From New York to the Ebola frontlines in Sierra Leone

At the peak of Ebola transmission in Sierra Leone in November last year, when more than 300 persons were infected weekly, 26-year-old bespectacled Mohamed Kakay was always holed up in the offices of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) in Freetown poring over loads of data. Intermittently, he would take a glance at information filtering into his two computer screens, even as Ebola fighters from different organizations and of different nationalities breathed down his neck for one assistance or the other.

Before joining UNMEER, Mohamed was in the Bronx in New York, United States, working as a sales coordinator in a retail industry. Sierra Leonean born, in the wake of the Ebola outbreak he felt a strong pull to be back home as a volunteer Ebola warrior.  

He had created an online public donation platform, proceeds he hoped could help save lives that were being ravaged by the virus. He was hired by UNMEER in October 2014 and is now its longest-serving International staff in Sierra Leone.  

Bintou Keita, Assistant Secretary-General and head of UNMEER Sierra Leone, described Mohamed in superlative terms. “A wonderful taste of someone who is resource-driven, reliable, and can deliver in a quick turnaround time.”

Coming to his country of birth was particularly alluring. “When I completed graduate studies, I wanted this kind of job – even for free – so long as I contributed to advance human development,” he says. He had little experience working in the humanitarian field, and described the situation on the ground in Sierra Leone on arrival as very tense, with Ebola signs and buckets of chlorinated water everywhere.

It was a nightmare scenario but Mohamed was unfazed. “The situation was extremely bad. Ebola was really all around. I saw an old woman vomit and collapse at Goderich.”

Mohamed needed to hit the ground running and, like many involved in Ebola response, he  performed many tasks. “Everything I had read and learned did not help. So, I needed to find a niche.”

He was lucky to be in the same office as Parvathy Ramaswami, an experienced administrator who quickly taught Mohamed the basics. “I worked closely with her day and night and picked up a lot of her skills.”

Soon, Mohamed was involved in progamme management, media relations, supervising partners, financial management, budgeting, and writing situation reports. The people who swarmed him daily knew he could solve problems. His supervisors trusted him and he was eager to perform. “At the time, there was not enough time in the day for work,” he says.

Mohamed later helped to manage up to $9 million Ebola Multi-Partner Trust Fund, which was used to implement critical projects in the Ebola fight. “All Mohamed wants is to get the job done, and on time. If he manages my financial activities, I will go to bed and sleep. He is a true professional,” says Stephen Gaojia, the National Operations Coordinator of the National Ebola Response Centre.

With degrees in International Development, Political Science, Sociology and a certificate in Public Health, Mohamed has an uncommon affinity with the three countries most affected by Ebola. His father is Guinean, his mother Sierra Leonean while some of his uncles are Liberians. “This thing [Ebola] is personal for me,” he says.

On why anyone would leave the comfort of New York to jump into an Ebola fight, he waxes philosophical. “It is not how you start that matters, it is how you finish.” He adds that the fact Ebola transmission is now in single digits compared with the apocalyptic situation of late last year shows efforts are paying off.

Indeed efforts have paid off on many fronts, including for Mohamed himself. Just as UNMEER was wrapping up its activities in late June, the World Health Organisation (WHO) offered him another job to continue to work on Ebola response in Sierra Leone. “I am excited about my new challenge,” he adds.

Not many are surprised that Mohamed is moving to WHO. “He is someone who is ready to listen and to learn,” says Ms. Keita.

Working for the UN provides for Mohamed an outlet to express his skills and to demonstrate a love for country. “This is the country I love, the job I adore and the continent I cherish” he concludes.