My first experience with the United Nations was during a time of great conflict in my home country of Sudan. In January 2005, the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement had finally found common ground through the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Peace had been a distant dream for some time, and the effects of war had greatly devastated our land. When the United Nations came here in support of the Agreement, everything changed for me. They brought with them the peace that we had lost so long ago, and I was very excited. It was a historic moment that promised positive change, and I feel blessed to have witnessed it.

I greatly admired the United Nations, and wanted to give something back to an organization that had given me such hope. I had some professional experience from working as a secretary and other office jobs, and I thought the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) might find use for me. Much to my joy, I was hired as an Office Assistant in Khartoum, the capital city, which is where I work today.

Some of my daily tasks include assisting to the Office of Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General by ordering office supplies, arranging travel plans, and preparing meetings with other agencies and embassies. Although my position may not be very high up overall within the structure of the United Nations, I do feel, however, that the sum of my daily duties contributes overall to the creation of an effective working environment for the duty station. In Africa we have a saying: all parts of the body constitute the body, and each part is important in the making of the whole. This is how I view my position within the United Nations.

Besides the work I do for the duty station, I have several hobbies that engage me in my spare time. I enjoy singing a lot which I do in my church’s choir. I also enjoy cooking traditional African food, reading, and staying up-to-date with the world by surfing the web.

For anyone who wants to work for the United Nations, I would advise that to be successful you have to have the right motives and values. If you want a job simply to make money, then this is probably not the organization for you. The United Nations works to both save and change people’s lives; that ideal requires a lot of ethics and comes with a lot of responsibilities. I don’t work here for the money - I work here because I believe in the life-cherishing values of this Organization.