Meet Ashika, the new Ukraine Crisis Response Manager at Lumos

We want to?#ShineSomeLight on?a vital new addition to the Lumos team. Ashika joins as our Ukraine Crisis Response Manager. She brings to Lumos her wealth of experience of responding to crises from the Boxing Day Tsunami to disasters in South Sudan and Uganda - to name a few. We asked Ashika about her experiences, why she is passionate about supporting Ukrainian families, and what she enjoys doing when she’s not working.

We’ve been responding to the emergency situation in Ukraine since the end of February, pivoting our existing work implementing care reform in the country to respond where the needs of vulnerable children and families are most urgent.

Q: What’s been your path to Lumos?

Since 2005, when I joined British Red Cross in their Aceh Tsunami Recovery Programme, I have been working on humanitarian responses, conflict- and disaster- affected contexts including Aceh (post-Tsunami), South Sudan, Uganda, occupied Palestinian Territories and the UK with CARE International. It is there I headed up the humanitarian response coordination team.

My work has been to oversee and coordinate humanitarian responses to provide essential, often life-saving assistance to people forced to move (internally displaced people and refugees) as a result of spikes in conflict and/or natural disasters. In this way, I have developed good understanding of how people are impacted.

Q. What are you most looking forward to about working at Lumos?

I’m excited to be joining the dedicated and expert team at Lumos at this crucial time as we work to keep families together, even in the most difficult of circumstances. All too often in crises such as the Ukraine emergency, children are placed in institutions as the default solution. We must make sure this does not happen.

Q: What does it mean to you to be supporting Ukrainian families?

To be able to contribute to alleviate the suffering of innocent children and families is my personal contribution to addressing the injustices caused by war and working towards peace.

Q: Which work achievement are you most proud of?

I am most proud of my track record in mobilising resources to fund humanitarian resources, large and small, as and when they have been needed.

Q: What 3 words would people use to describe you?

Empathetic, results-orientated and dedicated.

Q: Who inspires you?

The likes of Maya Angelou, Angela Davis, Mohammed Ali, Malcolm X, and of course, Nelson Mandela are my heroes. These are people who have stood against all odds for their principles, having made personal sacrifices and whose legacy continues to be felt.

To this day, I can read their writings and hear their speeches and their words make me want to continue to be make active and feel that there is a greater cause to fight for.

Q: Tell us something surprising about yourself

I've started enjoying gardening recently. I have never had green fingers, and most plants die on my watch. But I am now committed to addressing this as I really love to see the plants growing, and the fruit and vegetables are just so tasty!

Click here to find out more about Lumos and our work to support vulnerable children in Ukraine.