A Note from Nairobi...
Sitting on the deck of my apartment in Nairobi earlier today, watching the glow of the late afternoon sun seep through the surrounding trees, I nearly forgot I was in the middle of one of the largest urban centers in Africa. Nairobi is an interesting city - it is like most other modern urban cities in the developing world, but unlike others whose landscape is dominated by urban sprawl, Nairobi’s is partly camouflaged by a blanket of greenery. Although, when caught under a thick cloud of smog, bumper to bumper in the city’s notoriously bad traffic jams, there is no questioning it is a true urban center.
This incongruous dichotomy is epitomized by one of the city’s strangest sites; the large pelicans that fill the trees that line Mombasa Road; Nairobi’s busiest and most congested artery. Despite the noise of the traffic, the pelicans stand somberly in the trees with their heads down as though they were in mourning. It’s a site I observe often as I shuffle along in traffic on my commute across town to the Kenyan Red Cross office.
I have been working alongside the Kenyan Red Cross, where my focus continues to be on malaria prevention, only now within a broader context of health and disaster relief programs. I just returned from a trip to Bora, in eastern Kenya, where flooding occurred in December displacing thousands of people and leading to outbreaks of Rift Valley Hemorrhagic fever and malaria. The Kenyan Red Cross has been working to provide relief to the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) whose villages were washed away and who now find themselves living in camps. Several Red Cross Emergency Response Units (ERUs) - specially designed rapid response medical and water/sanitation units - were deployed from other Red Cross National Societies to provide support. I went there as part of an assessment mission to gauge the impact of the response and to participate in an ERU coordination meeting.
In north-eastern Kenya’s dead flat landscape, the vegetation is limited to dry scrub brush, thorn bushes and low stunted trees. With temperatures normally in the 40’s, it has an extremely hot, dusty, and seemingly inhospitable climate. The people who live there are mostly nomadic goat herders of Somali decent. Their tall slender frames are draped in colorful cloth that reveals only glimpses of their sleek features and light brown skin. The area has historically been prone to drought which has been especially devastating in the past few years. Now, only a few short months after recovering from the most recent drought, severe flooding has washed away many villages, forcing many people to live in camps.
Walking through these camps, I was truly struck by what it means to be vulnerable; it was easy to see why and how camps such as these are the most precarious places to survive. With only the most basic materials for shelter, those affected found refuge on the high points near roads where they were safe from the flooding but where no clean water or food could be found. These people were almost entirely reliant on the aid provided through the emergency relief of the Kenyan Government, the UN, non-governmental organizations and the Red Cross.
Even still there were signs of people’s resilience and strength; something you don’t see in television images of refugee camps. Guided by a local Red Cross water and sanitation volunteer, the men in a camp I visited were digging latrines and the women were gathering and burning garbage. The initiative shown was a clear indication of the desire for self-reliance. With the flooding now over, some people have been able to return to their villages, but others have nowhere to return to and now face the difficult task of resettlement.
In a region of such scarcity, the resettlement of displaced peoples can overwhelm the limited resources available. As such, tensions can mount quickly between newly arrived displaced people and those already living in the area. For example, what little exists in the way of health care facilities can quickly become overburdened with the outbreak of disease that often occurs in camps such as these. While the medical services provided by the Red Cross ERUs help mitigate the demands on local health facilities, they offer only a short term solution. For this reason, close collaboration with the Kenyan Ministry of Health and the Kenyan Red Cross is important to strengthen the local capacity to meet the demand for services.
The links between disasters, migration, disease, and conflict are palpable in regions such as this, perpetuating the cyle of vulnerability. Those who are poor and marginalized are at greater risk of being displaced by disasters such as floods; once displaced they are at greater risk of succumbing to diseases such as malaria – which itself is exacerbated by flooding. Outbreaks of disease in turn put pressure on limited health facilities and add to the competition for limited resources that can, in turn, lead to tension and even conflict. The already vulnerable people are further marginalized and impoverished.
The rise in disasters in recent years in Kenya, and around the world, is evidence of a further link in the cycle of vulnerability; one to climate change. Changes in rainfall amounts and severe weather events are being attributed, at least in part, to global warming. Desertification, drought, even the latitudinal and altitudinal spread of malaria is proving to be caused by increases in the earth’s temperature. Given there is now a general consensus that we all contribute to global warming through the emission of greenhouse gases, there is a link between our consumption habits and the vulnerability of others. This global interconnection highlights how our actions can negatively affect the lives of others, but it should also serve to remind us that we can choose actions with different outcomes.
In this regard, I continue to be inspired by not only those who work here on the ground to alleviate and prevent human suffering, but also by those back home who understand the capacity they have to do the same in their everyday actions. I recently had the opportunity to connect with a group of such people when I was linked in by phone to a conference held in Vancouver by the Red Cross Youth Training in Action Program (Youth TAP).
The aim of Youth TAP is to tap into the energy, creativity and compassion of youth and to provide them with the skills and support to take effective action as global citizens. Youth are often referred to as the leaders of tomorrow, but they are also the leaders of today. The local actions of youth in their schools and communities have been have been at the leading edge of global changes such as the ban on anti-personnel landmines, the international protocol to end the use of child soldiers and the rising attention to the HIV/Aids pandemic.
During the call, the youth participants had the opportunity to ask me questions about life as a Red Cross delegate and about how I became involved. Many did, however, most of the questions were about the bigger issues of malaria andchallenges facing a post-conflict country like Sierra Leone. These young people understand the power of knowledge and are eager to know more about the world they live in so that they can decide how best to act in the interest of humanity. I came to be involved with the Red Cross for the same reason, and while I am now undertaking a career in humanitarian aid, I think of my career choice as only one extension of my commitment to personal action as a global citizen.
One question I was asked was; ‘do I see a difference?’ At the time I think I misunderstood the question and answered only in terms of the impact of the malaria prevention program. Leaving the camps of Bora a few days after the conference call, I thought again about this question and realized that it was perhaps much broader. I got to thinking, is the work being done by organizations like the Red Cross making a difference? While there is always more that could be done, the work being undertaken by humanitarian organizations is making a difference in the lives of those who are vulnerable; people like those displaced in Bora. Are we collectively, in the broadest sense, making a difference? While there is plenty of evidence where more needs to be done, there is hope to be found in the cases where our collective voices have influenced international laws or policy.
As I thought about the question and the youth participants of the conference, I was reminded of a quote by Margaret Mead – “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.” The choices and actions we all make are important and the youth involved in the Youth TAP conference should take pride in the role they play in addressing the root causes of vulnerability.
This incongruous dichotomy is epitomized by one of the city’s strangest sites; the large pelicans that fill the trees that line Mombasa Road; Nairobi’s busiest and most congested artery. Despite the noise of the traffic, the pelicans stand somberly in the trees with their heads down as though they were in mourning. It’s a site I observe often as I shuffle along in traffic on my commute across town to the Kenyan Red Cross office.
I have been working alongside the Kenyan Red Cross, where my focus continues to be on malaria prevention, only now within a broader context of health and disaster relief programs. I just returned from a trip to Bora, in eastern Kenya, where flooding occurred in December displacing thousands of people and leading to outbreaks of Rift Valley Hemorrhagic fever and malaria. The Kenyan Red Cross has been working to provide relief to the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) whose villages were washed away and who now find themselves living in camps. Several Red Cross Emergency Response Units (ERUs) - specially designed rapid response medical and water/sanitation units - were deployed from other Red Cross National Societies to provide support. I went there as part of an assessment mission to gauge the impact of the response and to participate in an ERU coordination meeting.
In north-eastern Kenya’s dead flat landscape, the vegetation is limited to dry scrub brush, thorn bushes and low stunted trees. With temperatures normally in the 40’s, it has an extremely hot, dusty, and seemingly inhospitable climate. The people who live there are mostly nomadic goat herders of Somali decent. Their tall slender frames are draped in colorful cloth that reveals only glimpses of their sleek features and light brown skin. The area has historically been prone to drought which has been especially devastating in the past few years. Now, only a few short months after recovering from the most recent drought, severe flooding has washed away many villages, forcing many people to live in camps.
Walking through these camps, I was truly struck by what it means to be vulnerable; it was easy to see why and how camps such as these are the most precarious places to survive. With only the most basic materials for shelter, those affected found refuge on the high points near roads where they were safe from the flooding but where no clean water or food could be found. These people were almost entirely reliant on the aid provided through the emergency relief of the Kenyan Government, the UN, non-governmental organizations and the Red Cross.
Even still there were signs of people’s resilience and strength; something you don’t see in television images of refugee camps. Guided by a local Red Cross water and sanitation volunteer, the men in a camp I visited were digging latrines and the women were gathering and burning garbage. The initiative shown was a clear indication of the desire for self-reliance. With the flooding now over, some people have been able to return to their villages, but others have nowhere to return to and now face the difficult task of resettlement.
In a region of such scarcity, the resettlement of displaced peoples can overwhelm the limited resources available. As such, tensions can mount quickly between newly arrived displaced people and those already living in the area. For example, what little exists in the way of health care facilities can quickly become overburdened with the outbreak of disease that often occurs in camps such as these. While the medical services provided by the Red Cross ERUs help mitigate the demands on local health facilities, they offer only a short term solution. For this reason, close collaboration with the Kenyan Ministry of Health and the Kenyan Red Cross is important to strengthen the local capacity to meet the demand for services.
The links between disasters, migration, disease, and conflict are palpable in regions such as this, perpetuating the cyle of vulnerability. Those who are poor and marginalized are at greater risk of being displaced by disasters such as floods; once displaced they are at greater risk of succumbing to diseases such as malaria – which itself is exacerbated by flooding. Outbreaks of disease in turn put pressure on limited health facilities and add to the competition for limited resources that can, in turn, lead to tension and even conflict. The already vulnerable people are further marginalized and impoverished.
The rise in disasters in recent years in Kenya, and around the world, is evidence of a further link in the cycle of vulnerability; one to climate change. Changes in rainfall amounts and severe weather events are being attributed, at least in part, to global warming. Desertification, drought, even the latitudinal and altitudinal spread of malaria is proving to be caused by increases in the earth’s temperature. Given there is now a general consensus that we all contribute to global warming through the emission of greenhouse gases, there is a link between our consumption habits and the vulnerability of others. This global interconnection highlights how our actions can negatively affect the lives of others, but it should also serve to remind us that we can choose actions with different outcomes.
In this regard, I continue to be inspired by not only those who work here on the ground to alleviate and prevent human suffering, but also by those back home who understand the capacity they have to do the same in their everyday actions. I recently had the opportunity to connect with a group of such people when I was linked in by phone to a conference held in Vancouver by the Red Cross Youth Training in Action Program (Youth TAP).
The aim of Youth TAP is to tap into the energy, creativity and compassion of youth and to provide them with the skills and support to take effective action as global citizens. Youth are often referred to as the leaders of tomorrow, but they are also the leaders of today. The local actions of youth in their schools and communities have been have been at the leading edge of global changes such as the ban on anti-personnel landmines, the international protocol to end the use of child soldiers and the rising attention to the HIV/Aids pandemic.
During the call, the youth participants had the opportunity to ask me questions about life as a Red Cross delegate and about how I became involved. Many did, however, most of the questions were about the bigger issues of malaria andchallenges facing a post-conflict country like Sierra Leone. These young people understand the power of knowledge and are eager to know more about the world they live in so that they can decide how best to act in the interest of humanity. I came to be involved with the Red Cross for the same reason, and while I am now undertaking a career in humanitarian aid, I think of my career choice as only one extension of my commitment to personal action as a global citizen.
One question I was asked was; ‘do I see a difference?’ At the time I think I misunderstood the question and answered only in terms of the impact of the malaria prevention program. Leaving the camps of Bora a few days after the conference call, I thought again about this question and realized that it was perhaps much broader. I got to thinking, is the work being done by organizations like the Red Cross making a difference? While there is always more that could be done, the work being undertaken by humanitarian organizations is making a difference in the lives of those who are vulnerable; people like those displaced in Bora. Are we collectively, in the broadest sense, making a difference? While there is plenty of evidence where more needs to be done, there is hope to be found in the cases where our collective voices have influenced international laws or policy.
As I thought about the question and the youth participants of the conference, I was reminded of a quote by Margaret Mead – “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.” The choices and actions we all make are important and the youth involved in the Youth TAP conference should take pride in the role they play in addressing the root causes of vulnerability.
5 Comments:
The occurrence of “natural” disasters amid complex political crises is increasingly widespread: over 140 natural disasters have occurred alongside complex political crises in the past five years alone (UN 2006). “The dramatic increase in major disasters witnessed in the last 50 years [also] provides worrying evidence of this trend, [and] if climate change produces more flooding, heat waves, droughts and storms, this pace may accelerate” (UN 2004). In fact, average worldwide losses from natural disasters have been increasingly exponentially since 1960 (Munich Re 2005).
To make matters worse, where conflicts already exist, “the threat of climate change is likely to exacerbate, rather than ameliorate matters because of uncertainty about the amount of future resources that it engenders” (IPCC 2001, Working Group II). At the same time, political crises and armed conflicts indirectly exacerbate the impact of natural disasters by exhausting coping mechanisms and response capacities. Indeed, human-driven “environmental degradation has enhanced the destructive potential of natural disasters and in some cases hastened their occurrence” (UN 2004). In this rush of feedback loops, the catastrophic risks are magnified by the fact that some of the risks are positively correlated, which implies that “regional climate change, as with other causes of environmental degradation, could make armed conflict more likely” (Purvis and Busby 2004).
Clearly then, studying the linkages between human insecurity and conflict and between humanitarian crises and conflict is vital, yet these linkages have not been as widely studied as the political and military factors that lie behind them. More effective cross-disciplinary research is desperately needed to bridge the archipelago of disaster studies. To be sure, partitioning the general study of disasters from other fields, and partitioning specialties within disaster studies from other specialties, creates a patchwork of isolated approaches rather than what we need: a coherent, comprehensive, and connected view.
These isolated approaches explain why the disaster management and conflict prevention communities hardly collaborate. Indeed, they opine that disaster and conflict early warning systems “are logically different” (Schmeidl and Jenkins 1999) even though both types of disasters have commonly led to massive internal and external displacements of people, and many disasters, whether man-made or natural, are interlinked, and disaster-prone regions, countries or group are vulnerable to any kind of disasters.
In other words, despite the different origins of disasters, they share many common elements. Moreover, there are obvious functional parallels in risk assessments, monitoring and warning, dissemination and communication, response capability and impact evaluation. These analogous functions have real operational consequences for implementing organizations and stakeholders. Still, the two communities are not engaged in either joint dialogue or scientific research.
This is ironic given repeated concerns that disaster early warning systems are too narrowly focused on meteorological and agricultural information at the expense of socio-political indicators (UN 2006), while conflict early warning systems are being urged to integrate environmental change indicators into their analyses. These converging trends clearly demonstrate that disaster and conflict early warning share the same functional logic: early detection and early response. The salience of this logic for prevention, mitigation and adaptation to climate change needs to be operationalized.
http://fletcher.tufts.edu/phd/students/Meier.html
Hi Adam,
My name is Kent and I've been following your travels with great interest from my home in Ottawa. I was wondering what advice you had for recent university grads who are applying to the CIDA-funded internships? Did any particular technique or strategy work for you when in a similar position before joining the CRC as a youth intern?
I was living in Dar two years ago as a student and would love to return to that area of the world as an intern. Thus any advice you have would be appreciated.
Also, I noticed your interests in pursuing a career in humanitarian assistance. Have you heard of the joint-masters program on humanitarian action (NOHA)? It's offered by seven universities across Europe and is designed to train fellows for professional careers in relief and humanitarian management. Check it out at http://www.noha.deusto.es/introduction.asp
Thanks again for your advice!
Best,
-Kent-
Hi Adam!
I am really happy to see that you are still out there doing an amazing job! I just find out about this blog. Just to let you know, most of the btc group from last year did the ERU last week. So maybe will be seeing you on the field!
Take care
Claudia
Hi Adam,
You have travelled and seen so much misery and even though it must be overwhelming for you at times, I always notice how you are able to see the beauty around you, in the country and it's people. I think it is important for us to remember and understand, that even the harshest and devastated place has beauty. That the diseased, impoverished and devastated people of these poor countries, have a beauty and strength that most of us will never know.
I am sure your work will have a positive affect on the people you are trying to help, as well as on us here at home.
Take care and stay safe.
Love Gaile, Al & Family
My apologies for the delayed response to those who have left comments or asked questions. Due to technical problems it has not be possible to post your comments or reply to them until now.
For those who have specific questions or want to get in touch with me directly, I can be reached by email at adam.johnston@redcross.ca
I'd be happy to provide any responses or suggestions to those interested in humanitarian work, or the work of the Red Cross.
Thanks for the interest and support you have shown through your questions and comments.
Adam
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