When we think of the damage caused by disasters, we tend to think of basic needs like shelter, water, food, and health, but we often forget how many other emotional, mental, and spiritual things are effected in a disaster. Red Cross psychosocial delegates like Sandra Damota, of Toronto, Ontario, work to minimize the long term impact of a disaster by helping to bring a sense of normalcy to a community by doing things like creating safe places for children to play.
Sandra joined the Red Cross Emergency Response Unit team in 2012. She has undergone training alongside other healthcare experts with the Red Cross field hospital, and late last year she was sent to Zimbabwe for a hands-on training experience working with remote communities. Just a short time after she returned from Zimbabwe, Sandra was deployed to new Jersey with other Canadian Red Crossers to help families affected by Hurricane Sandy. In New Jersey, she worked on the "Search and Serve" team, where her main role was to locate individuals who were most vulnerable and provide psychosocial support if needed.
One of her most memorable experiences was of speaking to a young boy whose family had to cancel their trip to Disney World due to the storm, and the family had lost all of the money they paid for their trip. It just so happened that Sandra and the psychosocial support had been distributing Mickey Mouse stuffed toys as part of their outreach work. When she presented the last Mickey Mouse doll in their car, the little boy's eyes lit up with excitement.
"It's the little things sometimes that make the greatest impact.”