New Zealand Red Cross News

Volume 100 No.1 MAY 2011

Improving The Lives Of Vulnerable People

ON TH E IR

DARKEST DAYS THEY SAW

RED

 ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: February 22nd Volunteers Thank you

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Season of disasters 10 Fuelling a desire 12 Protecting the protectors 14

COMMENT

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unchtime on 22nd February is a time that will forever be cemented into thousands of minds, a chilling memory for not only those that were in Christchurch, but for every New Zealander.

The shallow magnitude 6.3 earthquake that hit the city that day was one of the, if not the worst, disaster’s for New Zealand. Unlike September’s Canterbury earthquake, which fortunately caused few injuries and some damage, this quake killed 181 people, historic buildings and thousands of homes were destroyed and many more people were injured.

New Zealand was thrust into a national emergency as it rallied together to support those affected.

Immediately Red Cross teams from Timaru and Christchurch were on the ground. Their response is to be admired, because many were personally affected yet came out to help. It wasn’t long before they were supported by thousands of volunteers and staff from across the country.

Red Cross teams worked around the clock setting up and operating welfare centres, national emergency phone lines, reconnected missing people, distributing water and working with Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management, Police and other agencies where needed.

You can read more about what these teams were involved in and their stories from page 3.

 John Ware acknowledges Red Cross volunteers and staff during his visit to Christchurch.

The images we have all seen of this are indescribable, the destruction and death toll tragic. New Zealand Red Cross is still collecting funds for the Japanese Appeal and response teams are available should our assistance be required.

Barely a month later, tragedy struck again when Japan was hit by one of the largest earthquakes known, which triggered a tsunami of about 9m.

It truly has been a season of disaster; Canterbury earthquake, Pike River, Queensland Floods, Christchurch earthquake and then the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. Some of our teams have barely returned from one disaster before being thrust into another. But it’s what we do.

New Zealand Red Cross is part of the world’s largest humanitarian

New Zealand Red Cross News

National Office

Official National Newsletter of New Zealand Red Cross ISSN 1178-8461 VOLUME 100 No. 1 MAY 2011

PO Box 12140, Wellington 69 Molesworth Street, Thorndon, Wellington 6144 Phone: 04 471 8250 Fax: 04 471 8251

The average cost of each copy of the Red Cross News is 50 cents.

National President Penny Mason Chief Executive John R. Ware

Email: national@redcross.org.nz Website: www.redcross.org.nz Editor Justine Turner Email: justine.turner@redcross.org.nz Design & Print MakeReady Email: info@makeready.co.nz

New Zealand Red Cross and 185 other National Societies are members of the International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies. Together with the International Committee of the Red Cross, they make up the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. It is an independent humanitarian organisation based on the fundamental principals of Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence, Voluntary Service, Unity and Universality.

New Zealand Red Cross is dedicated to improving the lives of vulnerable people by mobilising the power of humanity and enhancing community resilience.

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organisation, well trained and well equipped to respond to those in need.

Despite the frequency of these terrible disasters, Red Cross has largely continued to operate its programmes, Red Cross Shops and first aid courses.

I am proud to have been part of an organisation in which the power of humanity was effective in bringing assistance to people and communities at a time of need and vulnerability.

John R. Ware Chief Executive

Join New Zealand Red Cross online to keep up to date with the latest news and to give us feedback. facebook.com/newzealandredcross twitter/nzredcross

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12.51pm on Tuesday 22nd February 2011 a shallow destructive 6.3 earthquake tore Christchurch apart.

The quake caused significant loss of life and injury, thousands were left homeless, businesses were destroyed and buildings, infrastructure and services were severely damaged.

It’s been described as one of the country’s worst disasters. It was Christchurch’s darkest day and New Zealand Red Cross was there.

More than 160 staff and volunteers from across the country provided first aid and distributed blankets and water to people in evacuation shelters across the city. The emergency response teams were activated to support urban search and rescue, run welfare centres and Photo: Antony Kitchener

offer logistical support.

Staffed by volunteers, Restoring Family Links set up a designated registration centre in Christchurch and was instrumental in supporting the Police, City Councils, Civil Defence and other agencies tracking and registering over 50,000 displaced people. The team also helped people connect with loved ones, closing more than 1,000 missing people cases.

Operation Suburb saw about 60 volunteers door knock on hundreds of homes to check on the wellbeing of its occupants.

Support flooded in from 16 National Societies and six

Governments. Japan, Malaysia and Australia sent teams while Ireland, Britain, Canada, Samoa fundraised and with American Red Cross they all collected donations.

As the days and weeks go by, the magnitude of the devastation is still being comprehended.

New Zealand Red Cross set up its 2011 Earthquake Appeal soon after the quake, to date it has raised more than $60 million and is still growing. Over $42 million in hardship grants have been paid out to over 49,000 applicants since the fund was first announced on 2 March 2011.

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NATIONAL NEWS

Statistics from RFL

Photo: Antony Kitchener

Registered over 50,000 displaced people on their database.

Closed over 1,000 missing people cases.

Made 120 home visits over 6 days.  New Zealand Red Cross volunteer Richard Firth talks with resident Jeanie Borsboon as part of Operation Suburb in Antrim Road in Christchurch.

She found comfort helping in Christchurch

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wenty-four-year-old Nooraynsha Jones (AJ) wanted to help in the aftermath of the quake so she applied as a dataentry volunteer for New Zealand Red Cross. She was tasked with leading a Christchurch team for Restoring Family Links (RFL).

“I’ve loved every moment of it, because I got to put families back together,” she said.

When conflict or disaster strikes, communications can often breakdown and families can become separated.

As a result, people may not know where to turn to find or contact missing loved ones.

New Zealand Red Cross operates a National Inquiry Centre team of volunteers that provides phone-based assistance to restore and maintain contact between families, by searching for missing relatives and exchanging messages.

AJ’s small team of five or six trawled the internet, white pages, social network sites and police information

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looking for the missing. If those options prove futile, another team would door knock and speak to neighbours or friends.

“You have to be so sure this is the right person. It’s a lot harder than I ever imaged it would be,” she said.

“It’s quite stressful, because you are dealing with people’s lives – you can’t make small mistakes because they’d have very big effects.”

When searching for someone that appeared on the police deceased confirmed or possible list, AJ said it was passed over to the appropriate authorities. But if the person was alive and well, they often got to make the phone call to share the news.

so sensitive,” she said. “We had a situation once where someone came in and asked us were we really sure about a death, and we had to call the police, we couldn’t help them. It was really sad.”

AJ said being located in an office helped her disconnect from the grim reality of what they were doing everyday.

“But we had a lot of support and that really helped set us up. We knew how to deal with things and had a counselor around,” she said. “It was a huge learning experience, and I got to do something of real value with Red Cross.

We had a great team and I loved it.”

Looking after the team, AJ rarely got to make those phone calls, although she managed to reconnect two long-lost brothers that may never have spoken again if it wasn’t for the earthquake.

“It was hard in the beginning because we were sometimes asked to look for people and we knew they were on the unconfirmed deceased list, it was

 AJ works diligently processing applications.

NATIONAL NEWS

Right in the middle of it all

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hristchurch High Street Red Cross Shop is in the red zone – an area condemned by Civil Defence as unsafe, a no-go zone. For the store’s coordinator Becky Wyatt, 12.51pm on 22 February is a time she will never forget.

earthquake was,” she said. “It was a mess, buildings had collapsed, people were everywhere, running, screaming, emerging from buildings covered in blood. People didn’t know what to do or where to go. I’ll never forget it. We were all just in shock.”

It was hand-over time. The morning volunteers were just about to leave and the afternoon volunteers had just arrived.

Three customers were in the store.

Becky was concerned about her four volunteers so made a bee-line to get out of the city in case more aftershocks occurred. But not before she turned on the shop alarm and locked the front door.

“It’s never a good time, but it was the best time for us as we were all in the shop and not outside where bricks, balconies, everything you could image was falling down onto the street,” Becky said. “I was pleased we were inside the building when the earthquake hit, we were very lucky. The inside of the building was structurally fine. Of course everything fell over; mannequins, shelves and clothes went everywhere.

But we were okay.”

When the shaking finally stopped the customers fled and Becky and her volunteers went outside.

“I didn’t realise how bad the

Photo: Antony Kitchener

“I don’t know why I did that. I didn’t think. I was on auto-pilot; it’s what I did when I closed every day. I told the volunteers to stay calm. Silt was coming out from everywhere; it was soon almost up to our knees as we tried to make our way through the street. I thought silt would be gradual but one second everything was normal a second later it wasn’t.

There were a lot of people around us crying and screaming. I knew we had to get to my car, I told them I would get them home.”

It took Becky five hours to drive them home that day; if they had walked it would have taken half an hour.

“Hundreds of people were trying to get out. There was traffic everywhere.

You would go down one route and the road was gone so you would have to turn around and sit in traffic to try and go down another. I was responsible for those volunteers and I had to stay calm and get through.”

Becky wasn’t able to go home that night, or for several days. She stayed with a friend; with no petrol in her car she couldn’t go anywhere.

On the 28th February, less than a week later, Becky was back at work. The following week she was working at the other Red Cross store in Church Corner.

“I’m okay now. Although most things are getting back to normal you don’t really feel normal, everyone is feeling kinda lost. A lot of people have gone away but I don’t want to leave.

Everyone in Christchurch has been through this and we are dealing with it together, as a community.”

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NATIONAL NEWS

Looking for things they didn’t want to find Experienced volunteer Richard Williams joined New Zealand Red Cross Emergency Response Team just hours after the devastating earthquake.

“Christchurch was chaotic,” he said.

“It was so unclear just how bad it was, and when I got there it was so much worse than I expected.”

The Emergency Response Team were involved in a variety of tasks from checking people were safe in their homes to inspecting Christchurch’s central business district buildings for those potentially trapped.

“Downtown Christchurch was complete devastation. A big city normally bustling was silent; it had an eerie feel to it. We were checking that no one was caught out, unknowingly stuck or needed help.

We had to get into these buildings, as far in as we could safely go.”

Richard led his mostly female team, which included an Australian police

officer and Emergency Response volunteers comprising of a computer programmer, an outdoor instructor, a prison warden, and a psychiatric nurse.

“In some places food was still in microwaves, sandwiches half-eaten on tables, jobs half done. I just can’t imagine they got out, but I assume they did.”

If the Emergency Response Team came across anything they were unsure of, a building was too unsafe to enter or they thought a body could be trapped, they called the dogs in.

Richard said they did that three times.

“It’s something I will remember forever, as you’re constantly looking for someone you don’t want to find.

“Some conditions were revolting.

Most homes had spoilt food; it was pretty trying dealing with flies, dirt, dust and alarms continually going.

You open a window and the smell hits you, you don’t know what to expect, you just don’t think that way. Or you spend an hour wading through a basement carpark with water at your waists checking cars and opening lift doors that have been stuck since the quake hit.”

Richard and his team never found

anyone, a good thing, he says. But they did search dozens of buildings and got medication, supplies and help to the elderly and others in need.

This is not the first time Richard has been a volunteer, nor will it be the last, he said.

“It’s unbelievable to think back on it now and realise we were working amongst the devastation people were watching on the news. I have been a volunteer for Red Cross for 12 years and when things like this happen you want to help. This is something I can do and not everyone can – it’s my bit to help out.”

N ew Zealand Red Cross Emergency Response Team volunteers inspect damaged buildings in Christchurch.

Hectic to Manic – how a Red Cross Service Centre transformed “It went from hectic to manic,” Red Cross Auckland service centre part time admin-receptionist Sue Rose says with a laugh.

Sue has worked through many disasters; Australian Bush Fires, Haiti and the Canterbury quake – nothing compared to the impact Christchurch’s earthquake had on the service centre.

“In the early days we were just running around the office, trying to keep up with the maybe 100 evacuees a day arriving from Christchurch,” Sue said.

“People would fall to pieces the second they walked in the door, they were traumatised. We just had to support them anyway we could. It was hard as we’d never done this before, we were learning as we went.”

The Auckland service centre, like the

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others across the country, became a first-go-to-centre for those that fled Christchurch after the quake. The service centre teams comforted, officially registered the displaced, helped fill in grant application forms and sent evacuees to the appropriate centres. They also dealt with people searching for lost friends and families.

Businesses and individuals also wanted help with fundraising for Christchurch so needed buckets and support. At one stage the Auckland service centre was so inundated with requests it ran out of collateral, and had to hire a security guard to watch incoming donations before they had time to bank.

The centre still had to run its day-to-day business – first aid courses, refugee

centre, retail stores, meals on wheels and community and fundraising events.

“It was hard, we were run off our feet.

My job stopped being part-time as we all worked weekends and long hours to keep up.”

Sue sits at the front desk of the Auckland service centre so is often the first point of contact for those who walk in.

“You do get emotional and then the next person is there and you listen to them and you do it all over again.

This has affected us all differently but we have supported each other. So why do I do it? Because I love helping people and I work for an organisation where I have the opportunity to do that everyday.”

NATIONAL NEWS

Thank you for helping Christchurch

Robyn Scott lives with her two kids, husband and seven cats in Parklands in Christchurch’s eastern suburbs. Their house escaped extensive damage after the September earthquake, but February’s quake was different.

“After the first earthquake I couldn’t leave my house for a week, I was too afraid. It was like a nightmare, a bad dream and then everything became alright again,” Robyn said. But on February 22nd it struck again.

“This time it was tragic, a lot more frightening and caused more damage. I knew someone who died in the CTV building; it hits home how fragile life can be.”

Robyn was walking down the hallway of her house when the earthquake struck.

She remembers something hitting her on the head, and blood. Her neighbour from across the road came racing over to check on Robyn, and with the after shocks the pair decided it was safer to stand outside.

They soon realised they were wrong, as they watched in horror as a huge wave of sewage raced up the road.

 F rom the kerb outside the front of the Scott house looking towards the main road, taken a week after the quake.

Commission visits Christchurch Less than a day after the quake New Zealand Red Cross set up the 2011 Earthquake Appeal to raise funds for those affected by the quake. Seven days later an independent earthquake commission was established to disburse these funds, and announced two grants; Emergency and Hardship and Bereavement.

On 11th April they announced the Temporary School grant.

The commission, chaired by Sir John Hansen, is made up of Ngaire Button, Deputy Mayor, City of Christchurch; Michael McEvedy, former Mayor of Selwyn District Council; Roger Blair, Waimakariri District Council; Lianne Dalziel, Labour MP for Christchurch East; Nicky Wagner, National MP for Christchurch; Jane Huria, representative of Ngai Tahu; Jerry Talbot, Counsellor of Honour, New Zealand Red Cross and Paul Steere New Zealand Red Cross Vice President and former Chief Executive of New Zealand King Salmon.

Photo: Antony Kitchener

All funds from the appeal will be used towards the New Zealand Red Cross response to the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake to assist people and communities affected. New Zealand Red Cross

will not make any deductions for administration or staff salaries.

“In the blink of an eye it had travelled up the street. The earthquake had destroyed the road so it was everywhere. Thick, so thick about 2 or 3 inches, and had an awful smell.”

Robyn says they were lucky because her family’s house is on a slight rise so the sewage stopped just at her door, but several houses in their small street were destroyed.

Nothing was the same. Families were forced to put ladders against neighbour’s fences to get in or out. Robyn said just as they worried about the arrival of liquefaction the volunteers arrived in droves.

“It was like an army of people came from nowhere to help us,” Robyn said. “I want to say thank you. The Red Cross has been just marvelous taking the lead to help people. To the many volunteers, thank you for supporting us. It’s so humbling, so wonderful it brings tears to my eyes. I have cried buckets and I still am, but without this support from these volunteers and Red Cross we couldn’t have gotten through this – thank you for helping Christchurch.”

Robyn Scott and her family are one of over 49,000 people affected by the quake to receive a hardship grant from New Zealand Red Cross 2011 Earthquake Appeal. They’re not sure where it will go but want to extend their thanks.

 Sir John Hansen leads the Commission as it speaks to people in Christchurch.

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NATIONAL NEWS

THEY CAME Everyone involved is TO HELP impacted Within days following the quake countries around the world started raising money for and assisting people affected by the Christchurch earthquake.

New Zealand Red Cross and sister societies in Australia, Britain, Japan, Canada and Ireland launched national appeals, while the Samoan, French and American Red Cross societies collected desperately needed funds for the people of Christchurch.

Australian Red Cross also deployed staff, while Japanese Red Cross provided generous financial assistance to the New Zealand Red Cross emergency response and deployed a psychological support team to assist earthquake survivors.

When Christchurch and surrounds were hit by the devastating 6.3-magnitude earthquake, not only were people killed and injured, there was also a heavy psychological toll.

Red Cross responded immediately, though many working to assist the people were dealing with their own trauma. Psychological support was offered to Red Cross workers to make sure they could carry out their vital relief work.

Wear Red On February 28th New Zealand Red Cross held its annual appeal, with people encouraged to wear red to support the work of Red Cross on Friday 4th March.

This year all funds raised from the annual appeal were put into the New Zealand Red Cross 2011 Earthquake Appeal, where all funds will be used towards the New Zealand Red Cross response to the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake to assist people and communities affected.

New Zealand Red Cross Chief Executive John Ware said: “New Zealand Red Cross wants to thank the generous companies, individuals and groups that have gone to extraordinary lengths to support people and communities affected by the Christchurch earthquake.”

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few days after the earthquake, Australian aid-worker Kristen Proud was sent to Christchurch to work with New Zealand Red Cross staff and volunteers on psychosocial support – psychological support for people in the context of a disaster. “The first thing that struck me when I got off the plane was how busy the airport was with people leaving. Lots of people were sitting and crying and obviously very impacted by the earthquake,” she says.

Kristen has a history of working with survivors of trauma, and explains that situations like this impact people deeply, individually and as a community. As team leaders in Red Cross offices struggle to convince their dedicated volunteers to take breaks and shorter shifts, the volunteers themselves face a complex range of emotions.

“The Christchurch Emergency Response Team often didn’t have power and water when they went home at the end of the day. They were balancing their own personal response to what had happened to their city in addition to volunteering every day and some of those guys were really impacted,” says Kristen. She explains that individuals are naturally going to have a big emotional response to a large event like a natural disaster or an earthquake.

“Every single individual who is involved is impacted and that ricochets and goes home with them. It impacts on

their family, it impacts on their friends. I think incorporating psychosocial support immediately, as New Zealand Red Cross did, was really helpful for them and assisted in ensuring that their staff will recover from this.”

Essential to this recovery process is finding support, whether that is through friends, family or just someone to talk to. As well as facilitating this support, Kristen was inspired by the tremendous humanity shown between the Red Cross staff and volunteers.

“The Christchurch Red Cross staff and volunteers were amazingly supportive of each other and very connected,” she says. “They would know if someone wasn’t ok and bring them in to me. They had a family atmosphere and I felt part of that spirit.”

Christchurch Red Cross staff and volunteers were amazingly supportive of each other Kristen would ideally like to see every person involved in disaster response offered the opportunity to have a conversation or ‘a debrief’ through psychosocial support. “It’s often months after the disaster that people are impacted,” she says. “When they get home and things die down and thoughts start going through their head.

They might then feel isolated.”

“Some individuals needed more pure counseling support and then others just needed someone to debrief with – have a bit of a chat – at the end of their day.”

Laura McKay, Antony Balmain.

Australian Red Cross

 Kristen Proud providing personal support to New Zealand Red Cross workers following the devastating earthquake that hit Christchurch.

NATIONAL NEWS

K C Miller collects drinking water at a New Zealand Red Cross water collection point at Cowles stadium in Christchurch.

Photo: Antony Kitchener.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Photo: Japanese Red Cross

Red Cross responds WITHIN MINUTES

Within ten minutes of the earthquake, the Japanese Red Cross Society called its disaster management task force to national headquarters to begin mapping the response to the crisis.

A massive 9.0-magnitude earthquake, one of the largest known, struck the eastern coast of Japan on Friday 11 March.

The earthquake’s epicentre, located 130 kilometres off the eastern coast of Japan, and some 373 kilometres

These plans make use of donations generously contributed by the public through Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies in a range of countries – from North America and Europe to Japan’s Asian neighbours – including China, South Korea and Singapore and from the Pacific including Australia and New Zealand. A team from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Cross Societies (IFRC) supported the Japanese Red Cross as it expanded its activities.

north-east of Tokyo, triggered a tsunami which killed more than 14,500 and left many thousands more missing.

The president of the Japanese Red Cross and the IFRC, Tadateru Konoé said of his visits to some of the worst-affected areas in Myagi and Iwate prefectures:

The disaster caused widespread fires, severe damage to buildings and nuclear alerts, leaving millions without electricity, water and in further danger.

“This disaster is without doubt unprecedented in terms of the scale of damage and its comprehensive nature.”

Japanese Red Cross focused its operations on providing medical care to those hit by the disaster, with dozens of medical teams operating in Red Cross hospitals and mobile clinics.

New Zealand Red Cross collected donations on behalf of Japanese Red Cross with over $1.5 million raised by the end of March.

With content from IFRC.

New Zealand Japanese community comes together In their first five days of fundraising Wellington Japan Earthquake/Tsunami Support raised $10,000, in a month $20,000.

“We’re grateful for every cent as every little bit counts,” Hiromi Morris, Director of Sister Cities New Zealand said.

The group, made up of community groups including a young mother’s playgroup, Japanese women’s association and Japanese school, came together to raise money for those affected by the deadly earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan.

A 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit off-shore Japan on 11 March 2011, triggering a tsunami that killed thousands of people, injured hundreds, destroyed homes and left tens of thousands homeless. Many thousands more still remain missing over a month on from the disaster.

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“It was hard to watch on television. I just didn’t know what to do, especially when I knew my mother lived close to the oil refinery that caught fire in Ichihara. It took 24 hours to find out she was okay; harrowing,” Hiromi said. “It was horrifying being so far away, for the first two weeks after it happened I just kept breaking down, I wanted to help.”

After investigating their options, Hiromi said the Japanese groups decided to join forces and put the raised funds into New Zealand Red Cross’ collection for Japan Earthquake Tsunami 2011.

From sushi stalls at school fairs and sausage sizzles to collection boxes the Wellington Japan Earthquake/ Tsunami Support group has been actively raising money with the support of Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme (JET) and Wellington Sakai Association. Japanese children in

 Hanako Yoshida-Sligo at back with Kana Shimizu Metcalfe, Masae Ito and Toshi Ishikawa folding paper cranes.

Wellington have been folding 1000 cranes. In Japanese mythology, legend says anyone who folds 1000 cranes – senbazuru – will be granted a wish; recovery from illness, disaster or injury.

“We’ve had such tremendous support from businesses and the community, we haven’t raised a lot but we are doing something to help.”

Photo: The Courier-Mail.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Queensland Floods Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard coined the recent Queensland floods the worst natural disaster in Australia’s history. Three quarters of the state was declared a disaster zone, with flash flooding killing dozens of people, inundating towns and leaving a trail of destruction.

New Zealand Red Cross responded by sending 12 emergency management personnel to boost the massive Australian Red Cross flood relief operation.

New Zealand Red Cross staff worked

in evacuation centres, near some of the worst hit areas of the flood, helping with the ‘meet and greet’ of displaced families, settling them into welfare centres, offering support and assistance, and helping lead logistics coordination.

New Zealand Red Cross National Retail Manager, Patrick Cummings, who spent time in Helidon in the Lockyer Valley (about 120km inland from Brisbane), said he was impressed with how quickly everyone in the area was able to be relocated.

“Helidon was the worst hit, no one was able to go back to their own homes as some of them had been completely washed away but within two weeks, everyone was relocated and later that week the Helidon evacuation centre was closed,” he said.

“The fact we were able to experience a disaster like this first hand meant we were able to gain practical experience, which is good practice for any disasters that may happen in the future in New Zealand.”

Red Cross care after Pike River explosion New Zealand Red Cross Response Teams from Greymouth, Christchurch, Nelson, Blenheim, Timaru and Hokitika welfare teams supported the West Coast community after an explosion at Pike River Mine on 19th November trapped 29 miners underground.

Pike River mine site.

After the first explosion, Red Cross teams, working alongside other agencies, set up a welfare centre at the New Zealand Red Cross training centre in Tainui Street, Greymouth, and established a catering caravan at the

Over 17 days, about 32 Red Cross staff worked close to 2000 hours to support families and the community with ongoing support on the Welfare Advisory Group and Pike River Relief Trust.

The welfare centre was the first point of contact for people to register as they arrived into town and a meeting place for families. Volunteers were on hand day and night to offer meals, a place to stay and referrals to other agencies.

 Greymouth and Christchurch response teams take a much needed break.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Fuelling a desire J aquee Dixon-West, 38, is on her first mission with the International Committee of the Red Cross & Red Crescent (ICRC) in Kandahar, Afghanistan, working as a ward nurse in ICU at Mirawais Hospital.

Even as a junior nurse Jacquee always had a desire to work in the humanitarian field.

This is her story: Traveling through many developing countries over the last ten years, I felt that I had a skill that could help people in need. So I applied to New Zealand Red Cross and was accepted for their IMPACT course (aid worker training) late last year.

While on holiday in Switzerland I was offered the mission in Kandahar.

Soon I was in a convoy heading for the ICRC compound.

Military vehicles, soldiers, weapons, dust and rough roads, barren landscape, and on the side of the roads among it all, people were going about their daily lives, shops, construction, bicycles, cars, rickshaws, trucks with loads so high. And children coming home from school, laughing, running and holding hands, people selling their products, fruit stalls.

It was a brief look at the life outside my new home – a compound, a place I must remain for safety, except for the daily trip to the hospital in convoy.

The compound consists of a number of houses and it is like a rabbit warren.

The first few days I was lost numerous times even with my compound map!

Naturally it was a big decision and it The hospital is busy, with many people took a lot of talking and information coming and going. gathering before I accepted. My family have The wounds always known from war are not that this would pretty.

The pain is etched on be a reality one We get their faces and for me day and are many burn very supportive. victims, many that is hard to look at Of course it very severe, does not stop especially them worrying. women and I think at the same time they are very children. Something to do with the proud. fuel and the containers they use for

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After my briefing in Geneva, I flew to Kabul via Dubai.

heating and cooking, seem to explode frequently.

I had to pinch myself that I was actually in Afghanistan and not flying into the Swiss Alps. As I looked outside the plane window as we flew into Kabul, magical snow covered mountains appeared as the sun rose.

Of course it was rammed home, as soon as we landed – I was in a conflict zone, with line after line of military helicopters and fighter jets on either side of the runway.

The hospital is of course nothing like what I am use to at home, with limited resources and huge patient numbers.

We rely on the patients’ families to help with care, they wash and feed their family members who are in hospital. If a patient needs a blood transfusion, a family member goes to collect the unit and is required to donate their own blood in return for a bag. This ensures we don’t run out.

My nerves showed in the shaking of my hands as I went through customs at Kabul airport and into a completely different culture; burka clad women, prayer beads, hands and feet dipped in henna, dark faces with green eyes.

My head scarf was firmly in place as I was met by a member of the Afghanistan Red Crescent Society, who deposited me into another departure lounge to await my flight to Kandahar.

For me my first week was a huge learning curve, with getting used to

NEW ZEALAND RED CROSS NEWS

The Afghani nurses do an amazing job with what they have. I am here to support and work alongside them and provide education at the bedside and informal lectures to help with basic nursing skills. I am sure living in Kandahar is hard but they turn up for work and care for their patients as best they can.

 ICRC convoy, coming from Peshawar, bringing medicines to the hospitals in Kabul.

Photo: ICRC MULLER, Yannick

working through an interpreter and trying to figure out how the system works.

I have already witnessed several deaths. This has been hard for me especially because some have been children who in a different context may have survived. The pain of losing a child is bad enough but for many families in Afghanistan they usually lose more than one, from mine injuries, gunshot wounds or snake bites but this week the children died from the burns. The pain is etched on their faces and for me that is hard to look at. Sometimes families travel long distances to get to the hospital and are in bad shape when they arrive with hope that we can help in some way.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Vulnerable people fleeing the violence in Northern Africa Thousands of refugees are fleeing from the violence in Libya and crossing the borders in neighbouring countries including Tunisia and Egypt every day.

By early April it was estimated that close to half a million people had already left, creating challenges for survival.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) urgently called on the international community in March to support its initial appeal as part of its humanitarian response.

The initial appeal was intended to cover the urgent needs of people who had fled Libya and included the provision of first aid and hygiene kits, emergency medical care for the wounded, and the provision of food, water and sanitation.

There is always laughter to be heard in the corridors and children running up to you and giggling The weariness I see on many Afghani faces makes me sad, but I am also so humbled by their kindness and welcoming spirit. There is always laughter to be heard in the corridors and children running up to you giggling.

The situation is everything that I expected but of course until you are in it and experiencing it first hand it is hard to imagine. I am looking forward to making a difference however small that may be.

Oh and I am getting some long tops made and new scarfs in brighter colours because apparently mine are too dull … and according to the nurses are the colours that ‘poor old’ ladies wear … hahaha … I don’t mind looking poor but the old bit is another matter!!!

Jacquee is due to finish her mission in September.

 Jacquee Dixon-West

In full support of the Tunisian and Egyptian Red Crescent Societies, the IFRC also dispatched emergency shelter and relief items to be distributed at different points on the border with Egypt and Tunisia to nationals from Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, China, South-East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, who are all fleeing the violence in Libya.

In response National Societies across the world came to the aid of The National Red Crescent Societies of Libya, Tunisia and Egypt who were working tirelessly to provide vital services to the people most in need. New Zealand Red Cross was no exception and announced in April it would collect donations on behalf of the IFRC’s appeal, and sent technician Bill Olsen to Tunisia to assist its Red Crescent Society install a radio network to manage the influx of refugees. Bill is a member of only five Red Cross IT and Technology teams in the world.

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International NEWS

PROTECTING the PROTECTORS The protection of humanitarian workers in the field remains a persistent concern. In certain locations it has worsened, in others, conditions are slightly better.

The last decade has seen a more organised attempt by agencies to instil systems of protection, but far more is needed. On April 15th from the law books to conflict zones humanitarians, health care workers, the military and academics voiced their concerns in Wellington.

The bravery and selflessness of those involved in humanitarian action is incredible. We have seen this recently in our own country in the wake of the tragic events in Christchurch when humanitarian workers from across New Zealand and the world came to the aid

and assistance of those in need. This bravery is even more overwhelming when they carry out their work in conflict zones where risk of personal attack and injury has become an everyday reality.

It is a sad fact that health and humanitarian aid workers are increasingly being targeted, attacked, kidnapped and killed in conflict, despite the guarantees provided to them under international law. If these safeguards cannot be respected - not only do our protectors suffer but also those populations who need their help. The need to uphold international humanitarian law in war zones is vital to ensure that victims can access health care, receive food, water and shelter.

and telecommunications specialists, amongst others, to work in conflict zones such as Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Outcomes of this meeting will contribute to New Zealand Red Cross’ positioning in the year end International Conference in Geneva, which will look at this issues amongst others.

This issue is very close to the heart of New Zealand Red Cross – in the last year alone we have sent almost fifty health care workers, emergency response teams including logisticians

Nervous students come up trumps at Hong Kong moot Sam Humphrey and Sarah Wilson, the Victoria University of Wellington moot team, headed to Hong Kong on the 1st of March, not quite sure what they were going to encounter.

the Asia Pacific region. Day one was preliminary rounds, followed by a day of “frantic preparation” for the semi-finals.

The moot problem, in which they had to defend Baseland’s Colonel Joy, was released in December. The pair spent countless hours researching, drafting written memorials and practising oral arguments. The topic related to a number of different crimes under the Rome Statute. They needed to know them all, back to front. They included unlawful confinement of civilians, wilful killing, and excessive incidental death of civilians.

“It was pretty intimidating coming up against judges in the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal, and the expert who wrote the problem, among other distinguished judges from across the globe,” Sarah said.

Sarah and Sam arrived in Hong Kong a little jet lagged, but excited to get started. The competition included twenty teams from across

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When the pair found out they’d made the finals, they had an hour to prepare –

“Winning the tournament was the icing on the cake of an absolutely wonderful experience. The other competing teams all shared the same interest in international humanitarian law that we did, and the others we met along the way gave us some valuable insights into the work that they did, and how we could be involved in future. It was only a six

day trip, but so much was packed into those days that it was well worthwhile. We were very grateful for all of the institutions who planned, hosted or sponsored the event and made it possible.”

 P REPARATION: Sarah Wilson and Sam Humphrey prepare for their moot in Hong Kong.

IN THE FIELD

WHERE IN THE WORLD? There are currently 23 New Zealand Red Cross personnel working to support communities across the globe.

FIJI – regional Peter Winthrop – Regional First-Aid (based in New Zealand) Rosemary Fenton – Community Health TIMOR LESTE Sue Chamberlain – Organisational Development COOK ISLANDS Jane Edgar – Water & Sanitation PNG & BOUGAINVILLE Graham Zinsli – Health MALAYSIA – regional

PAKISTAN

SOMALIA

Hilary Cullen – Health Amanda Scothern – Branch Development

Felicity Gapes – Health (based in Kenya)

IRAQ

Glenys Checchi-Ewans – Health

Gail Corbett – ICU Nurse Lindah Jury – Health AFGHANISTAN Louisa Akavi – Health Jaquee Dixon-West – Surgical Ward Nurse Barbara Turnbull – Head Nurse GEORGIA

SUDAN ETHIOPIA Greer Lees – Water & Habitat Engineer KYRGYZSTAN Grant Hargreaves – Logistics TUNISIA Bill Olsen – EU IT & Telecommunications

Andrew Cameron – Health

Melanie Ogle – Resource Mobilisation Jeremy Francis – Regional Logistics

GAZA

SRI LANKA

JORDAN – regional

Cheryl Campbell – Physiotherapist

Jodye Tomalin – Staff Safety & Security Coordinator

Guru Dev Singh – ER Nurse

New Zealand Red Cross’ international aid worker programme is generously supported by public donations and

HELP US HELP OTHERS New Zealand Red Cross is part of the world’s largest humanitarian organisation, helping people whoever and wherever they may be - with fairness, neutrality and impartiality.

New Zealand Red Cross is part of the world’s largest humanitarian organisation, helping people whoever and wherever they may be - with fairness, neutrality and impartiality.

specialist skills in areas such as healthcare, construction, communications, logistics, and water and sanitation. Their work has a very real impact on the lives of vulnerable people.

You can depend on New Zealand Red Cross to assist when and where help is needed, either internationally or right here in our own communities.

At home, New Zealand Red Cross helps over 24,000 people each week. Our expert staff train nearly 70,000 a year in first aid. Kiwis can always depend on New Zealand Red Cross to assist with disasters at home too.

Overseas, whether it is a natural disaster, war or famine, New Zealand Red Cross, together with the International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, helps with preparedness, relief and recovery.

New Zealand Red Cross maintains a pool of nearly 120 aid workers who are available for deployment around the world to assist people in need when and where they are required. Our aid workers provide

For 80 years, New Zealand Red Cross has been part of our community, but our valuable work could not be done without the support of New Zealanders.

You can help by joining us as a member or volunteer, by making a donation, or becoming a valued regular giver or corporate partner. Your support will make a difference.

For further information go to

www.redcross.org.nz 0800 RED CROSS (0800 733 276)

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THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS

1931-2011

For information on becoming a volunteer WWW.REDCROSS.ORG.NZ 0800 RED CROSS (0800 733 276)