Voices from the Capacity Project

Aquilino Michael Oduma is especially friendly these days. Whenever he meets a security guard at the Ministry of Health, "I say, how are you, how are your children? I have a pound here, you can go and have some tea." In the past, he admits, "I was harsh." Rushing to deal with his heavy workload, he would brush off lower-level staff: "No no no, you cannot talk with me!" But now, he says, "I have developed being good to people"—and this is turning out to make a big difference in his work.

As a teenager, Aquilino had to flee to Uganda when war broke out. He did well in school and made his way to London to study medical demography. Equipped with a diploma and coursework from prestigious institutions, Aquilino returned to Southern Sudan permanently in 1983 and advanced to a high position at the state-level Ministry of Health in Eastern Equitoria. “Because of lack of manpower, I’m director of health planning and training, and I’m also director of human resources for health development and monitoring and evaluation.”

In collaboration with the Capacity Project, the Kenya Ministry of Health has been implementing the Work Climate Improvement (WCI) Initiative over the last two years.