INTHEBLACK May 2022 - Magazine - Page 35
Above: Flour is a staple of the food basket provided to refugees, and the current tensions in Ukraine have had an impact on the supply chain and on costs.
for increased numbers of nursing staff in
the health clinics, along with the additional
social issues that arise in a pandemic.
On top of all this, it has been Austin’s
responsibility to organise the medical
evacuations of severe COVID-19-affected
UN staff to Israel, a complex logistical
and time-critical feat, involving multiple
stakeholders at any hour of the day or night.
Expecting the unexpected is part of the
job. Austin says 40 schools, four hospitals
and 19 health centres have been among the
UN services that sustained damage during
the outbreak of violence in May 2021, and
more than 200 Palestinians, including more
than 60 children, were killed, with 19 of
them students of UNRWA schools.
Balancing the competing demands
within her role requires Austin to trust
her instincts, as well as rely on her past
experience. Strategic thinking, she says,
requires patience. “Play the long game,”
advises Austin. “While timing is, of course,
always critical, don’t be rushed when
making your decision. Stop, think and
reflect. Ask yourself, what is able to be
achieved?”
Austin acknowledges that learning to say
“No” is a difficult skill to learn, but, as a leader,
it is about analysing where the priorities are.
Good leadership, says Austin, is having
genuine communication and an ability to listen,
as well as knowing how to empower a team.
No matter what she sees and deals
with on the ground, Austin must remain
apolitical. Distancing herself from the
politics is a necessary and important part
of operating in a conflict zone.
“We are there to support the refugees
by providing humanitarian assistance
until a political resolution is found. That
[resolution] happens in another arena.”
What keeps her returning to overseas
relief work is knowing she is having a direct
impact on people’s lives and wellbeing.
In her current role, Austin has had the
opportunity go out to schools, meet
refugee children, learn about their school
parliaments and see first-hand how the
money is being spent. She says being out
on the ground is when you really see the
impact you are having on people’s lives.
“One of the things I’ve learned over the
years is, it doesn’t matter where you are in
the world, or what level you are in your
organisation – everybody just wants the
same thing,” says Austin.
“We all want our children and our
families to have a settled life. We want
them to have educational opportunities and
to be successful in whatever pursuits they
aspire to. We are all the same, wherever we
live in the world.”
intheblack.cpaaustralia.com.au May 2022 35