Featured Member: Anne-Françoise Moffroid

Anne-Françoise Moffroid’s main goal was always to work in the field of humanitarian aid and human rights. After a period in the private sector, and a period at home to raise her children, she started working for the European Union Commission ten years ago. Initially working as a secretary, she then achieved her goal to work in the Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid & Civil Protection (ECHO), where she has been working as a Desk Officer since 2005.

Although she wanted to work in the field, her family situation prompted her to opt for working from Brussels. “With three teenagers at home I did not have much of a choice,” Anne-Françoise explains. However, serving as a Desk Officer for geographical areas all around the world, ranging from the Caribbean to the Middle East and South and South-East Asia, has given her ample opportunity to gain knowledge of the situation in the field. “What keeps me inspired is in particular the monitoring missions, as well as the direct contacts with beneficiaries,” she says.

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As it is my primary aim to bring the best and most effective humanitarian assistance to the people who need it in the field, it is very rewarding to see the projects carried through, proving to me that our work makes a difference.

- Anne-Françoise Moffroid

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Travelling to different locations to see the impact of the programs can also be a trying experience in that she is exposed to human suffering in various forms. She especially remembers going to Haiti following the 2010 earthquake, when she was responsible for nutrition projects. “It was very difficult to keep a professional distance from what I was seeing, especially being a mother and seeing malnourished children.”

Another experience made her realize more fully the importance of ECHO’s disaster preparedness programs (DIPECHO). During a visit to a remote coastal village in the Philippines, a community leader showed her a tree. “He used to tie his wife and children to this tree before any cyclone so that he would at least be able to find their bodies afterwards.” This served as an illustration of how crucial it is that disaster preparedness projects are implemented, allowing communities such as this one to organize themselves in preparation for natural disasters, for example by setting up systems for timely evacuation.

Her job involves designing ECHO’s strategies for countering humanitarian crises in the countries she is responsible for, as well as ensuring that the projects are properly followed through. This means that she is involved alongside ECHO’s field offices in the negotiation of the projects with NGOs and other partners, providing guidance in case of problems, and seeing to the eventual closing of the projects. Anne-Françoise enjoys the comprehensive perspective this gives her: “As it is my primary aim to bring the best and most effective humanitarian assistance to the people who need it in the field, it is very rewarding to see the projects carried through, proving to me that our work makes a difference.”

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Interview by Markus Forsberg