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By: Diloro Normatova

Diloro Normatova is a former Humanitarian Assistance Officer from USAID’s Bureau of Humanitarian Affairs. She is the Founder of ORO Sweets, based in Ashburn, Virginia.

For years, I believed I knew exactly who I was…. – I was a humanitarian!

Growing up in Tajikistan, hospitality was never simply about food. It was how we welcomed guests, celebrated milestones, comforted one another, and showed respect. No one left our home without tea, something sweet, and a conversation. Looking back, I realize those moments quietly shaped my understanding of what community really means.

Years later, that same belief guided my career with USAID.

Whether supporting families displaced by conflict in Iraq, coordinating humanitarian programs across multiple regions, or helping respond to hurricanes and sudden-onset disasters, my work was never only about funding or logistics. It was about people. It was about preserving dignity, creating hope, and bringing communities together during their most difficult moments.

Like many in our community, I never imagined that one day I would have to navigate my own transition. When the recent changes reshaped our professional lives, I found myself asking a question I had never seriously considered: Who am I without this work?

For a while, I wasn’t sure I had an answer. I’ve always loved creating desserts. Baking had been a passion for years, but during this transition it became something more. It gave me peace when life felt uncertain. Then something unexpected happened. People weren’t just coming for dessert. They stayed to talk. Families laughed together. Children proudly showed their parents what they had made. Couples turned workshops into date nights. People who had never met before left exchanging phone numbers and planning to see each other again. That’s when I realized I hadn’t stopped building community. I had simply found a different table around which to do it.

As ORO Sweets began to grow, I also realized I wasn’t starting from zero. Everything humanitarian work had taught me was still with me. Project management became planning workshops and events. Stakeholder engagement became partnerships with local cafés, restaurants, and wineries. Risk management became running a business. Years of coordinating with governments, NGOs, donors, and private-sector partners taught me how to lead under pressure, adapt quickly, solve complex problems, and build trust. Those skills didn’t disappear when my job ended. They simply found a new purpose. 

One lesson has stayed with me throughout this journey. Today, I define luxury differently than I once did. Luxury isn’t something expensive. Luxury is uninterrupted time. It’s putting our phones away for a few hours. It’s sitting around one table. It’s creating something with our own hands. It’s making memories we’ll remember long after dessert is gone. Perhaps that’s what humanitarian work has always tried to protect not only people’s survival, but their opportunity to live meaningful lives together!

That belief has become the foundation of ORO Sweets. But this journey has also inspired an even bigger dream. In humanitarian work, I had the privilege of learning from incredible people and cultures around the world. Every country taught me something different about resilience, hospitality, and community. I wanted to continue celebrating that diversity.

This fall, ORO Sweets will launch “Flavors Around the World,” a series of immersive dessert experiences inspired by cultures from across the globe. Rather than simply serving desserts, each workshop invites guests to discover the stories, traditions, and history behind them.

We’ll begin in Central Asia sharing the flavors and traditions that shaped my childhood, before traveling together through Italy, France, Japan, Latin America, and beyond.

For me, desserts have become a universal language. They create curiosity, they spark conversation, they remind us that while our cultures may be different, gathering around a table is something we all understand.

This transition has reminded me that careers evolve, but purpose doesn’t have to!

Many of us in the OneAID community are rebuilding our professional lives. Some are launching businesses. Others are exploring entirely new careers. Many are still searching for what’s next. Whatever that next chapter looks like, I hope we don’t underestimate what years of humanitarian service have given us.

We know how to lead through uncertainty. We know how to build trust across cultures. We know how to solve problems that seem impossible. Most importantly, we know how to care deeply about people. Those aren’t just professional skills. They’re part of who we are!

Today, I continue pursuing a remote Program Management role while growing ORO Sweets. That balance gives me the stability to keep investing in a dream that extends beyond my own business.

One day, I hope to open an ORO studio in DMV area as well as in Tajikistan, creating opportunities for local pastry professionals while continuing to connect cultures through desserts and meaningful experiences.

Because after all these years, I don’t believe my mission has changed. I still want to bring people together. I still want to create connection where it is needed most. I still want people to leave feeling a little more hopeful than when they arrived. The tools simply look different now. Sometimes humanitarian assistance looks like emergency operations. Sometimes it looks like rebuilding communities after conflict.

And sometimes…

It begins with sharing a piece of tiramisu around one table.

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