Guest post by Elizabeth Smith, media advisor at the Canadian Red Cross
As an administrator of a series of emergency-type hospitals in remote parts of the world, Erwan Cheneval has had to supervise, plan, develop, and monitor them and maintain appropriate standards of care. Meeting these challenges in abnormal circumstances is doubly hard.
But whether working in post-typhoon Philippines or in a Pakistani border town known as a hub for arms and drug smuggling – and a stopgap for Afghan refugees – Erwan thrives in these settings. With a background in environmental science, this Montrealer has come to directly know about adaptation.
“I like working intensely, in a certain rhythm, and in a context of constant change,” says Erwan. “The project is extremely interesting, with rapid developments and variations.” He finds that giving to others brings balance to his own life. Recently, at the University of Montreal his “other” life featured research on biological and chemical risks to people at their workplace.
Erwan Cheneval (left) is photographed here with another Canadian Red Cross aid worker, Patrice Gordon, at the Ebola treatment centre in Sierra Leone earlier this month.
He draws on all of his experiences, and a positive outlook, as he conducts administrative work in the Red Cross Ebola Treatment Centre in Kenema, Sierra Leone. There he manages staffing, finances and the procurement of a wide range of supplies. The Kenema district is hard-hit by the Ebola outbreak. The treatment centre, with a 60-bed capacity, has so far admitted 354 patients since it opened in September, 2014; 149 patients have been discharged as of mid-December.
While this is Erwan’s second deployment with the Red Cross, it’s his first time on this type of assignment. Any concerns he has about contracting Ebola are offset, he says, by his confidence in the Red Cross’ set of protocols that are in place to protect aid workers. Full training and support is provided to all personnel who deploy to West Africa, including a comprehensive course in Ebola virus prevention.
The Canadian Red Cross is looking for additional paid personnel to join its fight against Ebola, including administrators such as Erwan. Please see Ebola response jobs for further information.