In any humanitarian context, there are always different kinds of people that are needed to get the job done – planners, activists, dreamers, and doers alike play a role in saving lives. But we truly couldn’t do the things we do without one role in particular – our warehouse crew.
Working in the warehouse perhaps doesn’t sound like the most exhilarating job in the world. But in Rwanda, the warehouse is where most medications for the country program are held. It’s where expensive supplies are stored and kept safe, and dispatched when the time is right to six camps throughout the country. It’s where records are kept, stretching back almost a decade.
There’s only a few guys who work at Rwanda’s main warehouse in Kigali, and most of them have never even met some of their colleagues who work at the ARC office!
So for Day 351, we decided to change that – thanking our colleagues at the warehouse for the incredible work that they do, and bringing everyone along for the ride.
We hired a bus and piled everybody from ARC’s Rwanda’s office in Kigali in. The warehouse was only a five minute drive away. And soon, the staff were chatting and getting to know each other.
The team shared pizza, drinks, and lots of other snacks, and everyone went on a tour of the warehouse building. And we thanked the entire warehouse team for all the hard work they do.
“These guys are often not recognized,” said Bernad, ARC Rwanda’s Country Director. “It’s easy to forget them. But we should never forget the value of the work they do.”
These teammates are the heavy lifters – they’re the people making magic behind the scenes. And since they’re so good at their job, it’s too easy to forget that they’re even there.
That’s why it’s so important, every once in a while, to put them in the spotlight. “They’re not your usual senior staff,” said Bernad. “It’s easy to relegate them. Yet there would be no programs at all if they messed up in what they’re doing.”
