Read the transcript of our interview with Jahangir Bazai Khan.
Jahangir is a consultant at Acasus from the Balochistan province of Pakistan and currently works on immunization projects.
Tell us a little bit about yourself, when did you start working with Acasus and why did you choose us? You’ve been to many countries (Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, USA, Tanzania, and Liberia), what led you back to Pakistan?
I grew up in a small village near the Pakistan-afghan border in Balochistan. I always wanted to explore the world and meet people from different backgrounds and communities but I also had this sense of responsibility towards my community. I had the opportunity to work in different countries and make amazing friends around the world. Some of these places were ideal to settle, but I always wanted to come back home and help people here. In 2016, I came back from Liberia and started working for the Polio control program, and in June 2019 I joined Acasus.
Our work in Pakistan is very dynamic, could you introduce us to the ways of working there?
Usually, in a week I do a lot of meetings. And that is something which really excites me. I enjoy meeting people, so I meet all of my stockholders every week, do calls with my team, and write reports.
Normally I travel once a month outside the province to attend our meeting in Lahore. This is something that I wait for the whole month because it gives me an opportunity to learn a lot and meet my fellow team members in other provinces. I like traveling but I mostly get opportunities to travel inside the province, going to one or two districts every month. It depends on where I am needed.
I think it is a very dynamic team full of champions, people with all kinds of skills and I see every one of them as an artist. Because what we do is not less than an Art.
I think the way we responded to the COVID was one of our biggest successes. The interventions are really impactful and became famous.
Balochistan is the biggest province in Pakistan geography-wise, The population is very scattered and it is difficult to travel to most of the districts. Also, our Interventions involve a lot of technology and people here are very scared of technology and it is difficult to persuade them to own a technology-based intervention.
How does Covid affect life and work in Pakistan?
I see myself as an extroverted introvert, so I enjoy working in a crowded place without interacting with people. Now I feel like I have lost the feeling of a normal life.
With my Acasus team, I do a call twice a day. The team helps me to do a lot of problem-solving virtually. We do brainstorming together and come up with solutions to the problems that I face every day in the field.
Most of the government officials that I work with are in the offices. During the strict lockdown the Deputy Commissioner gave me a security pass which allowed me to travel freely from one office to the other.
Why do you love working at Acasus and what is your most beloved memory so far since working with our team?
I love working with Acasus because it's different than all the other organizations that I have worked with. The work I do with Acasus is the kind of work I have passion for, and above all, I love working with Acasus because it allows me to use my creativity, the team encourages me and they give me good feedback. I feel like I am not an employee but an owner and family member.
