Making right from what went wrong

Personal reflections on a humanitarian journey

In 2020 I started a blog writing insights of the humanitarian world as a former worker of the sector. I wrote candidly as a healing process, and through my writing I came to the conclusion that we, women in the humanitarian world, were cannon fodder. 

These reflections on my career made me vulnerable, but they helped me to deal honestly with the past. To both my comfort and distress, I realised that I was not alone in this struggle: many others felt unhappy working in a sexist sector that, by all means, should be egalitarian.

At the same time that I wrote about sexism, I was reading about racism and, little by little, became more aware of the privileges I had enjoyed because of my whiteness. 

In 2022 I wrote my two last posts, sharing memoirs with a broader view that aimed to show my personal experience as a white humanitarian worker. I added my voice to many claiming that the humanitarian sector remains colonialist and should be questioned.

My life has shifted both gradually and drastically since 2011 when I returned from my last mission as delegate of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The choices I made allowed new dreams to shape my life: find a loving partner, live maternity and work feeling safe. 

Recently, experiences from my years in the Humanitarian world became too distant. As the mourning over the loss of my loved career ended, the anger and pain that fueled my writing dissolved.

I hope you enjoy my blog.

Silvia Padrón Revilla

Photo credit ©CristinadeMiddel