Q: What is
a typical day
for a UN worker
in your field?
A: In Guinea,
you get up at
5, take a Guinean
convoy –
most of them weren’t
getting paid and
had all kinds
of weapons and
we had all kinds
of troubles. There
were about 20,000
people we had
to pull out. There
were these trucks
on the dirt roads,
five hours down,
jammed with babies,
pregnant women,
everybody. You
can never save
everybody, which
is a little bit
rough. We had
been doing this
for 7 days a week
for about 5 weeks.
There were 20
or 30 trucks,
and every time
you stop a convoy,
everybody gets
off to pee. Children
get lost, it gets
dark, and of course,
somebody drives
off the road and
they start bombarding
again. You have
to make sure every
truck has the
babies, the pregnant
women, the boys,
and have the military
on as well because
they’re
not pleased when
you leave without
them. Smoking
one cigarette,
and then realizing
you already have
one in the other
hand, and then
realizing it’s
your birthday
…
Q: What is
the most rewarding
aspect of working
for the UN?
A: Though UN work
involves great
risk, you get
into it. And you
get a high of
out of it. You
like the work
and it’s
really rewarding.
Sometimes it’s
very frustrating
– it’s
a lifestyle. If
you think you
can do just a
little bit, in
the peace process
or especially
in my case, with
children, and
advocate, take
your shoe an banging
it on the desk,
that’s the
high you get.
If you can get
a couple of those
kids out, it’s
wonderful.
Q: Can you
discuss some of
your experiences
from working with
kids?
A: Many are soldiers
or slaves. It
can be scary sometimes.
A lot of them
are taking drugs
or are forced
to take drugs.
And they’re
smart. A lot of
them can’t
read, but they
have street smarts
galore. One of
my favorite child
soldiers was 8.
His spinal column
was deformed.
His job was to
carry artillery
shells on his
head for about
150 kilometers
up a mountain
chain. His story
was particularly
airing because
we couldn’t
find anyone that
knew him, and
this is a big
problem with a
lot of these kids.
He used to give
me an incredibly
hard time –
in a good way.
He said, “It’s
your job; you
have to find out
where I come from.”
And we eventually
did find somebody.
Q: How has
your background
prepared you for
the risky tasks
you take on every
day?
A: I was 5 or
6, and I remember
running down through
the woods, which
I did every day.
I used to hop
right up the side
of the dam and
I looked around
when I sat down
and all around
me were snakes.
It’s the
only time in my
life that I have
ever frozen up,
surrounded by
long, black rat
snakes –
not poisonous,
but vicious. And
I don’t
know how I had
scaled up without
stepping on one.
It’s like
being in a minefield.
You don’t
know if they are
going to wake
up; they looked
perfectly happy,
but they were
very huge and
I was very small,
so I threw myself
in the water,
climbed on a rock,
and cried for
hours until my
mother came and
got me. And I’ve
been in similar
situations, but
I don’t
freeze up anymore.
And I tend not
to cry until later!
