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The journey to better

My experience at Save the Children UK

Three months in, Cynthia Adebiyi-Yekinni shares her experience of working for Save the Children

I've been working at Save for 3 months, and it's crazy to me now to reflect on almost not accepting the job offer. The past year and a half has shaken me to my very core, not only by the avalanche of this pandemic but also by the reality of the racial injustice Black people face globally, coming to the forefront.

Diving deeper

When preparing for my interview, I did a deep dive into Save and stumbled across the Ethnicity Pay Gap Report

The very existence of a pay gap between Black women and everyone else within the organisation scared me; the high turnover of Black women leaving scared me. The low levels of Black people generally within Save, let alone at senior levels frightened me! I thought to myself, how could I possibly work here, how could I work for an organisation where I could feel 'othered'?

I remember questioning the hiring manager about what was being done to recruit, retain and advance Black talent - her response was stark. She said Save the Children were at the very beginning of their journey.

The journey to better

In the week that followed the job offer, I came this close to turning it down if it was not for 2 things. First, the colleagues I reached out to within Save the Children who shared their experiences with me, and second, my former colleague who sent me Save the Children's Statement of Solidarity. 

When I read it, it dawned on me - the truth is organisations that are at the leading edge of racial equity are anomalies. Wherever I go, I will come across the very same roadblocks. 

The difference here was the list of quite frankly powerful commitments put out there publicly, that I would hold Save the Children accountable to. At least the journey had begun.

Related links:
Read our solidarity statement 2020 here.
October 2020 update on our anti-racism commitments.
Keep us accountable.

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