From Displaced Intern to Operations Associate: Gashau’s Inspiring Career Journey at eHealth Africa

By Moshood Isah and Joyce Shinyi

When Gashau Samndi joined eHealth Africa as an intern in Maiduguri in 2024, he expected the opportunity to be an important step in building his career. He could not have anticipated that, within the same period, severe flooding would force his family from their home and leave him searching for stability while trying to begin his professional journey.

The September 2024 floods that devastated parts of Maiduguri also affected Gashau’s family home, forcing the family to relocate. It was not his first experience of displacement. Years earlier, the Boko Haram insurgency had forced his family from their home and disrupted his education. 

This time, the upheaval came just as he was beginning his professional journey. With his family dispersed across different locations and many of their belongings lost, including some of his certificates, securing accommodation became an immediate concern.

 “My mother and sister were staying in a different location, my younger brothers were somewhere else, and I was in another location. It was devastating,” he recalled.

The crisis affected the entire family. Gashau’s mother, a pharmacist, continued supporting patients even as she dealt with the impact of the flooding herself. “My mother is a very strong woman,” he said. “During the emergency, she was also needed as a health worker.”

As his family navigated the emergency, Gashau faced another question: how could he continue his internship without a stable place to live?

That uncertainty eased when his then manager, Adekunle Areo, offered him accommodation at an eHealth Africa guesthouse in Maiduguri before Gashau had even formally asked for assistance.  “The organization did not only provide me with an opportunity,” Gashau said. “It protected me at a point when I needed protection. That support gave me stability when I needed it most. It meant I could continue working, learning, and developing without carrying the additional uncertainty of not having a place to stay.”

At the time, eHealth Africa had also introduced a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to help staff manage rising living costs. Gashau recalls that the support was extended to interns.

 “The cost-of-living adjustment was extended to interns as well, even though we were not full-time staff at the time,” he said.

Together, the accommodation and financial support gave Gashau greater stability to continue his internship while his family recovered from the flooding.

The accommodation remained available throughout his extended internship, providing stability as he rebuilt his personal and professional footing.

With greater stability came room to grow. What began as an internship developed into a longer professional journey as Gashau progressed from intern to consultant and eventually Operations Associate, taking on greater responsibilities along the way.

  “I transitioned to programs and supported WFP (World Food Programme) warehouse common storage in Dikwa LGA, Borno State. From there, I was transferred to Abuja, where I work with the Operations Department,” he said.

His work in Operations also gave him a clearer understanding of how the systems behind public health programs can determine whether interventions succeed.

 “If health workers cannot move safely, if equipment does not get where it needs to go, or if teams cannot travel and operate effectively, the program itself can be affected,” Gashau explained.

For Gashau, operations are no longer simply a support function. It was part of the infrastructure that enables public health teams to deliver. eHealth Africa also supported Gashau’s professional development through training courses such as Facility Management: Operations, Maintenance and Services, Risk Management: Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment, and many others, helping him build capabilities relevant to his transition into Operations.

 “eHealth Africa’s investment in my learning and development has been meaningful to me. It shows that the organization believes in you and is willing to invest in your growth,” he said.

As his own situation stabilized, Gashau found himself helping communities affected by the same emergency that had displaced his family. He helped distribute non-food items to flood-affected victims at Gubio camp in Borno and also supported the supervision of the reconstruction and expansion of the Polio Lab at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, which was affected by the flood.

Today, Gashau works as an Operations Associate in Abuja, supporting the systems and logistics that enable eHealth Africa’s teams to deliver their work effectively. His journey from an intern navigating displacement in Maiduguri to a professional contributing to public health operations reflects both personal resilience and what can become possible when people have the stability and opportunity to grow.

Perhaps Gashau describes that journey best: “I went from someone who needed support to someone who was providing support.”