UNITY – Javeria Ilyas has already played her part in serving the people of South Sudan in different ways. By now, she is back home with her family in Pakistan, but before leaving Bentiu, she spoke to us about her year and remarkable, multiple roles in Bentiu. 

“It is challenging but empowering to experience the multicultural context and local dynamics of a peacekeeping mission,” she said. “It has given me a sense of purpose and fulfillment. 

Zeroing in on the human aspect comes natural to Javiera, who used to work as a clinical psychologist before she switched her attention from healing broken minds to fixing defective bridges and roads, or constructing dykes to protect residents of Bentiu, her particularly flood-prone duty station. 

When Javiera, together with her cherished Pakistani engineering contingent, was not busy maintaining or improving critical infrastructure, she made the most of her professional background by offering mental support both to peacekeeping colleagues and members of the local host community. 

“Being a psychologist at heart helps me better understand and listen to the needs and concerns of others. It is the kind of practical empathy which is also essential in any leadership role.” 

These qualities of hers were recognized by her women peacekeeping colleagues, who made Javeria their focal point. In that capacity, she was communicated inputs on gender perspectives to higher-ups in the hierarchy of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). 

“Being women ourselves, we are typically more suited to interacting with local women, who tend to be more open with and have more trust in their ‘sisters’. We are also in a better position to see how peacekeeping can become more gender-responsive, and to tell policymakers about our suggestions.”

Being sensitive to the needs and sufferings of others does, however, come with a price.

Staying composed while observing the daily struggles of local community members, however resilient and hardened they may be, is easier said than done. 

“Sometimes, you just want to hug someone, and cry together with them. At the same time, I’m supposed to be seen a source of strength and safety. It’s a balancing act between holding back your own emotions while making sure that the people we serve feel seen and listened to.” 

Some common scenarios, like meeting South Sudanese women having been separated from their families, reminded Javeria of her own husband and children being far away. 

“But it is of course a different situation because I chose to leave them behind to come here. In fact, them being proud of me motivates me and makes me a more confident person,” she told us at the time. 

Today, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Javeria is probably lobbying decisionmakers in her native Pakistan to take gender sensitive policies another few steps further.