Thomas Carnegie, Canadian Red Cross shelter program manager in Haiti, provides guidance to a shelter team in the region of Léogane.
Stories from the field
Haiti Diary: Sophie Chavanel
My team in Port-au-Prince
August 5, 2010
In recent days I have had a chance to meet Red Cross staff and volunteers working in Haiti. I am impressed to see the quality of people with whom I have the chance to work over the next year; professional people, with hearts on their sleeves that can move mountains, but are also tired and stressed.
Everyone works very hard and it shows, as they want to see results. What I’ve also noticed is everyone often says this it is the most complex situation they have ever faced. This is the largest Red Cross humanitarian response in a single country in its history. The magnitude of the disaster is enormous, especially in a country where there were already so many needs.
For the next 12 months I will live in Pétion-ville, in a shared house in the mountains. I have three roommates: Nathalie Angibeau, France Hurtubise and Thomas Carnegie.
Nathalie Angibeau is a Canadian of Haitian descent and former political advisor from Quebec. Nathalie is a strong, determined woman that I think I will get along with well. France Hurtubise is the person I am replacing as communications delegate. She will stay in Haiti for a few extra weeks before completing her mission. She has nearly 20 years of experience in this field and has made my arrival smooth and easy. I feel lucky because she has shared her impressive book of contacts and showed me around Port-au-Prince, as if she had lived here forever.
Lastly, there is Thomas. He is a dedicated man who seems to work day and night. He is one of the key people here in Haiti, as he is responsible for the Canadian Red Cross shelter program. With so much work to be done, he certainly has a lot of pressure on his shoulders!
“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.
