Interview with Ting Fang, protection delegate, Nigeria
1) Could you chart your ICRC journey thus far?
I joined the ICRC in July 2017 at the Beijing regional delegation as corporate sector adviser. My key objective was to prevent companies from engaging in activities that worsen situations in conflict or violence. The position required a combination of private sector and humanitarian sector experience, which is unique for the ICRC. In October 2021, I moved to Port Harcourt subdelegation in Nigeria as a protection delegate.
I have had an on-off connection with the ICRC since 2013, when I studied about the organization in university and then attended a career workshop conducted by them.
2) What was the career workshop like? Did it give you a better understanding of the ICRC?
It was a funny experience. Students had to send motivation letters and their CVs to get into the workshop and there was a limit on the number of participants. It was also a long workshop that included role play as ICRC spokespersons and protection team members in real-world scenarios. But at the end of the day, the facilitator told us that none of us would qualify for the ICRC position and listed out why we were not ready. He didn’t stop there though and assured us that we could work on our skills if we really like what the ICRC does. That stayed in my mind.
Now, I can say for sure that there are many things that one will understand only after they join the ICRC and they will be surprised in a positive way.
3) What led you to humanitarian work?
Two experiences from my childhood particularly shaped my desire to correct injustice. My father used to tell me how he faced discrimination because he had one eye removed. His stories used to make me feel very sad and I felt strongly about the victimization of people who are different in a way that is out of their control. The second thing was the exclusion I experienced when I moved to another city for middle school.
Apart from these, at one point while working as an engineer in the private sector I felt I wanted a less exuberant lifestyle. I quit that job and eventually went to Malawi to work with an NGO working on HIV/AIDS prevention. The experience there cemented my desire to work in the humanitarian sector.
4) What prompted you to become an ICRC delegate?
That was my goal for a long time. In my first interview with my manager for the position in Beijing I was upfront that I really want to be in the field. I would have directly applied for a delegate’s position if I could have done that, but in hindsight I really appreciate the experience I had in Beijing. It gave me a chance to observe the workings of our organization and the situation on ground from different angles. I learnt to talk to interlocutors about the things we care for, while speaking in their language.
5) How did your background in prevention work help you with your current role at the ICRC?
It compelled me to think why we say what we say and the principles that we can base our message on when we don’t have ready-made responses for an interlocutor. I also learnt to represent the ICRC well even when we are not perceived positively.
Since Beijing is a hub for humanitarian diplomacy, we get a bird’s-eye view of the geopolitical dynamics across the globe and see the longer shot of things. That helps in the field.
6) Could you tell us about the team you work with, and what you think is a “perfect team”?
We are a four-people team (three field officers and me). We are good colleagues during work hours and great friends outside. We believe in humanitarianism. I don’t think there are perfect teams, and I am not pursuing to lead one. My pursuit rather is to have a team that cares for affected people, is creative, able to discuss and solve challenges, is resilient and honest even when things go wrong. I think we are doing well on these counts.
In the ICRC we can be very similar despite our different cultural backgrounds, mother tongues or nationalities. I tend to meet a lot of people at work that I’d like to be friends with and who don’t think my ideas are weird.
7) What is the most difficult aspect of your work?
Saying “no” can be really difficult when we meet people who are vulnerable but we either don’t have enough resources or have a different priority for the mission or our mandate is different. It is also quite challenging to muster courage and have the diplomatic skills to say “no” to those who are more powerful and stop them from wrongdoing.
We also experience vicarious trauma or empathy fatigue because of being exposed to cruelty. So, we need to monitor our mental well-being, know who to go to, set boundaries and have a support system.
8) Do you find it difficult to adjust to new cultures?
Maybe because I have lived in different places, I am able to adapt well and I don’t feel a huge cultural challenge. I have lived in England and Switzerland for some years, then Malawi in Africa, then in Yemen for a year and I’m now here in Port Harcourt. Living in a city far from home for school also forced me to adapt.
I believe people are innately similar, across geographical and cultural differences. So, once we break the ice, we can relate to one another.
In fact, when I was in Malawi, I felt nostalgic about my childhood. Unpaved dirt roads, not many cars, people selling sugarcane and bananas on the roadside, small shops in single-floor buildings and people not being in a rush but talking for hours if they ran into someone – the whole setting was very similar to what I experienced as a child back in China.
9) What do you do to assimilate smoothly?
I don’t have a cheat sheet, but before coming here I read a novel about this part of Nigeria during civil war (Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie). It’s interesting now because there are locations mentioned in the book that we visit on a weekly basis as part of our work and there is a degree of familiarity in my mind.
I also like to watch YouTube videos by both professionals and regular people recording their daily life. It helps to make a place feel more familiar.
Talking to ICRC colleagues and getting their perspective about cultural norms and world views is very important too. Being curious helps us understand society better. But we must remember not to get arrogant because despite all our efforts we may not be able to understand some things completely.
10) What tips do you have for someone who wants to join the ICRC?
Acquire field experience, especially with organizations that have similar mandates. Watch out for ICRC preparation sessions and talk to people who are already working with the organization.
Build your language skills because it is really appreciated by talent managers and can open many possibilities. I studied Arabic in Yemen back in 2014–2015 and I’m still working on it because I hope to get an assignment in an Arabic-speaking country someday.
I would also recommend thinking through how one would like their life to be in the long run so that they can try to have some coherence between the assignments they take on and their larger life plan.
11) The moment you knew you’d made the right decision of working with the ICRC?
I had desired to work for the ICRC for a long time but the realization of being in the right place came gradually as I saw how different departments function and met people who are super devoted to humanitarian work.
12) What did you know about the ICRC before you joined us? How has that perception changed?
I had thought that everyone who knows about the ICRC gives the greenlight for its work. In reality, we have to keep negotiating our acceptance each day.
Also, I now know that our resources are limited vis-a-vis the challenges around the world. As a staff, although we have noble goals, we have to make a lot of calculated choices about who we help.
13) What does professional success mean to you?
My thoughts are evolving on this one but for now it would be to experience diverse assignments, be an honest team leader and team member and to put my ideas into practice in every decision I make. I have tested myself and I’m ready to take slightly larger responsibility too.
On a somewhat philosophical note, I also measure success based on how my experience in the ICRC has developed a more thoughtful understanding of the world, humanity and life.