Our very own Red Crosser, Jean-Pierre Taschereau (most of us know him as JP) is one of the aid workers featured in a documentary that is scheduled to premiere in Ontario on TVO tonight.
The documentary, Inside Disaster Haiti, follows the work of the Red Cross immediately following the Jan. 12 earthquake last year. The film was also shown on Jan. 9 on Canal D in Quebec.
JP led the International Red Cross response immediately following the earthquake. I asked him some questions about the film, and what it was like to be part of it:
1. Have you watched the film yet? Was it emotional watching the film?
Yes, I have. The first time watching it, 5 minutes in I had to stop watching it. It brought back a lot of emotions that I didn't know were there, especially watching the story about the kid that we helped at the base camp. It was amazing that it was caught on film.
2. What do you think about it?
It reflects well the dilemmas we were facing. A year later, listening to what we were saying then, it shows how clearly we knew how complex responding to this disaster was going to be. A year later, there is still so much to do. It's kind of weird, but it shows what we accomplished then, but because of all the challenges after that, it looks like a drop in the ocean.
3. How does it feel to be one of the central “characters” in the film?
It was an honour to be leading the response as a team leader, and being able to bring a face to what was a massive global effort. We had people from 31 countries in Haiti, and staff and volunteers around the world assisting with this effort. We realized that we were part of this massive chain. Everything was made possible by everyone behind us backing us up.
4. What was it like to have a film crew following you around? Did it impact your work?
They rapidly became part of the team. They lived with us at base camp and shared the same hardships with us. They went out of the way to not put additional strain on us. Everyone wanted the film to succeed, so it was a team effort.