YouSaid · the spoken record

Tjada D'Oyen McKenna

lines on the record: 31
first: 2022-03-10
most recent: 2022-03-10
sittings or episodes: 1
sources: podcast

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“I am smiling and I have gotten the energy, but I think self-care is really important. People read your moods. They know what's going on. They're kind of looking to you to signal that everything's going to be okay. So making sure, Cecio, that you have those outlets, there's so much greatness in the people that work for us and with us. We lead, but we couldn't lead without all those people doing what they do well and really taking time to absorb that and marvel at the talent and to appreciate it. I think also energizes me tremendously.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Please join us. Our website is www.mercycorps.org, and that's M-E-R-C-Y-C-O-R-P-S.org. And if you are a company with a technology or some other kinds of expertise, please reach out to us. The website will tell you how to do that as well. And we'd love to chat.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“That holds up the support for all of it, like our crisis analytics teams that support multiple countries across the globe. So I encourage people to think broadly about it as a system.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“The resources never come in commensurate to the need, and so that's why we do always have to encourage people to give more. And those are resources from government as well as individuals and private foundations. And I really worry sometimes about the longer-term resources needed. And we definitely grapple with that in places like Afghanistan or Yemen and Myanmar. When I sent an email to our team about what we were doing, I got a note back from a staffer in Myanmar that basically was saying don't forget about us. And we haven't forgotten about them for one second, you know. And so that's what I worry about is kind of some of the long term and the knock-on effects of that. What's really helpful to us is when people give, oh, yes, we have a Ukrainian response fund, but when people give us money that's more flexibly earmarked either for disasters broadly or other things, it really helps us to invest in the infrastructure.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I think some of it is unintentional bias. I think we've seen a lot in this situation. We've seen newscasters or people say things like, you know, Europeans aren't supposed to be refugees or, you know, and I don't think people are constantly trying to be racist. It's just they may not be used to seeing people in those situations. Bias is one. And the other I think people don't realize how evolved humanitarian assistance has become and how smart aid is really working to be most efficient with every dollar used. And so I think sometimes that contributes to fatigue. Like, well, you've been in this business all along. Like, why haven't these things ended? But, you know, we're humans and humans are going to fight. And we're also in this world of great climate change. So I think the needs will always be there.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“You know, on a bigger level for all of us, just the inhumanity of the situation. We are an impartial and independent aid organization. So we always work in both government-controlled and non-government-controlled areas where possible and try to serve people's needs. But this kind of mass migration and displacement is, you know, it has ripple effects, huge loss in culture and community. When you think about the importance of the Ukrainian economy to the world and the fact that it was a big exporter of food, that also will cause short to medium term pain for a lot. And then the ripple effects of resources to Ukraine at the expense of other things is certainly a huge factor. And we're still living in the midst of COVID and a global pandemic. So it all compounds. And that's why I am really seized with this idea of a bigger us and people.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“One of our, I won't tell you how long she served because she might be embarrassed, but our head of security is a fabulous woman named Dee Galuba and a gift to anyone would be to spend an hour talking to Dee as our lead of security. And she's been in and out of every country we've worked, every conflict. So she has been there in Syria, in Turkey, in Afghanistan. She knows really well. Yemen. And she's right there on the ground in the region right now in Ukraine and Romania. So we have kind of the teams that are the first to enter and we have a network of people that come join us. And we try to keep them in the safest positions possible. But they do take risk every day. And it's sobering.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Of the things I love about Mercy Corps is we not only address immediate needs, but we address the underlying conditions and really work for that long term resilience. So in our parlance, that means we do immediate humanitarian work. We do what we consider longer-term development work.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“So the COO role is fun if you are a bit of a nerd like I am because you get to do all the technical stuff to make things work. I love the CEO role as well because as a CEO, your job is not only to make sure things work, but your job is also to kind of provide that vision and inspiration for people. There's definitely more stress that comes with it. But I also get to experience more of our staff. And I'm so inspired by the work that they do every day. Mercy Corps is very adept at running into burning buildings and knowing how to help and being agile. I'm just so immensely grateful to be able to be colleagues with this team.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Exactly. And sometimes even more. And I think the danger is that we get fatigued, right? So I can imagine a year from now, I hope this doesn't come to pass. You know, we'll see how things resolve. But it's not outside of the realm if possible that a year from now that we're like begging people to keep paying attention to the Ukraine and the needs there, right? Our attention spans on these things are sometimes short or something feels like it's intractable, but that's not true. A lot of individuals have been able to thrive in places that you hear about a lot like Afghanistan and Yemen and there are organizations like ours trying to help them do so. And so we just cannot let up anywhere.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Community that we are a part of, even when we don't want to be, and really see that it benefits all of us for economic and security and humanity reasons to be addressing these situations on all fronts.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Sunflower oil and corn. And in fact, I've seen some estimates that Ukraine was providing like 80% of the wheat that was available in places like Yemen and Lebanon. So the ripple effects of this are quite great in terms of food insecurity and other places we serve. The world is very fragile and very interconnected. And if anything good were to come from COVID, I would hope that we really realize that this is a bigger us. Like these things are not contained within one border or within one population. I've heard stories of Ukrainian tourists being trapped in other countries now needing support in those countries because they can't go back home. We saw that with COVID, with global supply chains, with a virus that moved. So I really hope that people see all of these, not just Ukraine as part of a bigger us and a bigger global.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“The resources flowing into Ukraine are unprecedented and they are welcome. However, there are geopolitical reasons why Ukraine is getting so many resources. The fact that a nuclear country is involved and it's very close to the West. But what we are encouraging and actively trying to advocate for is for people to not forget what's happening in other parts of the world. You have Afghanistan on the brink of economic collapse, which has put a lot of people into poverty through no faults of their own. We have droughts in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia after a few seasons of no rain. We think up to 14 million people could end up in extreme hunger needs there. And you also have existing crises in Yemen, Myanmar, South Sudan. We work in all these places. And Ukraine was actually part of the solution for some of these places. So Ukraine was a major exporter of wheat.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“That's why we're testing now, right? I mean, that ability to be able to access money from different places is appealing. I don't have huge results to share now, but we feel an obligation to really lean into these things to figure out the best up-to-date tools, but also to help those providers understand how they can work with their products to be more safer for people in situations where we work. So it is a very much two-way conversation that's really healthy to have.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Part of what we do is really link up with private sector and corporations and technology companies to figure out what solutions or innovations or ideas that we can bring to bear. We've worked with companies.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yeah, that's part of what's great about our use of technology, especially after COVID, right? It used to be in some context you'll still see this, people like waiting in line and getting their $50 or $80 or whatever. Now a lot of it is mobile money and other things that don't require contact, but that still allow us to trace and know that the right people are getting what they need.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Support right away. And then you'll see Africans or Indians or other people of color who are students or migrant workers being completely ignored and abandoned. Same when we think about the disabled or elderly or people that can't move. So it's about being smarter, making sure that the resources go to where they're most needed and make the biggest impact that they can. So providing cash for people to shop locally. It also helps to defray the tensions from the communities that sometimes receive displaced people. Many of those communities are not wealthy themselves. And so when they see resources flowing in, they need to benefit as well for that longer-term cohesion.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Local economies, and it also gives people in these traumatic situations the dignity to be able to provide for themselves. The critical part is working with local organizations and local staff. About 85% of our total workforce is from the communities where we serve. It's a smarter response. It's people who understand the culture. They speak the language. It also is part of that empowerment and letting people be the masters of their own destinies. We also really focus on inclusion these days, right? Even in a terrible situation like now, our biases, people's inherent biases are there and we see them at play. And it's not that people aren't well-meaning, but we do need to focus on people who are marginalized within societies. Our team is seeing at firsthand what our team in Poland is reporting is they see the trains coming in with people and the whites Ukrainians are being showered with things.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Able to tap into? Absolutely. We're leveraging those relationships with government and local organizations that we had from the past, the people that were the country directors in Ukraine are still working with us in other places and we've certainly brought them out to help us navigate. We have been doing this for a while and for us it's about providing smart aid. A lot of ideas that people had about aid or what happens in these situations are outdated or we've learned as a sector to do things better. Cash is always preferred over goods, right? I heard a story of a colleague of mine who was at a border crossing and they said, you know, a truck came in kind of clogging up the line to get in just full of winter coats sent by people across Europe. And obviously this is very well meaning, but the Ukraine is a cold country itself. Already had their coats with them. And so cash really allows us to get what people need right away. It allows us to promote.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Right, and this situation is very different from the last time, just in terms of the scale and the fact that there isn't a part of the country that's able to operate while the other part isn't.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“The fact that we had been on the ground in Ukraine before really helps. We had relationships with organizations on the ground. And some of our staff who led our operations in Ukraine in the past are still with us today and are able to come back and assist. It always helps. When we went in before, I mean, it was a point of urgent conflict. We were able to reach more than 200,000 people, mostly in eastern Ukraine by distributing cash, food, water, sanitation, supplies, helping people restore their war-damaged homes. But we also worked to build long-term resilience in places. And so if the government is able to take over, if local organizations are functioning well, then we move those resources elsewhere. You know, many of the countries we work in were there for a long periods of time, but we always celebrate when we are able to leave, right? You know, ultimately our goal is to work ourselves out of jobs. And sometimes we leave and end up going back.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Certainly, people are asking all those questions when they encounter us and others. And I think our guidance is to really help them assess what's the best situation for them and where their possibilities. That's why we have our analytics to know what's possible. But it's just such a rapidly evolving situation. And everyone has a lot of difficult choices to make. So ultimately, a lot of it may be sometimes just listening as people work through different scenarios in their heads.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“We're hearing heartbreaking stories. A woman who escaped Kyiv and made it to Romania told us that she didn't even remember what day it was. Her child was having nightmares and she left her pregnant sister behind in the basement of a Kyiv maternity hospital. Another woman sheltering in Kiev with her daughter and older mother told us that she couldn't get her next round of chemotherapy now that the health clinics are closed. We see people trying to evacuate and get on trains out of the country, but they're overwhelmed. We also see men who have been told to stay, who are facing conscription, trying to figure out how to navigate that and how to deal with the reality of what their life is now.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“So there are, and we coordinate very closely. I'm part of a small UN security assistance that coordinates with the lead UN agencies on emergencies. Mercy Corps, what we do is we work with people who are suffering from conflict and climate, and we help them to survive where they are now, but more importantly, we really work to help them thrive wherever they are now. So our focus tends to be food, water, economic opportunities, and helping people to be in community intense situations. And we're trying to work with populations, not only in the moment of crisis, but also ultimately through to a point of resilience and strength for the individuals and the communities that we work with.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Ukraine has 40 million people. Right now we've seen over 1.5 million people leave. The UN estimates that up to 10 million could leave, but more broadly, a lot of people are displaced within Ukraine. They've had to leave their homes or their cities for whatever reason. So we are in there doing some of the things I already talked about, like providing cash, providing information, providing assistance, and also trying to help coordinate with other actors. If you think about it, all the basic systems are down, right? So basic things like food, water, essential health supplies, cots, a place to sleep, all those things are in need.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“They were setting things up so we're in Poland and Romania. We actually have people on the ground in Ukraine right now. So they were identifying local community organizations that would be prepared to support people getting set up at the different entry points, working with government agencies. We were going to be prepared either way, although everyone was hoping that this would not come to pass.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Obviously, a lot of it's being reactive. We have a crisis analytics team that's doing things like monitoring movements of supplies or people so that it helps us to go to where we are needed most quickly. And it also helps us to identify what those needs are when you mix in weather patterns, food patterns, all kinds of things that you can know about a population ahead of time. So that's part of our day-to-day work is that crisis analytics analysis that we're able to do.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“And dazed and confused. And so really helping people to get to safety, connecting them with local organizations, and get their immediate needs met.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“This is immense, and it's a scale that we have not seen in quite a while. We really go in and assess needs. We've had a team on the ground for weeks as this was threatened, talking to local communities, preparing in Poland and in Romania and in neighboring states for people to arrive. And the first thing is to really give people the immediate support that they need. A lot of people, when they think of aid, they think of people on the ground handing out blankets. And that's just not how it works these days. We are first providing to people cash. You know, a lot of people showed up with nothing. They need a place to stay. They need a bed. So we're providing them with information on where to go, cash to have their immediate needs met and to be able to do that in a way that also benefits the local economy. And we're also there with psychosocial support, especially in this situation in the early days when men were prevented from leaving Ukraine. You saw women and children arriving devastated.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Resources flowing into Ukraine are unprecedented and they are welcome. However, what we are encouraging and actively trying to advocate for is for people to not forget what's happening in other parts of the world. We work in all these places and Ukraine was actually part of the solution for some of these places. So the world is very fragile and very interconnected and these things are not contained within one border or within one population. If you are a company with a technology or some other kinds of expertise, please reach out to us. But we do is we work with people who are suffering and we help them to survive where they are now, but more importantly, we really help them thrive.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“We see people trying to evacuate and get on trains out of the country, but they're overwhelmed. People showed up with nothing. They need a place to stay. Women and children arriving devastated. We also see men who are facing conscription, trying to figure out how to navigate that. You'll see Africans or Indians or other people of color who are students or migrant workers being completely ignored and abandoned.”
2022-03-10 · Masters of Scale · Rapid Response: On the ground in Ukraine w/Mercy Corps’ Tjada D'Oyen McKenna · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT