Sonja Hövelmann

Information Management Officer 
UNHCR in Mosambik

Operating period: July 2024 – November 2024

Previous positions

• Has been working in humanitarian aid for more than 7 years
• 2017-2018 Academic Coordinator of the NOHA Master's degree programme in Humanitarian Aid
• 2018 responsible for knowledge and integrity management at Caritas Germany
• Since 2019, she has helped set up the Berlin-based think tank Centre for Humanitarian Action (CHA) as a board advisor and researcher

Sonja, what were your tasks as UNHCR Information Management Officer? What was your day-to-day work like?

My position was in the External Relations team, so my activities were at the interface between the programmes and our communication to partners, donors and the public. I was responsible for reports and information products that showcased the functioning, activities and impact of UNHCR's work in Mozambique. I was also closely involved in programme work, such as the Nexus Norte project in conflict-affected northern Mozambique, which links short-term humanitarian assistance with longer-term development activities.

What impact did your work have? How and where were you able to bring about change on the ground?

Humanitarian aid relies heavily on voluntary payments from both private individuals and state donors. Communication about humanitarian needs is therefore a key element in obtaining funding. It is important to explain concepts such as humanitarian protection or gender-based violence. One of UNHCR's key activities in Mozambique was to support the state in issuing identity documents and birth certificates. Explaining why displaced, refugee or stateless people are better (legally) protected if they have identity documents was a central part of my work. Brief explanations are an important tool when communicating with embassies or donors, whose representatives often have a broad portfolio.

What was your motivation for going into action? And what do you take away from it?

I do research on humanitarian aid, the actors and the humanitarian system as a whole. It's important to keep making the connection to the practical work on the ground. The humanitarian missions through ZIF offer me a unique opportunity to make this ‘reconnect’.

A formative event?

...were the political protests following the elections in October 2024. As always, it is encouraging when civil society stands up and does not accept certain abuses such as corruption.

What difference does the work of international organisations make on the ground?

Mozambique ranks low on the Human Development Index (HDI). The country is also heavily affected by climate extremes such as tropical storms and droughts. International organisations are trying to cushion the impact on vulnerable Mozambicans through programmes in the areas of climate adaptation, livelihood creation and emergency aid following disasters. For UNHCR, this primarily means helping people who have fled to Mozambique from neighbouring countries to integrate in order to build a dignified life for themselves in the long term. And in relation to the armed conflict in the north: Helping Mozambicans who have been displaced from their land by the violence and have to start all over again.