I’m very excited to join Scottish Refugee Council as Head of Funding Development – admittedly a challenging role in the current economic environment.
However, in my short time here I’ve seen what an effective organisation Scottish Refugee Council is, and its commitment to uphold the rights of refugees and empower a particularly vulnerable group of people. This is something that I am proud to be part of and to promote.
A little about me
I’m joining Scottish Refugee Council after 15 years overseas – mainly in the Sudan and Uganda – where I worked for a number of humanitarian and development organisations.
Most recently I was the interim Country Director for Oxfam GB in Uganda where I worked on a range of issues from livelihoods, governance, women’s rights, and pastoralist rights.
A lot of my overseas experience is relevant to Scottish Refugee Council’s work; I often worked on refugee and internally displaced persons (IDP) programmes – including the huge displacement due to the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) conflict in Uganda, the post-election violence in Kenya, and in the last month a refugee influx into Uganda from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Return to the UK
I’m moving back to Scotland after all this time for personal reasons – my wife comes from Renfrewshire and we decided to give our kids a taste of the UK after years in Uganda.
I feel very privileged to have had the opportunities I’ve had to work overseas in this line of work. I’ve learned a lot from my time in Africa and been able to see things from a different perspective.
Lessons learned – inspire the future
Over the years there are a few key lessons I’ve learned that seem immediately relevant to my role as Head of Funding Development:
- the value of working in partnership;
- the need for quality in all aspects of our work;
- the need to recognise and build on the abilities and capacities of refugees – women and men, and as much as possible consult with and include them in the design and delivery of programmes and projects;
- the centrality of human rights in our work; and
- the always inspiring efforts by men, women and children to face immense challenges and do their best to overcome them.
I hope to use my experience and expertise to the benefit of Scottish Refugee Council’s work. I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues to support men, women and children to overcome the challenges they face as refugees in Scotland.
