Exclusive Trusted Magazine Q&A with Bih Adelaide, Co-founder of African Initiative for Health and Research Promotion (AIHRP)
How can you describe your career path in a few words?
To describe my career path in a few words, I would say it has been quite challenging, yet exciting as every step I take leads me to understand more about myself and the people around me. When I was Young, I had always wanted to be a person who will bring change to the community, no matter how small that change was. After experiencing the devastating effects of diseases and the financial struggles my family had to go through to get me treated as a child, I decided to go in for medical studies. After completing my master's degree in Clinical biology, I gained work experience in several health institutions. These experiences helped me co-found and manage the African Initiative for Health and Research promotion (AIHRP) an organization that aims to reduce the disease burden of the vulnerable population (displaced persons and low-income people). Today, I have become a mentor and inspiration to other young persons in my entourage, which makes it more challenging as I have to watch every step I take to create a good career path not only for myself but to continue to inspire the younger generation. Working in AIHRP gives me the satisfaction my soul yearns for as I get to see the happy faces of the people I treat.
What was your most challenging experience and has it changed your mindset
The most challenging experiences I have had since starting AIHRP were:
- Mobilizing human resources, especially as I have always been keen on both competence and character. I wanted to work with people who did not only care about payroll but demonstrated a connection to the vision of the organization.
- Shortages of test reagents, and medications, and due to a lack of external funding, we can hardly afford the right medical equipment.
These challenges have only made me see that there is a greater problem than I thought. They have made me improve my problem-solving skills as I was able to find solutions to these challenges and keep the place running for 3 years now. Working in AIHRP has made me a better version of myself both personally and professionally. I have become more compassionate and empathic to the people I meet every day as I work mostly with the vulnerable population. Professionally, I have won awards and gained media recognition both nationally and internationally. These awards and recognitions have helped to advance my career, giving me hope that I can do more in the future to better remedy the health conditions of low-income people and everyone in general.
Based on your experiences, what is the key success factor for a female leader/Manager?
Honesty: When I started AIHRP, I told myself, I will never be one of those people who tell lies just to get opportunities. I know how it feels to be betrayed so I try not to betray others. I would rather be hated for who I truly am than be loved for who I am not.
Selflessness: I believe in being kind for the simple sake of it. Compassion, humility, and dedication are traits I use to run AIHRP. It is thanks to this value that I delved into the health sector in the first place. These values have kept me grounded and focused on my goals of making the lives of victims of conflicts and low-income persons better.
Discipline: To be a successful female leader, it takes a lot of resilience and a strong sense of responsibility and discipline to effectively manage an organization and be a good leader.
Integrity: Having strong moral principles are one of the keys to being a successful female leader. That is, meaning what you say and doing what you say you do very well.
