United Nations employees sometimes get the opportunity to pioneer truly groundbreaking initiatives, like the one I am a part of now. I work at the first Peace Operations’ Regional Service Center, located in Entebbe, Uganda. The Regional Service Center is a new initiative spearheaded by the Department of Field Support that aims to consolidate the administrative and ‘back-office’ support functions –such as human resources, finance and information technology¬– of various African peace operations in one location. As United Nations staff we have to do what we do in the most economical and just way possible, and this project is an exciting step towards making our processes more efficient, so that we can focus on delivering results.

I am very proud to be a part of a project that has the potential to revolutionize the way we support peace operations. As an Administrative Officer, I contribute towards the Service Center by reporting on the progress of its different sections, drafting and finalizing legal documents and addressing staff’s training needs. I also review the workflow of the project and identify areas that we can improve upon, because there are always ways that we can get better as an organisation.

The United Nations is a place where learning never stops. You are constantly exposed to a kaleidoscope of people, ideas, worldviews and methods. This means that we are not only constantly improving our projects, but ourselves too. For example, the United Nations has provided me with training in project management, human resources management, competency-based selection and client service skills. Even with the best qualifications, we are all works in progress, and joining the United Nations is just the beginning of a continuous learning process that I will continue throughout my career here.

I am passionate about Africa and I am deeply interested in seeing this continent move forward. I am from the Caribbean, and of Sierra Leonean heritage, so I feel a special connection with Africa and its people, and the United Nations has given me the opportunity to work in a variety of countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique and now, Uganda. I also come from a family who has dedicated their professional lives to Africa. My father spent the last 40 years conducting research into water and food security in Sub-Saharan Africa, and my brother recently won the Caine Prize for African Literature. Working at the United Nations, I am following in their footsteps and helping to forge a more peaceful and secure future for the people of this great continent.

Outside of work, I also try to do things that embody the United Nations’ ideal of service, though in a very different and creative way. When I worked in the Democratic Republic of the Congo I organised a charity fashion event called ‘Kinshasa Cosmopolitan’ at a local bar. It brought together designers, business-people, philanthropists and socialites, to celebrate Kinshasa’s diversity and raise money for a struggling local orphanage.