Respectful Secours Islamique France Recruitment Committee,

I am writing to apply for the position of Program Coordinator at your respectful

organization, advertised on reliefweb.int website. I am a recent graduate of University
College London (UCL)- Institute of Education, with a master degree in Social Policy and
Social Research.

In April 2017, I joined Emergency Response Center International (ERCI) as a volunteer

in Camp Elpida in Thessaloniki, Greece for a month. Besides taking part in the daily
camp operations, my main role was assisting with translation and community liaising.
Besides being a native Arabic speaker and a fluent English speaker, my cultural capital
(coming from the same cultural background as most of the camp residents and studying
in a western culture) has enabled me to act as a vital link between the camp residents
and different actors on-site. During my stay at the camp, I started a personal blog
ScentOfRefuge that I used as a means of personal reflection. The blog was later cross-
published on OpenDemocracy and NakedCapitalism under the title of Seeking refuge in
refugees. Recently, I was featured on the BBC Radio (Arabic) to present a self-authored
story about my experience in Greece. This experience, although relatively short, has
confirmed my resolve to formalize my dedication to the ongoing refugee crisis and join
the field on full-time basis.

Formally, I have accumulated five years of work experience revolving mostly around
social research, operations and management. I have worked at a government institution
(Ministry of International Cooperation in Egypt), a non-profit organization (the Aga Khan
Agency for Microfinance), and a large corporation (Mentor graphics). In my recent post
at the Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance (AKAM), my role included monitoring and
evaluation of the social and financial performance of the foundations six branches
around Egypt, through site visits and system checks and balances. It further included
daily supervision and support of the branches operations, monitoring their compliance
with policies and standard operating procedures, as well as reassuring implementation
of the recommendations required by the internal audit department. I, thereafter,
conducted regular revisions to the organizations internal policies accordingly.

Throughout my career, I have conducted research and disseminated results in short

periods of time, worked with people from diverse backgrounds, managed research
groups, interns and volunteers, carried out research-related operations, and worked both
independently and in teams. I am highly committed, flexible, proactive and with highly
supportive attitude in the workplace. Further, my experience in a large corporation
(Mentor Graphics Egypt) has equipped me with excellent multi-tasking and
communication skills and trained me on delivering in short periods of time and in many
times with little supervision.

Over the course of 12 years now (since I joined university as an undergraduate), I have
been socially engaged with different causes through various civic initiatives in Egypt, and
recently England and Greece. In Egypt, I have worked with homeless children, juvenile
delinquencies, poor families and students with disabilities. As an undergraduate student,
I served as the head of different student societies concerned with child rights. In my
session as the president of Fed student society, I allocated part of the organizations
mandate and resources to revising child laws and policies in Egypt, particularly laws and
policies regarding children at risk and juvenile delinquencies, jointly with the National
Council for Childhood and Motherhood together with concerned MPs. In addition, during
my one-year study in England, I have engaged with groups and causes such as: LGBT+
(LGBT+ Against Islamophobia group), people with disabilities and refugees.

Given my relevant experience and qualification, I believe I can be a suitable candidate

for successfully carrying out the duties of the Programme Coordinator at Secours
Islamique France. I am open to all your inquiries, and I look forward to hear from you.

Thank you for your consideration

Sincerely,
Esraa,