Save the Children bids farewell to outgoing country director
The staff members of Save the Children South Sudan have hailed the outgoing country director, Rama Hansraj, for excellent service delivery to the country.
Rama Hansraj’s tenure came to an end after nearly four years of service as the organisation’s country director.
Kayi Joseph Alex, senior programme manager at Save the Children, said it was difficult for them to see Rama leaving the country. They termed it a significant loss for the whole team who had worked closely with her before the end of tenure.
“It is difficult for someone to briefly describe Rama Hansraj in words because you will not find the exact words to use that could really describe who she is. However, if you ever have the opportunity to meet with Rama, you will always see a hard-working person. She is very [exceptional] and has been in this country for close to three years,” he said.
Alex said Ms Rama’s aspirations, motivation, and easy understanding had steered many people to do a lot of things.
He said Rama worked with everybody, regardless of who they were, and said she would always be there for any staff member who wanted to consult with her.
The outgoing Save the Children country director was described as a true mother to many staff members. Kayi stressed that “even if you have very personal issues, she would always find it and [was] always in the forefront of making things happen that are in your interest, especially the staff working with her.”
“She appears to be uncomplicated, but she is a professional; if you come to her for advice on something you are unsure about, she will tell you and let you try it,” he added.
Kayi described Rama as someone who wants to get what she wants; dealing with local authorities, the government and various institutions have become much easier for her despite how difficult the scenario was.
He defined her as an advocate for many national organisations in the country.
“If I can say Rama has really lifted flags of foundational organisational leadership in humanitarian terms, especially for national organisations that were not able to get opportunities. Rama always stood up and influenced other institutions to make sure they get those opportunities, ” he stressed.
“This is one person who speaks her mind despite the fact that humanitarians are doing a lot of good work in this country, but behind the shines she will always say, “This is where we are going wrong and this is what we need to do.”
Humanitarian work
Alex stated that the outgoing Save the Children official had given a lot of humanitarian workers in the country things that they were supposed to avoid, especially being accountable for the communities.
Alex said his former boss can be described as a round ball because she knows every component of what is happening within every department. He said she often has something to say to the staff about how the scenario should end.
“On behalf of this country, and on behalf of the Save The Children family and workers, we really thank her for the wonderful job, and we believe that your legacy will continue to live among us until you come again and pick up from there,” he said.
