Ekta Adhikari, Supply Chain Officer, WFP
“I do not treat my work as simply a job; rather, I treat it as a way to reflect my passion for making a positive change in the lives of others.”
Ekta Adhikari wrote this on her Twitter account for 2018 World Humanitarian Day. She found her vocation on joining WFP in 2015, after her native Nepal’s devastating earthquake.
Assigned to the logistics team, she immediately set about ensuring the transport of relief items to communities via land and air, using trucks, tractors, helicopters, porters, mules and even dzos (half cow, half yak).
Having proved her skills in Nepal, she was sent to Papua New Guinea to respond to the 2018 earthquake.
Ekta then joined WFP’s office in Ethiopia. She didn’t flinch when posted to Dilla, a remote and challenging outpost in SNNP state, where she assisted people displaced by inter-communal violence.
More recently, she coordinated training in emergency response - for Ethiopia government staff and others. Colleagues recall her zeal, often “bouncing” into their offices with a new idea.
In a corner of her tiny apartment in Addis was “Ekta’s garden”: sprigs of mint and basil. According to one friend, those herbs captured her essence: “A vibrant being who managed not just to survive but flourish in challenging environments. A tough little sapling who added depth and flavour to the blandest of gatherings… Ekta nurtured her friendships the same way she nurtured her tiny garden: with attention, warmth and a whole lot of love.”
Biographical information and photo provided by WFP.