Now his experience has propelled him to some of the most desperate corners of the world, including his most recent assignment, as Catholic Relief Services’ area manager in Darfur, Sudan.

At the end of January, Zhao arrived in Habila, a southern part of West Darfur near the Chad border that is a potentially volatile section of the country. As an area manager, Zhao is responsible for relief programming for a cluster of camps for internally displaced refugees. These responsibilities include the delivery of food supplies as well as the proper provision of shelter, water and sanitation.

It’s a huge task, given that Catholic Relief Services is one of the few relief services allowed to operate in the region. But Zhao is as capable as anyone, having previously worked in Sierra Leone, where he coordinated the Catholic Relief Services’ efforts to improve child nutrition and food security.