Isata Mansaray is AdvocAid’s wonderful Database Officer, who we have been so lucky to have working for us for a year. This month, as part of our 10-year anniversary celebrations, Isata has written a blog about her greatest moments with AdvocAid.
Database administration used to be the last career that I wanted to pursue. The way it was taught in the university made me think that it was boring and not for me. So I guess it is ironic that the first employment I ever gained after university was with AdvocAid as Database Officer. It’s with AdvocAid that I have realised that I am a database person, and I would always like to serve as such.
Working for AdvocAid has really been a stepping stone for me professionally. It has helped me to retain and recall a lot of the things I was taught in university. But above all, from AdvocAid I have learned about legal rights issues that I didn’t understand before, and right now I am even assisting with some social work. I will always be grateful for the new experiences I have gained.
One great moment I had recently was when I completed a training on assessment of human rights security. I feel so privileged that AdvocAid selected me to attend the course, and I learnt a lot about human right issues and IT security. At the end of the training we were issued a certificate, which will help me in so many ways.
From my first day, I enjoyed working with my AdvocAid colleagues. We are like one family and everyone has concerns for one another. The birthday celebrations are another remarkable thing about AdvocAid. As I used to say “I am a country girl” (from the provinces), and celebrating birthdays seemed like a waste of money. Advocaid took me out of that bondage when I started working with them. Now I will continue to celebrate my birthday even if am no longer working for AdvocAid.
As part of our 10-year anniversary celebrations, every month for 10 months, we’ll be showcasing the best of AdvocAid through guest blogs from our staff, volunteers, partners and board members.