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The IFRC operation aimed to meet the needs of 25,000 affected people in the areas of shelter, hygiene promotion, water and sanitation, psychosocial support, first aid, relief distribution and disinfection of wells.
With the country’s capital of Antananarivo also impacted by the flooding, the operation required a significant amount of coordination and flexibility to meet the needs of an already vulnerable population in an urbanized environment.
The Canadian Red Cross, with support from the Government of Canada, is investing in operational leadership and supporting delegates like Erwan to fill such crucial roles in international Red Cross response.
Canadian Red Cross piloted the first Operations Manager training within the Red Cross Movement, bringing together high calibre delegates to build their knowledge and equip them with the right tools to manage emergency operations.
“They have good capacity in Madagascar and they have well-trained people," said Erwan. "But it comes down to the relationship with the national society. If this doesn’t exist then nothing happens.”
Erwan explains the operation’s success was largely attributed to the strong capacity of the Malagasy Red Cross and volunteers, and the valuable relationships he was able to build with the national society.
Canadian Red Cross aid worker Erwan Cheneval recently took on an important role in helping coordinate the flood response caused by Cyclone Chedza in Madagascar. As Operations Manager for the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), Erwan helped liaise between the Malagasy Red Cross and the IFRC to see the operation through its final two months of implementation.
It wasn't Erwan's first emergency response experience. He has previously been deployed to the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan, and
we blogged about his work in Sierra Leone as part of the Ebola response.
The Canadian Red Cross, with support from the Government of Canada, is investing in operational leadership and supporting aid workers like Erwan to fill such crucial roles in international Red Cross response. This includes Operations Manager training for Red Cross aid workers to help them build the knowledge and equip them with the right tools to manage emergency operations of various sizes and complexities.
We wish Erwan the best of luck on his next deployement. This time, he will support operations aimed at assisting Burundi refugees in both Rwanda and Tanzania.
Read Erwan's
full story here.