Growing up at a time of war in Bangladesh, Irene Khan learned first-hand how access to trustworthy information can save lives. “When systems break down … during war, that is when trustworthy, verifiable information becomes even more important.” Instead of your heart shrinking after every piece that you've left behind, you just feel it expanding.” :: Ulrika Richardson interviewed by Melissa Fleming “I always think back on countries where I've worked with a smile. Ulrika reflects on the scale of suffering, on preserving the dignity of those in need, and on the importance of saying goodbye. Armed gangs, cholera, and fuel and food shortages mean violence, hunger, disease, deprivation are everyday hurdles for millions of Haitians. “When you see people suffer, those images stay with you … that keeps you awake, and it *should* keep you awake.” As Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Haiti, her belief in the organization’s idealistic values drives her to brave dangers in her mission to alleviate the suffering she has witnessed. Ulrika Richardson has dedicated her life to the UN. It sounds idealistic, but we are idealistic. "There are so many good people at the UN, all trying to make the world a bit better. “If we keep to our two corners as if this is a boxing match, black and white, the victim and the victimized, it's such an unhealthy and unhelpful polarization of who we are as human beings.” :: Amanda Khozi Mukwashi interviewed by Melissa Fleming ![]() In this episode, she reflects on the discrimination she has faced, on the rich family history she inherited from her grandmother, and on discovering her own multifaceted identity. Moving back to the UK after leaving a high-level development post in Zambia, Amanda Khozi Mukwashi got tired of being asked where she was really from. “Let's talk about it a little more freely, not for it to hold our hands and tie them, but for it to liberate us to think differently.” Now United Nations Resident Coordinator in Lesotho, she has written a book exploring the struggle for equity and the historical baggage of slavery and colonization. With her writing, Amanda Khozi Mukwashi wants to change the conversation on race, gender, and identity. ![]() “I realized I'm a black person and that people see the color of my skin first, before they see who I am and what I'm capable of doing…that was the rude awakening.”
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