We live in a time full of pressing challenges. Some come, others go. But one challenge has existed for far too long: global food shortage. International organisations such as the World Food Programme (WFP) play a crucial role in tackling this problem.

Since July 2022, we – the Bundesrechnungshof – have had the mandate to audit the WFP. What does this work look like? Our colleague Andrea Schuch gives us an insight into her (working) life as a member of the WFP team at the Bundesrechnungshof.

• Andrea Schuch, 63 years, senior auditor
• Since 1993 at the Bundesrechnungshof
• Since 1998 a member of various teams auditing financial statements of international organisations
• Core staff auditor of the WFP unit
• Hobbies: family, sport and culture

I am well equipped for this task, as I have been able to gather a lot of experience: I have been auditing the financial statements of international organisations for a quarter of a century. For example, I have been involved in auditing the IAEA, OSCE, UNHCR, UNDP and the UN organisations behind the Paris Climate Agreement.

The most recent “challenge”

 In summer 2022, I reached another milestone of my professional life: I became a member of the WFP audit team. It is a job that I am passionate about and committed to – but it also challenges me anew every day. Not least due to the distances that I have to travel to reach audited sites. Both geographically and culturally.

Of course, not every fact can be assessed from a distance. That is rarely possible. I rather need a feeling for my counterpart, for the people working at the audited body: How authentic, friendly, self-confident or dismissive does a person behave when confronted with audit findings? Which documents have not been made available or only hesitantly? Which documents have we received without asking?

And it is almost impossible to look into refugee camps, food and money distribution centres, warehouses, offices, branch offices, vehicle fleets, staff and contractual partners remotely.

Travelling – an essential part of the job

 For me, this has meant travelling to the African countries of Burundi, Senegal and Cameroon in recent months. Due to the security situation, the daily routine of such trips is almost always as follows:

We use a special transport service from the hotel to the office and back again in the evening. On some days, we check a distribution centre or warehouse directly on site. Do you want to “stretch your legs” during your lunch break or after work? No way. The neighbourhood is not safe enough.

During this time, I have experienced four hotel rooms, and thus four different standards as to mattresses, hygiene, air conditioning, anti-mosquito equipment and restaurants.

Speaking of restaurants – when it comes to food, the following rules applies: water and other drinks from sealed bottles, no salad, no unpeeled fruit, well-cooked vegetables and meat, nothing greasy, nothing spicy – unless the restaurant’s hygiene standards can be trusted. We hardly ever eat out, and if we do so, then only in the direct neighbourhood and with the whole team.

My days are filled with interviews, studying documents and analysing data – with often unstable Wi-Fi. In addition to the performance of these “non-routine” tasks, the seeing of the starving and needy people living in the poorest of conditions drain my mental strength.

A sense of gratitude

Again and again, my experiences make me realise that our western standards are pretty high. And then I am full of gratitude. For a life without hunger and for the fact that my job allows me to make a small contribution to improving the lives of people in need.

The regular audit of the WFP conducted by the Bundesrechnungshof is crucial to achieve this goal. If we help to ensure that available funds are used appropriately and that as many people in need as possible are reached, then I am happy to take on the hardships. An important anchor in this context is our great team showing a lot of mutual respect and support.

Would you like to find out more about our WFP audit mandate? You can find more information here.