In the rush of the day, it can be rare to have the space to pause and reflect on what it truly means to be displaced. In this week’s #StaffSpotlight, Hiroshi shares a quiet moment from a refugee camp and a reminder of the reality behind our work. #HumanitariansAtWork
Often days in the camps pass in constant motion, visiting sites, engaging with refugees, meeting authorities, and receiving delegations. Rarely do I manage to take a quiet pause to reflect amid this continuous flow of work. One afternoon, sitting on a bench at a registration site, I wondered what it would feel like to come here not as a humanitarian but as a refugee, displaced, uncertain, and seeking asylum in a foreign land. In that moment, I felt the quiet weight of insecurity and loss of belonging. Having a nationality, a home to return to, and the protection of one’s own state are privileges we often overlook. To be a refugee is not only to be uprooted physically, but to lose those anchors that give meaning and stability to life. A young refugee spoke poignantly. “I ask you, just for a moment, to place yourselves in our position. Feel what it means to wake up every day without purpose, to live without freedom, to wait without an end. Feel the weight of being alive, yet unseen. This is the reality we carry every single day.” As humanitarians, I believe it is essential that we continue to reflect on the plight of refugees and on our own role within it. This will enable us to remain grounded in the principles and realities that define our work, especially in a world growing ever more complex and uncertain.