Nigeria Wasini Toma
Have it in mind to always put a smile on people's faces.
Wasini Toma, who comes from the Askira-Uba area of Borno State, Nigeria, currently works as a site assistant at a camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Nigeria.
A former IDP, Wasini was inspired by her own experiences to take up her current career: “I was a victim of insurgency in 2014 and was displaced for over a year. I lost many family members to an insurgency attack – which inspired me to become a humanitarian worker.”
Following her primary and secondary education, she went on to earn a BSc in Microbiology and later an MSc in Veterinary Microbiology from the University of Maiduguri in Borno State. Her career in the humanitarian sector began when she volunteered for an Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN) – the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria – project. After that, she worked with Save the Children and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) before joining CTG as a Site Assistant.
A day on site
Wasini’s day-to-day work revolves around finding solutions to people’s needs and closing gaps to help them.
“I work in the camp, handling camp coordination and camp management. This involves coordinating meetings with different partners in the camp, meeting with community committees and attending to complaints via complaint and feedback mechanisms,” Wasini shares on her diverse tasks.
“I organise focus group discussions when the need arises, engage women via the women participation program, arrange sensitisation on hygiene promotion and awareness on service providers and referral pathways. I also do inspections of site infrastructures and make referrals.”
Her work is not without its challenges, though: “At times, you will receive a complaint from an IDP and then refer it – but you will get negative feedback, which means the case stays open,” explains Wasini. “I try to explain to the IDPs why that happens and look for other alternatives, but the lack of active partners in other sectoral activities in the camp makes the work very difficult. I try to do continuous referrals and follow ups.”
Turning experience into passion
“I am passionate about what I do because I was displaced once too. Working to support IDPs and especially persons with special needs has helped me to appreciate life in general and has taught me to be grateful,” says Wasini.
Her experiences back in 2014 shaped her and ignited a strong desire to support others who are going through similar challenges. But, her dream goes beyond her current work: “Even after this I would love to open a charity home for the less privileged, especially persons with disabilities.”
Wasini – who likes to further her studies and spend time in research when she’s not at work – is driven by the knowledge that she’s helping others to continue working in the humanitarian field despite the difficulties she faces. For aspiring humanitarians, she shares this: “Have it in mind to always put a smile on people’s faces.”
