Fiona Jarvis, Consular Officer in Kenya

“Sometimes, Canadians can go through incredibly stressful and difficult circumstances abroad. Often, we have the opportunity to see people pull through these circumstances and really be there for each other. You see real moments of grace.”

Fiona Jarvis, a Management Consular Officer with Global Affairs Canada since 2012, is stationed at the High Commission in Nairobi, Kenya and leads consular services for Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Somalia and South Sudan. She stressed the value and importance of her locally engaged staff:

“The team of three locally engaged staff I work with have over 50 years of consular service experience between them. We really couldn’t offer the same level of service without them.”

Fiona and her team help Canadians in times of their greatest need. Many of their cases involve individuals in distress, and sadly often include children and family issues. Fiona can find her work inspiring when the embassy and diplomatic community get involved.

“There is great teamwork between the Canadian and local governments to ensure that families and children can be brought home safely. Mission staff will go the extra mile to contribute to their health and safety.”

Fiona feels most useful when she is able to empower Canadians to help themselves.

“It is inspiring to see people find solutions in difficult situations. We do our best to provide the information and the options they need to make the decisions that are best for them.”