Editor's Note: Alex Cottin, our Director of External Relations, recently traveled in Nepal with our CEO, Andrea Tamburini. In the lead up to World Humanitarian Day next week, we're pleased to bring you an adapted excerpt from Alex's writings on his time in the field -- here about Sarmila Uprety, a Community Mobilizer for Action Against Hunger and one of our many amazing humanitarian aid workers.  

Zigzagging through the narrow and windy roads, climbing through various levels of elevation, the effects of the monsoon season on the road conditions became more and more visible and challenging. Three bumpy hours later, we had made it to our field base in Nuwakot, where we met the team and had briefings in preparation for the next few days, during which we would visit a number of programs and speak directly with staff and beneficiaries of our water, sanitation, and hygiene programs, “cash for work” and Non-Food Item (NFI) distributions and mental care activities.   

Action Against Hunger’s team in Nuwakot is comprised of 73 national staff, many of whom have been directly affected by the earthquake. Take, for example, Sarmila Uprety, a Community Mobilizer from Suyamati village, who joined us about two months ago, shortly after the earthquake damaged her home along with many others in the village of Suyamati, where about 700 people are coping with the physical and emotional repercussions of this disaster, attempting to rebuild their homes and livelihoods. Sarmila, along with three others in the village teamed up with our food security and livelihoods teams to provide direct relief to this community and many others facing similar challenges.   

As part of our scheduled NFI distribution (in this case, latrines and cement), I had the privilege of seeing Sarmila and other colleagues and community volunteers organize a very orderly distribution of latrine covers and cement bags in a way that would have made Henry Ford proud! Members of the community gathered in a methodical fashion, forming an organized line and Sarmila would call one person at a time, cross out his or her name on the list, and guide each of them to obtain the allotted items.   

Cement bags and latrine covers are distributed in Suryamati village. Photo: A. Cottin

As I looked around in admiration, I couldn’t help but notice an overwhelming majority of women, many of whom were impeccably dressed, carrying the load -- and I mean that literally! I was astonished by the amount of weight that many of these young women were carrying on their backs, often walking long distances through treacherous muddy terrains, smiling, laughing, and waving to friends along the way.   

Once the distribution was over, I hesitated to speak to Sarmila, as I thought the last thing she wanted to do after conducting such a meticulous operation under this scorching heat was to answer my questions! But I wanted to dig deeper -- to hear her story, to understand her motivation, and to further appreciate the roots of her unyielding commitment. Her humility and her dedication are truly astounding. For Sarmila, it was never about a sense of “charity.” She knew she had a responsibility to her family, to her village, and to her community. Without any time to grieve, she signed on to help as soon as she could when she heard about Action Against Hunger’s programs.   

In this particular case, Sarmila is both a beneficiary and a staff member. I later found out that she is not the only one to have this dual function -- it is indeed something that happens more often than not, especially in such post-disaster contexts (both natural and man-made). Observing and interacting with Sarmila left me with a distinct feeling of admiration and a renewed sense of appreciation for our work. I now understand that there is so much more to our programs than the “product” we deliver. I’ve often said that the process is just as important, if not more, than the outcome -- but after hearing Sarmila’s story, I am now more convinced than ever before.   

We often speak of “resilience” as part of the everyday lexicon in this sector, throwing this loaded term around to add a certain level of expected operational rigor. My conversation with Sarmila has allowed me to see the bigger picture and I am now closer to understanding the complexities of this nebulous word, which go far beyond humanitarian semantics. Sarmila’s story is the epitome of resilience. Her courage and tenacity in the face of such adversity are demonstrable paradigms of this very value and part of the many reasons I am proud to work for an organization that is so much bigger than its parts. I am honored to call Sarmila and many other Action Against Hunger staff in Nuwakot my colleagues.