International Aid Work (Page 16)

Sandra is a psychosocial support aid worker with the Canadian Red Cross. When disasters and emergencies strike, the obvious stuff – damaged homes, destroyed infrastructure, injured people – sometimes makes it easy to overlook the damage that’s invisible. We can be impacted by disaster and emergency in many ways and can experience deep trauma that doesn’t simply go away once physical damage is addressed. Recovering from these events requires emotional care just as much as it requires physical care. 

August 19 is World Humanitarian Day, and we’re celebrating the work of Canadian Red Cross humanitarians. Whether responding to emergencies, helping to rebuild following disasters, or assisting in strengthening communities around the world – these people work tirelessly! Medical practitioners, engineers, electricians, social workers and more support humanitarian efforts. Here are just a few of the blog posts from the last year that look at the work of Canadian Red Cross humanitarians.

Here at the Red Cross, we can’t do what we do without volunteers! We get a lot of questions from people wondering how they can volunteer with the Red Cross as an international aid worker. Here's what we look for in an international aid worker. 

Participants crouch down in groups on the ground of a hotel in Ottawa with dried spaghetti sticks and marshmallows. The aim of the team-building exercise is to work together to come up with a way to create the highest structure topped by a marshmallow. The exercise is part of a training of future Red Cross Operations Managers.

Operation Med School is a one-day conference that brings together 198 high school and university students from Southern Alberta to inspire and educate them to follow their medical dreams.

At this year's conference, the Canadian Red Cross hosted a panel discussion that included three medical aid workers who collectively have been on 15 international deployments. These aid workers gave students a first-hand account of the medical contributions Canadians have been making overseas following some of the most devastating emergencies. 

We’re so lucky Nicole Fassina is a new Red Cross recruit! Not only did she fly all the way from Tajikistan to take part in Canadian Red Cross training, but she can rap with the best of them, and is a Terry Fox Award winner. Recently, Nicole was one of 26 people, along with doctors, nurses, technicians, administrators and other professionals, who attended Canadian Red Cross IMPACT training in Ottawa. IMPACT stands for International Mobilization and Preparation for Action, and helps prepare people to work on a range of Red Cross international operations.

Guest post by Youth Advisory Comittee member Sara Elkadri. 
I had the pleasure of speaking with Tanya Grygaski, an environmental engineer from Ontario, and minutes into the conversation I could feel Tanya’s passion through the tone of her voice as she shared her stories and experiences from over the years.

 

Last week, a group of incredibly talented individuals gathered in Ottawa to attend a week-long Red Cross training session known as IMPACT, short for International Mobilization and Preparation for ACTion. This training includes team building exercises and mock scenarios, all which prepare aid workers to be deployed to the field.