Six months on: Nepal recovers with help from Strathmore humanitarian

Miriam Ostermann
Times Associate Editor

 

It’s been a rewarding year for Sean Freeman, who, after providing humanitarian aid to Ebola-ridden Sierra Leone last December and then to Hurricane Haiyan’s devastation in the Philippines, spent six weeks surrounded by tremors, mudslides, and monsoons while helping the disaster-stricken Nepal get their field hospital up and running.
Freeman, a Canadian Red Cross technician delegate who returned to Canada three weeks ago, was recruited for his firefighting and electrician background.
It’s been six months since Nepal – one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world – was struck by two colossal earthquakes on April 25 and May 12. With 9,000 casualties, 22,000 injured, and hundreds of thousands of people displaced, technicians helped with electrical, water and sanitation, shelter, general trades, set up tents, and internet communications in disaster-and-conflict-devastated areas. As part of the Canadian Red Cross’s Emergency Response Unit (ERU), Freeman ensured operations ran smoothly, dealt with the upkeep of the field hospital, supplied power by hooking up to the local electrical system, and any other jobs required in addition to the regular medical tasks.
“It doesn’t matter what part of the world you’re in, you end up with a major disaster, you need help from the rest of the world to recover,” said Freeman. “There’s still a great need in Nepal for all kinds of things. With shelter and water and sanitation. There are still people over there doing the training. I helped them with the ability to handle their own disasters.”
While the team in Nepal, which consisted of over 110, recently moved into the recovery phase, Kathmandu’s damage is still widespread, mudslides were heard nearby, and rebuilding remained in progress, Freeman recalled.
Just over the past year, the Canadian Red Cross was involved in 236 emergency and recovery missions in 51 countries. The organization is also involved in mother, newborn, and child-health, as well as disaster preparedness, and violence prevention. Yet their efforts closer to home have gained the association even more recognition and volunteers.
“People volunteer for various reasons, but of course the primary one is to contribute to people in need… it’s the heart of the Red Cross, it spreads across the country, and I believe we have 20,000 volunteers across all the various programs that we run in Canada,” said Diana Coulter, Canadian Red Cross Communications Advisor for western Canada.
“In Alberta, with the southern Alberta floods in 2013, and the wildfires in Saskatchewan this past summer, I think the profile of the work the Red Cross has been doing in the country is probably encouraging more people to volunteer. But we always need more volunteers, they are the heart of our organization.”
The Canadian Red Cross prides itself on being the first agency in and often the last one out of a disaster situation. Coulter expects the focus over the next 18 months will be placed on helping with ongoing recovery, rebuilding homes, ensuring proper sanitation and water facilities, re-establishing jobs, and rebuilding hospitals. While the work continues in Nepal, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, and other missions around the world, for now, Freeman is staying put in Strathmore to make up some much deserved quality time with this family.
“I probably won’t be doing as many missions as I had this year,” Freeman said. “I’ll still be on the list when there’s something that that comes up and I’ll go whenever I’m able. I really enjoy the work, and it’s really important work, but I have a daughter who’s really young and it takes a lot of time away from her. I’m missing out I guess.”
The organization is always appreciative to the many donors that make their work possible. For more information regarding the Canadian Red Cross or to donate visit www.redcross.ca.