While in SA on vacation, my wife and I found the post, as program manager for a Danish relief organisation in Liberia, advertised on relief web. Previously we had been told by others within the aid world, that the Scandinavian aid organisations paid best, and after 5 years of working for peanuts with other groups, I looked up Harper on the net, found some pictures of the beaches and then decided to try for the post. Very quickly they replied and I soon found myself in Copenhagen lodged at an 800 euro a day hotel waiting for an interview. Good start and I gave my best effort to make sure I got the post. 2 days later I was back in Germany at home and still looking for available work. I almost accepted an Afghanistan posting with someone else, but the Danes came through first and I found myself back in Copenhagen at a briefing on my way to Liberia. The contract was for a year to close a 5 year project and to distribute half a million dollars of assets to the local population and authorities. It was clearly stipulated by the head of section that the money should all be spent with nothing remaining at the end of the year. A bit of confusion surrounding the information on what assets actually existed, but this was a normal situation with most organisations, with the HQ not completely up to date on what was going on in the field. No question of saving any funds as had always been the case with previously. Good salary and lots of money to spend-a seemingly perfect situation. My wife was pregnant and we did not want anymore war postings as we had had previously in Angola, Ethiopia, Somalia, Guinea and Zaire where we had even been taken hostage-albeit for a short time, but the stress was enough and we were looking for a quiet posting by the sea somewhere.
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