Wherever I go, whatever I do, I am surrounded by people. Colleagues, children, it’s a great opportunity but it can be overwhelming. (Photo: Maya Helwani)
Bahram Amintorabi is a water and sanitation delegate for the Red Cross. Because of him, every day, more than 200,000 people have access to clean water. (Photo: Sophie Chavanel)
Dr. Zubair Massood, a Canadian pediatrician who works in the Carrefour region, saved Stacy’s life. She weighed very little at birth. Today, she’s a healthy and pretty little girl. (Photo : Sophie Chavanel)
Stories from the field
Haiti Diary: Sophie Chavanel
The myth of the humanitarian worker, a lonely soul
February 17, 2011
I am going to tell you a secret about humanitarian work. Many people have this image of the humanitarian worker: lonely, cargo pants, a bit dishevelled. It’s true in many cases for the cargo pants and the dishevelled look, but the humanitarian worker is far from being lonely. At least, not in this environment. Here, it is almost impossible to be alone for a moment. Most people live where they work, which means that most people never stop working! In addition, most people share a house or even a tent with several people. There are always colleagues around, or local employees, drivers, and people from other NGOs. There is always someone around you, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t feel lonely.
Many people leave behind spouses, loved ones, children, friends and if it’s hard for the people who leave, it is also hard for those left behind. The fact is that it is extremely difficult to stay in regular and satisfying contact with loved ones, even now in 2011. Electricity and internet are intermittent, and working hours are long. The fact is when people finally get onto Skype to speak to their loved ones, often the internet connection isn’t good enough, you hear one word out of every two, conversations are cut short, and the vastly different concerns of the speakers result in all sorts of frustrations.
How many times have I seen someone sitting in front of the computer with their head in their hands? Yet another conversation gone wrong, a too familiar scene. For this reason, I tip my hat to those who choose to make the sacrifice to let a family member leave to come help people in need. Huge sacrifices that are negligible when compared to the needs here in Haiti.
“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.
