Sarthak Kumar Pal PFM (1988-90): Chief of Party- GPE, Save the Children

Sarthak(1st Batch of IIFM) has almost 3 decades of experience in development/ humanitarian coordination in various countries across continents. Having worked in a range of development, peace and humanitarian contexts, his assignments include Oxfam, DanChurch Aid,Concern Wordwide, Relief International, UNICEF and Save the Children.

His specialization includes development /humanitarian coordination and mediation in political economies across the globe.

He also feels that the Conflict and crisis affected countries are the most challenging contexts but they offer the most learning and satisfaction, too. Context awareness, flexibility/adaptive, triangulation of information are critical to maneuver in ever – changing gio-political situation.

He is always grateful to the resilient and creative humans who shared their journey with him and considers them the real heroes.

Location: Kabul, Afghanistan

Linkedin: https://in.linkedin.com/in/sarthakpal

Q. Tell us about your School and College before you came to IIFM. How was your experience there? And how did IIFM happen?

A. My schooling has been all over Odisha as my father was a state government engineer with a transferable job. I did my master’s at Sambalpur University, Burla (famous for Hirakud Dam). I found the course content and design somewhat different. Hence, I applied.

Q. How has been your journey from IIFM so far?

A. Eventful. Huge learning curve (still the journey continues). Some myths busted (Africa is poor. Poor people are lazy, unmotivated, and lack work ethics. Welfare dependency is a major cause of poverty. Inequality is a necessary condition for economic dynamism. Whiteman’s burden).

My first assignment in 1990 took me to West Bengal, where interesting experiments in Joint Forest Management (JFM) were undertaken involving people, state and forests, such as the famous ‘Arabari’ in West Midnapore, which is touted to be the first successful JFM initiative, started in the 1972, and has been instrumental in restoring the forest’s biodiversity and improving the livelihoods of local villagers.

The next stop in my journey is the most consequential one, i.e., Community Forestry initiated by a group of villagers through an NGO named Brukhsyo O Jeebara Bandhu Parishad (BOJBP) in Kesharpur, Nayagarh district of Odisha, which later became a people’s movement under the banner of Nayagarh Jangala Surakshya Mahasangh (NJSM). This remains my school where I had the on-the-job training in rights-based community-led democratic initiatives. Creative and honest use of ‘Gandhian principles of non-violence’ in community mobilization, conflict resolution, and resource partitioning/utilization arrangements (CPR management) are the lessons that remain etched in my mind till date.

In parallel, I was associated with another historical relief and rural development programme named OXFAM Western Orissa Relief Programme (OXWORP), a drought response initiative in the Kalahandi, Bargarh, Balangir districts of Odisha. This gave me the opportunity to learn from the resilience and mobilization of the landless and marginal farmers in the face of all possible odds. OXWORP is referenced in P. Sainath’s famous book, “Everybody Loves a Good Drought’. The 1999 Odisha Super Cyclone taught me lessons in humanity as a humanitarian, where victims have rights and the pivotal role of preparedness and coordination in saving lives and assets. During this period, I learned a lot about tribal rights, and 73 rd Amendment of the Constitution, i.e., Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, from another towering figure named Dr. B. D. Sharma (Doctor Sab), the founder of Bharat Jan Andolan. I carried all these experiences to lead as an FSL Adviser another interesting intervention of OXFAM in South Asia named ‘River Basin Programme’ spread over three countries of Nepal, India, and Bangladesh.

In 2003, I joined DCA as a Senior FSL Programme person for South Asia. This assignment I got engaged with ‘right to food campaign’ in India and connected me with different ‘food sovereignty’ initiatives across South Asia.

2005 is the year when I started my 15-year-long learning journey in Africa. I moved to Somalia with Save the Children to start a new programme in the Puntland State (North-East). In 2007, I took the mantle of Deputy Country Director of Save the Children’s Liberia country programme. With Save the Children, I enriched my learning dictionary with lessons in ‘child rights and governance.’ In Liberia, one significant experience remains worth mentioning, the seminal but disturbing study exposing exploitation and abuse of children by the humanitarian aid workers and peacekeepers (NGO, donors, and UN) in exchange for money, food and other goods and favours^[1]

This study contributed to the structured implementation of the guidance developed by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Task Force on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Humanitarian Crises. Then I took up the role of Assistant Country Director of Concern Worldwide in South Sudan at a pivotal time when South Sudan became independent in 2011 and became the youngest member of the UN family (193 rd country). However, the failure of leaders to govern the resource rich country effectively led to ethnic conflict that still plagues the country till date.

My shift towards the education sector started in the year 2013, when I took up the mantle of Director (Chief of Party) of a DFID (now FCDO) funded global flagship programme titled ‘Girls education challenge’ in Somalia. After successfully ensuring learning journey of nearly 50,000 girls across Somalia, I moved to Afghanistan with UNICEF in 2019 to lead the first ever Education Can’t Wait (ECW) facilitated $50 million ‘multi-year resilience programme’ (MYRP). I was asked to manage the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) funded post-coup education response programme of $14 million in Myanmar in September 2021 after Taliban took power of Afghanistan (15 August 2021), which severely curtailed access to Afghanistan as a high-risk proposition. Since, access to Myanmar got delayed due to deliberate administrative challenges, I moved to the State of Palestine in May 2022 to take over the reins of $18 million ECW facilitated MYRP. However, the October 7, 2023, Hamas incursion from Gaza strip and Israel’s armed response brought a premature end to MYRP. In April 2024, Save the Children entrusted me to manage their $50 million GPE Education Sector Implementation Grant (ESPIG) programme, while leading in the designing the $25 million GPE Sector Transformation Grant (STG) programme. Afghanistan remains the only country in the world to ban girls education beyond primary grades, i.e., grade 7 and above. This has led to more than 2.2 million girls above the age of 12 are forced to remain out of school.

Q. What were some of the key milestones/learning in this journey that you would like to share with us?

A. Being part of the most creative journey with the heroes of community forestry initiative/movement in Odisha. Some understanding of complex dimensions of ‘pastoralism’ as a way of life and livelihoods in Somalia and South Sudan. Deep dive into understanding the critical the role of education in (human capital) development of a country and policy making in protracted crisis/conflict and/or resource constrained context.

Q. How has been your experience in your current Organization? What all areas have you been working here?

A. I utilise organisations as platforms or means to an end. Education, specifically innovative ways to support adolescent girls to continue their learning journey.

Q. What is the most satisfying part in your career?

A. The spirit of humanitarian camaraderie. Abundance of human sharing. Resilience of the most dispossessed.

Q. Has your learning at IIFM helped in shaping how you approach your professional roles?

A. Partly yes. Mostly the social sciences and ecology.

Q. What would be your advice to freshers and IIFM graduates who are looking to choose similar sectors/roles.

A. Continuously unlearn, deconstruct, and be creatively destructive, while seeking knowledge.

Q. How did you decide to go for higher studies post IIFM? And how was the experience?

A. I didn’t pursue any structured higher studies. But I continued exploring new aspects/areas of knowledge, such as ‘cultural anthropology’, ‘ethnobotany’, and ‘ethnomathematics’, etc.

Q. What are your favorite memories during your IIFM days?

A. The walk from the gate to the hostel.

Q. In hindsight, what was the biggest contribution or take away from IIFM that you think played a critical role in shaping you as an individual or professional?

A. The importance of team work and shedding ones biases were the key requirements, being the first batch exploring all the unknowns.

Q. The best buddies / seniors /faculty at IIFM? Some memorable tidbits that you like to share?

A. Ramesh, my room-mate, who went off the radar since 1993. Chandu in the canteen. All the professors, who treated us like their family. The nocturnal visit of friendly hyena.

Q. As an alumni, what’s your advice to freshers or those are joining IIFM to get best out of the 2 years there?

A. Act like a sponge to absorb the knowledge/information available. Follow the simple principle of ‘He who knows, knows not. He who knows not, knows.’

Q. What would be your advise for recent graduates who look for changing their sector after working for couple of years?

A. Follow your heart. Challenge anything thrown at you as given.

Q. What was your typical day at the work? And how does it look like while you are on a break?

A. Flexible. Break is being away physically. But the mental clock continues to tick. It’s like a mathematical puzzle.