gather evidence that will allow the construction of creative messages, thanks to all the information gathered in each of the audiences that are evaluated and later monitored for changes and results.

What’s your best UNICEF experience/memory?

20 years ago, I worked in the design and implementation of the Communication and Social Mobilization Strategy called Mandato de los Niños por la Paz (The Children’s Mandate for Peace), where almost 4 million children from the regions most-affected by armed conflict were mobilized by UNICEF and Colombia’s Registry Office. In this occasion, children and adolescents raised their voices to speak about the priority of peace, respect for their lives and the necessity to achieve a negotiated peace. These voices are still heard and that must be taken into account in the ongoing peace talks with the guerrilla.

What’s one of the biggest risks you’ve ever taken in your life?  

From 1997 to 2000, I participated in several humanitarian missions in armed conflict areas of Colombia to rescue children and adolescents from guerrillas that had forcefully retained them in very tense moments between these groups and paramilitary forces.

What are your passions? How do you spend your free time?  

Definitively my passion is communication, media, movies, TV, radio and now social networks!

In my free time, I love watching movies, historical series and sharing a nice meal or lunch with friends and family.

What advice would you give others who are seeking a similar job as yours?

Believe in UNICEF’s mission, research and never stop learning. Communication is an area that requires perseverance, discipline, investigation and also lots of creativity! 

Who do you look towards for inspiration?  

Amélia Russo de Sá, Deputy Representative, UNICEF Angola.

After 6 years as Deputy Representative in Angola, Amélia is leaving the UNICEF office in Luanda to start her new post as Senior Advisor for Communication for Development (C4D) in Child Protection in the East and South Africa Regional Office in Nairobi, Kenya.  

Tell us a bit about your background. 

I was born in the north of Mozambique, in a province close to Malawi. My parents were Portuguese functionaries and I lived in several of the provinces of the country during my childhood and adolescence because of my parents’ work. In 1973 I started Arts university in Maputo and completed 3 years. When independence from Portugal came, I decided to remain in Mozambique and participate in the construction of the new nation. I started working in the Ministry of Education, as a teacher. Later, I integrated a division that was responsible for the preparation of the first school-books after the independence. At the age of 22, I was the responsible for the national training of Portuguese teachers for the first two years of secondary school. It had been enriching, very interesting and very challenging for a young person. In 1985, I got a scholarship to go to France and finished there a Master degree in socio-linguistics. When I came back to Mozambique, I was appointed the dean of the Faculty of Arts of the High Institute for Teachers‘ training. In 1991, I joined UNICEF.

What do you do?

I’ve been Deputy Representative in three countries in different regions of Africa in the last 13 years. My background and my experiences in UNICEF as National Professional helped me to act as Deputy for a long period. I find this position is one of the most difficult to perform and, at the same time, the most interesting and enriching at country office level. At least it is my preferred one, as it offers you a global and in-depth knowledge of Programmes, a good knowledge of Operation issues and Human Resources management, which provides a very good background in supporting the Representative, in leading with section chiefs, in bringing new perspectives… and a platform to interact with colleagues and promoting new talents.

How would you describe your job to a 5-year-old?

My work is to help a group of people that knows things about education of children, child’s health and child protection to get better organized and to do something good for the children, in particular the poorest, together with the Governments and other adults.  

What did you want to be when you were a child?

I wanted to be a teacher, which in fact I was. I wanted also to be a lawyer when I was adolescent, which I never was (however, I have 3 people in my family working in Law.) And I also wanted to be a dancer, which I never succeed to be (but I love dance and I believe I do it well!). 

How/when did you join UNICEF?

I joined UNICEF 25 years ago, in 1991, as a National Officer in Mozambique for a project on Health Education. Because of my background, I also worked on Education Section, and later as Child Protection and Communication for Development. I knew I wanted to be International staff and I applied for several positions, and for some time when I was going to give up, I was accepted for a post in Niger, followed by Chad, Tunisia and Angola. And now, I’m moving to the East and South Africa Regional Office for another assignment.

What are the most satisfying parts of your job?

To build a team, with all the challenges this involves. It is very satisfying to get to a point that you feel the team is with you, that the same vision is shared, and all work together despite the differences. Also, it’s very satisfying when we reach the results we planned for.

What’s the most challenging aspect of your job?

For a Deputy Representative it is really crucial to have a good working relationship with the Head of the Office, and share the same strategic vision. When this is not there, it’s very challenging and makes working life difficult and tense. Other challenging aspect of my job is to be able to find a good balance between the need to go for results and performance indicators; and the need to work with good processes. I mean, you can reach some results, but if the process is poor, for me it’s not good. You can also have a very good process and not reach those results, which is not the ideal… Reaching the balance is challenging.

What’s your best UNICEF experience/memory?

There are so many, it’s difficult to select one. There is one that will remain with me forever as something extraordinary. It happened in a village in the center of Mozambique. I was working in the Child Protection and Communication section and, together with a Health colleague, we were there for a mission. One day we were approached by a group of people that were seeking our help. A newborn’s mother had died during delivery and the family wasn’t allowing anyone to feed the baby as this was against tradition. Therefore, the baby was going to die. The baby’s father was not even consulted and he couldn’t say anything against this imposition. We decided to act immediately. We met with a teacher, who was also a priest and was very respected in the village. He came with us to see the family and we had a long discussion of 5 or 6 hours. With the help of this teacher, we were able to reach a consensus and an agreement on asking one woman of the same family to breastfeed the baby. The baby was saved. It was a unique experience for me and my colleague. We learned so much about social norms, about power in family, about community power. We went back to our office in the south full of joy and very proud of the achievement in name of UNICEF, and I remained forever touched by this fantastic story.

What are your passions? How do you spend your free time?

I love reading, dancing, theater… and in general everything related to art. After my retirement, I’ll try to learn some aquarelle painting. I love travelling, talking with people, and exchanging ideas with people.

What advice would you give others who are seeking a similar job as yours?

Be a team player, be creative, and be honest with other people and yourself! You have to like people and to interact with them. You have to be open to different opinions, but you have to be brave to know when you have to say “OK, I listened to you but this is my final decision”, because you have the final responsibility… Finding that balance is very important.

My colleagues don’t know that…

Jamilya Jusaeva, Operations Manager, UNICEF Kyrgyzstan

  Tell us a bit about your background. 

I am of Kyrgyz nationality, I was born in the green city of Frunze, which was renamed Bishkek after the collapse of the Soviet Union and Kyrgyzstan’s declaration of independence in 1991. I have two diplomas in the area of Linguistics and the Management of the Organization. I grew up in the Soviet era, and being an active member of the Soviet Young Pioneer Organization, I strongly believed in the unbreakable rules of equity, goodness, peace and equality that were the strong tools of the Soviet propaganda. I cried when Indira Gandhi was shot dead, and I strongly believed and I still do in the victory of good over evil.

What do you do?

In my current capacity of UNICEF Operations Manager in Kyrgyzstan, I am responsible for the management of the Bishkek Country Office and Osh Zone Office operations in the areas of HR management, risk management, finance/accounting, general administration, supply and ICT. Also, I have extensive experience in emergency duty stations, including my own country, due to the crisis that happened in 2010. I have experience in establishing new offices from the scratch. In 2012, I completed the First Line Responders (FLR) Training, resulting in the selection of the first emergency response team  in the CEE/CIS region.

What’s your working day like?

My working day varies from day to day, as it’s comprised of different activities due to the wide scope of roles and responsibilities assigned to my job functions. 

How would you describe your job to a 5-year-old?

My job is vital, useful, interesting, challenging, inspiring, result-oriented, progressive and extremely worthwhile in changing the lives of all children around the world.

What did you want to be when you were a child?

When I was a child, I wanted to become a teacher in a  primary school.

How/when did you join UNICEF?

I joined UNICEF Kyrgyzstan in September 2008 after my international work experience with UNDP in Kabul, Afghanistan and Juba, South Sudan.

What are the most satisfying parts of your job?

The most satisfying part of my job is to see and measure the concrete results achieved in support of children. “Operations to support Programme in the most effective and efficient way!” is my daily motto, which I always promote within the Operations section, which I am leading.

What’s the most challenging aspect of your job?

The most challenging aspect of my job is performing multiple and complex tasks at different levels. I could start the day drafting documents, continue with conducting training to our partner organizations, and end the day with reviewing the Supply Plan or chairing the Interview Panel.

What’s your best UNICEF experience/memory?

My best UNICEF experience and memory is related to the emergency that resulted from inter-ethnic clashes in the south of Kyrgyzstan back in 2010. I will never forget how UNICEF was one of the first UN agencies to respond to the emergency crisis. I will always remember the commitment, dedication and hard work the staff. That was real teamwork!

What’s one of the biggest risks you’ve ever taken in your life?  

It’s probably related to my great willingness to work at the emergency duty stations, travelling to the field to be useful in the most-needed area. I am very grateful that I had such an opportunity and experience in my life.

What are your passions? How do you spend your free time?

My passion is art. I enjoy spending my time in clay classes.

What advice would you give others who are seeking a similar job as yours?

Nothing is impossible! If you are passionate about helping others, being useful, taking risks and achieving greater results for children, this job is for you!  

Who do you look towards for inspiration?  

The process of observing how my grandson’s growing-up is a constant inspiration for me.

My colleagues don’t know that…..