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Reflections from the field

People in Pakistan's northern conflict zone, here being rescued by the army, have suffered repeated calamities Abdul Majeed Goraya/IRIN
People in Pakistan's northern conflict zone, here being rescued by the army, have suffered repeated calamities
On the second annual World Humanitarian Day, IRIN spoke to aid workers in Pakistan and Asia about the best and worst aspects of their work in the field:

Ahmad Kamal, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in Pakistan:

Best:

  • I have received many emails and phone calls from Pakistanis overseas who want to contribute their bit;
  • The [Pakistani] army is doing a very good job despite bad weather, lack of communication and poor road infrastructure;
  • People from different organizations and departments are working selflessly round the clock while fasting [during Ramadan];
  • People from medium-income or even poor families are gathering relief goods for flood victims.

    Worst:

  • There were flaws in our preparedness;
  • Met Dept had predicted above-normal monsoon rains but we did not have any idea it would create so much havoc – so [we were] caught off-guard;
  • If we had had a proper flood monitoring system in place, many lives could have been saved;
  • In some places, people made breaches in safety dykes to protect their lands. They saved themselves at the cost of others;
  • Medical facilities are very limited.

    Faisal Edhi, Trustee Edhi Foundation, speaking from Sukkur, Sindh


    Best:


  • Different organizations are playing a very positive role and doing their best to help the flood victims;
  • Various organizations, including Edhi, are trying to save the cattle too by providing fodder as the livelihoods of many people depend on cattle;
  • Water is receding in upper areas of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and people are starting to move back to their homes in some areas there. This is encouraging…

    Worst:

  • It is the worst disaster Pakistan has witnessed;
  • Aid is reaching only a very limited number of people;
  • Those who were self-sufficient are now forced to beg for a loaf of bread;
  • We don’t have a mechanism to fight the diseases which may cause deaths in very large numbers.

    Chris Lom, International Organization for Migration (IOM), Islamabad

    Best:


  • Watching everyone work very hard to get things moving;
  • The fact everyone is cooperating and working together.

    Worst:

  • The difficulties in accessing people due to washed-out roads bridges, etc

    Jack Dunford, executive director, Thailand Burma Border Consortium, Bangkok

    Best:


  • I am doing something I believe in, that drives me and satisfies me. I am always busy, there is almost no routine. I meet interesting people and learn something new every day. There are limitless opportunities to be creative in advocacy.

    Worst:

  • There is nothing I don’t like really except sometimes having to fight against ignorance and prejudice, having to [convince] people of the justice of the cause we are fighting for when it should be obvious!

    John Abo, deputy chief of party, Program for Enhancement of Emergency Response, Asia Disaster Preparedness Center, Bangkok

    Best:


  • I started my career as a nurse and paramedic in the Philippines. Now [at Asian Disaster Preparedness Center] I have a region-wide perspective. Not all countries are at the same level [of preparedness] and I enjoy the regional activities of capacity building, supporting institutions and developing preparedness plans.

    Worst:

  • The challenge of this job is the different political systems you need to understand. There are all types of dynamics and “turfing” from different ministries [that] will tell you this is not their responsibility. As a regional organization, we have to play our cards carefully.

    A family tries to escape the floods in northwestern Pakistan
    Photo: Abdul Majeed Goraya/IRIN
    A family tries to escape the floods in northwestern Pakistan
    Christoph Sutter, deputy head of delegation, International Committee of the Red Cross, Makati City, Philippines


    Best:
  • I enjoy most constructing and delivering responses to victims.

    Worst:

  • Having to stay on top of administrative procedures, such as logistical purchase rules, which are becoming more and more tedious without showing added value for the people we are trying to help. These procedures cost more [in time and labour] than the item we are trying to purchase. While the world is moving forward, agencies carry on with the same systems they have had in place for years. This is not cost- or operationally efficient.

    Curt von Boguslawski, national director, World Vision Pacific Development Group, Papua New Guinea


    Best:


  • Working with the poor, advocating for them and making a difference.

    Worst:

  • People who turn their heads away from evident problems.

    Sibauk Vivaldo Bieb, provincial coordinator, Papua New Guinea cholera control programme


    Best:

  • I enjoy the challenge of the proactive interdependent approach I have to employ to ensure there is a coordinated approach and that the expected outcomes are achieved very quickly with minimal or no loss of lives.

    Worst

  • The absolute lack of political will and commitment by the politicians to put [their] money where their mouth is! The lacklustre response of politicians within the context of the dire need of funds to contain cholera in my province and country. Getting funds to mobilize resources is akin to squeezing [blood] out of a stone in PNG.

    kh/at/ph/mw

  • This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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