She wanted to fly but now she drives to end hunger
How a WFP staffer in South Sudan has no regrets of not achieving her dream.
Story by Musa Mahadi
As a little girl, Monica Akello Mario was fascinated by how airplanes could fly. She did not know how these massive bodies glided in the sky, but was sure that someone was piloting them. And she wanted to be that someone.
Whenever she glimpsed a plane in flight, Monica would smile, point to it and tell her friends that one day she would be a pilot flying over their village. Motivated to realize her dreams Monica studied hard.
But fate had other plans for Monica, who lived as a refugee along with her family in Uganda. Life was a struggle for her and her family.
Her dad passed on when she was just eight, leaving her mother to take care of her and her other eight siblings.
Financial challenges made it impossible for her to enrol in aviation school. Instead, the resilient 29 year old turned to automobiles, setting her sights on becoming a driver.
On her way to work, she took a small job to make ends meet. Monica noticed how almost all commercial and private vehicles, even vehicles belonging to UN agencies and NGOs, were driven by men.
“I wondered if there were no women available to drive as well. Then I recalled how most women believed that some jobs are only for men,” Monica said, while driving an SUV, Toyota Landcruiser belonging to WFP, where she now works. “I realized that most women and men believe that some jobs are only for men,” she added.
Monica, who holds a Diploma in Business Administration, broke the gender barrier of her culture when in 2019 she applied for a job with WFP as a driver. To her surprise, she won the support of her mother, who was proud of her daughter for proving herself capable of succeeding in a male-dominated career. It was an emphatic step towards breaking the stereotype in her community.
Now that Monica has truck driving under her belt, she looks to the sky again with the hopes of one day flying a WFP aircraft in her country. Here, through the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), WFP transports humanitarian aid workers and light humanitarian cargo to over 80 destinations across the country.
Equal opportunity
WFP is at the forefront of giving equal employment opportunities for both women and men to serve in one of the largest humanitarian organizations, working towards zero hunger not only in South Sudan but across the world. Up until 2016, WFP had no female drivers in its operations in South Sudan. Now, there are four female drivers helping WFP to save lives and change lives.
“Empowering and promoting women is crucial for the success of our programmes,” says Matthew Hollingworth WFP Country Director in South Sudan. “ And our staff should reflect the diversity of the people we serve.”
The percentage of female national employees working with WFP across the world is now at 35 percent. The organization hopes to reach 40 percent by 2021.
