International disasters and emergencies – people the best response.

Alan McLean, CEO, RedR Australia

Mission: RedR Australia relieves suffering in disasters by selecting, training and providing competent and effective personnel to humanitarian relief agencies world-wide.

About RedR Australia

RedR Australia assisted after the Haiti earthquake and Pakistan floods 2010

RedR Australia is a not-for-profit humanitarian agency which:• maintains a Standby Register of experts available for

short term deployments for emergency and relief work.

• Provides training for humanitarian workers

1979 - UK civil engineering consultant, Peter Guthrie, was seconded to work with Oxfam in Malaysia in Vietnamese refugee camps.

Peter recognised that: • engineers had an important role to play in reducing the human

suffering in emergencies • there was no real system for deploying engineers to emergency

situations

“When I returned home I saw the pressing need for engineers to help in this sort of work and compiled a Register of engineers who could be called upon at short notice to work with frontline relief agencies.” 

History

International family

Following the success of RedR UK, in 1993, RedR Australia was established. Founding President, the late Professor Fred Hollows, challenged Australian engineers to apply their ingenuity and resources to the alleviation of suffering, wherever it occurred.

RedR Australia is a member of RedR International, a federated network of offices sharing a common vision.RedR is represented in :

• RedR UK (1980)• RedR Australia (1993)• RedR New Zealand (1994)• RedR Canada (2001)• RedR India (2003)

United NationsUnited Nations agencies call on RedR Australia to supply personnel when they need specialist technical assistance to deal with an emergency or a disaster. RedR Australia has formal arrangements and is termed a standby partner of:

UNHCRUnited Nations High Commission for Refugees

WFPWorld Food Programme

UNICEFUN Children’s Fund

UN OCHAUN Office for Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Standby Register applicationPersonnel on the Standby Register

have been through a rigorous selection and training process.

Standby Register member selection

Standby Register members are selected for their professional expertise, as well as:•minimum five years practical experience•ability to cope with unfamiliar situations•fit in with a relief team drawn from many countries and backgrounds, and• willing to work in difficult and often dangerous environments•are available for deployment for at least three months

Register skill profiles Engineering- shelter and site planning- civil (structural, construction and geotechnical)- electrical generation and supply- project management- roads, airstrips, bridges and transport systems Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)- sanitation- hydrology and hydrogeology- hygiene- water supply and distribution Logistics- air movement/air operation- fleet management- supply chain management- warehouse management

Coordination - humanitarian affairs and coordination

- civil/ military coordinationCommunication- geographic information systems (GIS)- public relations, media liaison and mass communication- information management- telecommunications, IT and data communications Humanitarian protection- child protection- gender based violence- displaced populations- international humanitarian, human rights and refugee law Health- nutrition - psychosocial

Support offered to deployees • RedR Australia covers all basic costs including travel,

food, accommodation, visas and vaccinations.

• Deployees receive a salary and a living allowance

• All deployees are covered for medical and travel insurance

• Prior to deployment, Standby Register members travel to Melbourne for briefing and preparation for assignment.

• RedR Australia monitors and supports each deployee for the duration of their assignment.

• All deployees receive medical check-ups prior to their departure and on return from their assignment

• On return to Melbourne, all deployees receive an operational and psychological de-briefing.

RedR Australia register members fix water and sanitation problems

RedR Australia register members provide clean water

RedR register members assess infrastructure requirements

RedR register members complete coastal assessments

RedR register members manage air operations

RedR register members coordinate logistics

RedR register members build roads

RedR register members fix bridges

RedR register members supply shelter

RedR helps people rebuild their lives

RedR register members provide community services

Recent protection deploymentsAfghanistan UNHCR Protection officerPakistan UNICEF Child Protection co-ordinator + Child Protection specialist (x two)Philippines UNHCR Child Protection specialistSudan UNICEF Child Protection specialistYemen UNICEF Child Protection sub-Cluster Coordinator

RedR Australia training

Delivering emergency assistance poses many challenges.

RedR Australia runs an extensive training program in humanitarian relief with a particular focus on realistic scenario exercises to equip participants with the skills to respond quickly when working in humanitarian emergencies.

RedR Australia trainersOur courses are facilitated by our staff and other international practitioners. They are humanitarian aid specialists who have worked for UN agencies and a range of humanitarian organisations.

RedR Australia’s trainers bring with them many years of field and operational experience with a variety of international organisations in both natural disasters and complex emergencies associated with conflict.

Core training courses

Essentials of Humanitarian Practice This five day intensive course provides an in-depth insight into the aid world, as well as the needs of vulnerable people in complex and challenging settings. Our course equips individuals with the knowledge and skills to respond effectively to a humanitarian crisis.

Personal Security & Communications Learn how to respond to security and safety threats. This is a scenario based course provides participants with the tools to manage safety, operate communications equipment and develop team skills. This popular course is essential training for work in humanitarian aid.

Training Courses – technical developmentHumanitarian Logistics in EmergenciesRedR Australia’s Humanitarian Logistics in Emergencies course focuses on the importance of logistics in the provision of aid to disaster survivors as well as its place in carrying out other disaster management operations. Water, Sanitation & Hygiene in Emergencies Some of the most common needs of people affected by any disaster - whether in a natural or conflict environment - is access to safe drinking water, adequate sanitation and hygiene. This course is an ideal introduction to public health engineering in emergencies.

Ellen Hynes (right) loading supplies onto UNHAS Mi-171 helicopter to be delivered to the mountainous Cordillera Administrative Region.

Communities had been isolated by landslides and damaged infrastructure including roads and bridges during Typhoon Parma.

SOUTH SUDAN - Christine Clarence was based in South Sudan with UNICEF in a child protection role.

Hundreds of children were abducted in 2009 during cattle raids and conflicts between rival pastoral tribes.

Christine was responsible for the logistics of the rescue and return of 27 children one week and a mother and her five children three weeks later.

SAMOA - Engineers Geoff Herman and Geoff Lewis supervised restoration of clean water to villages after the Samoa tsunami of 2009.

SOMALIA - Robert Crigan measures prospective construction sites in Somalia for the World Food Programme.

During his assignment Robert initiated work for the construction of a new warehouse and an upgrade of the port – major infrastructure projects to assist the World Food Programme’s essential operations.

NORTH DARFUR - Rosal Fischer trained and mentored social workers and Government officials to help local children rebuild their lives following years of conflict and poverty.

In summary RedR Australia:

recruits and selectstrains and prepares

deploys and supports

Visit www.redr.org.au for more information and to subscribe to our newsletter

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