Andrew Bradley, der in Lausanne wohnt, wurde nach seiner Ausbildung als Mitglied eines ShelterBox Response Team (siehe Governorbrief September) 2018 in Kenia eingesetzt.
Er erzählt von seinen Erfahrungen:
“Although our mission is to provide emergency shelter and vital aid with urgency to serve families overwhelmed by disaster or humanitarian crisis, when I got the call to discuss my first deployment, the mission objectives seemed somewhat simpler at the time: (1) Stay safe; (2) Get the job done, and; (3) Represent ShelterBox.
Even though this was my first operational deployment in SRT capacity, due to the overall duration, number of teams, and the sheer volume and complexity of the activities undertaken, it was well-placed to demonstrate how expansive any response could ultimately be. I was without question – both extremely privileged and grateful to be involved.
Approximately 51,000 households in Kenya were displaced after heavy seasonal rain between March-May 2018. Tens of thousands of people evacuated to formal or informal camps to stay with family on higher ground than their previous home sites, many of which were on river banks. According to the Kenyan Red Cross Society (KRCS), as of 2 July, over 53,500 (321,500 people) remained displaced and in need of shelter.
Although many started to return home, not all could because areas remained waterlogged and lacked land and materials to build new homes. Kilifi and Tana River were two of the worst-hit counties in terms of displacement, damage to houses, loss of livestock and extensive damage to farmland. Infrastructural damage included widespread social amenities such as schools and medical facilities, disruption of transport, education and health services, and submerged sanitation. The extent of the damage served to expose already vulnerable communities to waterborne diseases, poor nutrition, and damage to livelihoods. Additionally, significant outbreaks of disease in the camps were reported.
The aid was ultimately distributed to those most in need, and subsequent follow-up monitoring and evaluation (M&E) activities indicated that the aid was utilised effectively. Personally, if I were to take one single thing from this deployment – it would be the immense importance of partnerships and relationships – and how these can make or break a response. Working together with the KRCS and local Rotary groups was the key factor that helped deliver such an amazing outcome to those affected by devastation
Indeed, without these partnerships and those pivotal relationships forged in the most difficult of times – those smiles of joy and hope may never have come…… to each and every one of us involved in however small of a way.”
