Doofan Dorothy is an Admin Transit Officer in Nigeria and serves as the focal person for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the MSF office where she works. As the world celebrates International Women’s Day 2025, she discussed the challenges women face within MSF and the opportunities available for women to succeed and reach their goals. She emphasises that as a woman in MSF, “Once you identify what you want to achieve, MSF provides you with opportunities for continuous training.”
The World Economic Forum predicts it will take until 2158 to achieve full gender parity.What strategies or initiatives do you think could accelerate progress toward gender equality?
For me, I think, the first is awareness. We must create awareness for women to understand who they are and what they want. As a woman, I feel if you know exactly what you want, you’ll be able to go for that thing, and if you know who you are. We should forget about what society thinks we women are and then focus on who we want to be and then go for that thing. Women also need the support of everyone in the society to also rise.
What opportunities and challenges do women face within MSF, and how can we better support their growth and success in their roles?
In MSF, we are lucky, there is this avenue for continuous training that MSF has provided. To me, I see that as an opportunity that MSF has given to women to evolve in their careers and to be able to take up higher positions. That’s why in the first instance I said it is up to the women to know what they want to achieve. Once you are in MSF, at least if you can identify what you want to achieve, MSF has provided you with this avenue of continuous training. We encourage women to speak out when they face challenges – because only they truly understand the nature of the challenges they're experiencing. If you speak out, MSF has provided a support mechanism to tackle such challenges.
As the focal person for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), can you share your experiences and accomplishments in promoting inclusivity within the organisation?
As the focal person for DEI, I strive to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and empowered. I encourage women to pursue their goals and ambitions. In my office, a breastfeeding room has been provided for nursing mums to support them to manage family as well as their career. You cannot say because you are a woman, you’ll limit yourself, why would you do that? One of my initiatives is to establish a women's group, where women can share their experiences, provide support, and encourage one another. By promoting inclusivity and diversity, we can create a more vibrant and dynamic organisation. We are striving to create a workplace where every individual, regardless of gender, ethnicity, ability, sexual orientation, or background, has the opportunity to thrive and contribute to our shared mission.
As we celebrate International Women's Day 2025, what message or advice would you like to share with women and what qualities or experiences have empowered you as a strong woman?
The message that I’ll leave for women is that, even within the community in which you are living, if people think that you are a lesser being, prove to them that you are not. First, it’s just for you to understand that this is what you want, make up your mind and you’ll see that you’ll be able to attain the height to which people do not think you could attain. And at the end of the day, when you look at where you started, you’ll be proud of yourself and then you’ll become an inspiration to other women. As women, we have this extra responsibility of caring for our families, but we are already strong, and we can be able to balance both. That is why we are intelligent beings. So, let’s not let ourselves limit ourselves. When I see an opportunity, I try as much as possible to grab it and when I encounter challenges, I don't easily give up, but I try to scale through every challenge that comes my way. And for everything I want to achieve, I always have this mindset that if ‘A’ can achieve it, I can also achieve the same thing. So, this keeps me going.
Can you share an inspiring story of a woman who has made a positive impact in your community or organisation?
I'd like to share the story of our former Human Resource Coordinator. She became an inspiration to me because when she came to Nigeria for a family mission, she came with her three children and the last child was just eight months old when she arrived. Balancing work and family life with ease, she radiates confidence, strength, and enthusiasm. Her ability to manage her team, care for her family, and pursue new opportunities was truly admirable. You can’t help but admire her. You can never see her leaving anything undone when it is due, and when it gets to family matters, she’s also committed, each time I want to give up, I remember her, and how she has been able to cope with work and at the same time take care of her family, especially the children. She is a very big inspiration for me.
