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Stories from the field

Haiti Diary: Sophie Chavanel
Two extraordinary women

Port-au-Prince, February 24, 2011

I have a funny little story this week before I launch into my column. Last week, I was writing about how difficult it is to be constantly surrounded but at the same time to feel very alone away from loved ones. Today I ran into an Iranian colleague who told me that he thought that my column accurately described the situation that we are living in. My first reaction was to feel flattered, and then my next thought was: he reads Elle Québec? End of aside.

This week, on a more positive note, I want to talk to you about two extraordinary women that I have met.

When I arrived in Haiti, I replaced an amazing woman, France Hurtubise. ‘Replace’ encompasses a whole lot if you look at the career path of this communication specialist with over 30 years of experience in this field. Before being in charge of communications for the Canadian Red Cross in Haiti, one of the largest emergency operations in the history of this organization, she led communications for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Haiti. During that time, she had to hold a press conference every day to update the media from all over the world. She not only truly facilitated my arrival in Haiti by providing me with her impressive network of contacts, but has also remained a precious mentor to me. Even now, five months after her departure, I sometimes catch myself thinking "When France was around..." or "If France was here..."

Nathalie Angibeau, a policy advisor on sabbatical, is in charge of all cholera-related information for the International Federation for Red Cross. She obtained this position after having worked for six months as a visit coordinator for the Canadian Red Cross, also in Haiti. She’s a strong, determined woman with a heart of gold. In addition to being a wonderful confidante, she is absolutely hilarious with her salty jokes, and her dry comments are so down-to-earth that they always take me by surprise. My experience with the Red Cross in Haiti wouldn’t be the same without these two exceptional women, whose understanding, encouragement and advice have supported me in my hardest times.

“On January 12, 2010, the earth shook violently Haiti. I sat in the newsroom of Radio-Canada in Montreal when I heard the news. The days and weeks that followed were full of extremely strong emotions when I saw, like you, the images of a country of rubble. I then made a decision. I didn’t just want to report the events, I wanted to be there. I then started a new journey as a delegate of the Red Cross.” – Sophie Chavanel, Canadian Red Cross delegate, Haiti.

Sophie Chavanel is the senior communications coordinator for the Canadian Red Cross in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Sophie is a former journalist and joined the Red Cross team in Haiti in August 2010, where she will remain for 12 months. Follow her activities through her field diary below or on twitter at http://twitter.com/SophieChavanel.