It may seem contradictory that Canadian Red Cross aid worker Nicolas Verdy first got a degree in anthropology, and then went on to study computer technology, but for this Montreal native, it is proving to be an ideal basis for his humanitarian career.
"I studied anthropology because I was interested in learning about different cultures," says Nicolas. "I am fascinated about how people from different parts of the planet think and see the world. I always try to understand people, and then I try to see the similarities within other cultures and my own."
Nicolas is currently based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he is the operations coordinator for the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) for the Asia-Pacific region. Here, 37 national Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are supported in their humanitarian work. IFRC support includes coordination, along with financial and technical assistance for disasters and longer-term development programs.
Nicolas Verdy is pictured in the back row, wearing his Red Cross vest, in Myanmar.
The Kuala Lumpur office is one of five hubs from which Red Cross responses to disasters worldwide are organized and coordinated. The Asia-Pacific region is one of the world’s most natural disaster-prone areas.
"There is not one season that is not busy, whether due to cyclones, monsoons or climate change," observes Nicolas. Nicolas arrived in Malaysia in December 2014 for this assignment after previously assisting the Ugandan Red Cross Society with its response to the South Sudanese influx of refugees and a hepatitis-E epidemic. Before that he was a logistics coordinator for the Canadian Red Cross in Haïti, and in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he was a logistician for Médecins Sans Frontières.
Coordination is key
It wasn’t long till he had to draw on these experiences, and his uncommon educational mix. In mid-March 2015, Cyclone Pam hit Vanuatu. This South Pacific island was pounded with hurricane force winds, huge ocean swells, and flash flooding. Winds destroyed 90 percent of the buildings in some communities. Aid agencies described conditions as “among the most challenging they have ever faced”.
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Nicolas worked with multiple agencies in Vanuatu to ensure recovery plans were carried out and he liaised between government agencies and Red Cross Societies. He stayed there for a month, leading up a team of 21 people, helping coordinate various agencies to address needs, including information, shelter, and the distribution of relief supplies. In the end, the Red Cross assisted 20,000 people in that month. Pictured left, Nicolas helps move some of the 40 tonnes of relief items in Vanuatu. With only a 4-hour window to offload all the items from the plane, everyone lent a hand.
"The success was in the coordination," says Nicolas, noting the whole region provided a lot of support.
Nicolas adds that while disasters are increasing, at the same time the humanitarian sector is becoming much more professional - and, as a result, more complex than it used to be.
"People are more aware now of a disaster happening because of communication technologies. There are also thousands of humanitarian organizations across the globe, and many of them are ready to provide assistance," he notes. This, says Nicolas, translates into having many responders to every disaster.
"While this show of solidarity is very positive, it also brings the need to coordinate each other - international responders, local institutions, governments and others," says Nicolas. "In order to be efficient and not duplicate our efforts, or worse, overwhelm the communities we are supporting, coordination is crucial."
Not long after his work in Vanuatu, Nicolas benefitted from additional training when, in May 2015, the Canadian Red Cross piloted the first operations manager training course within the Red Cross Movement, bringing together seasoned Red Cross workers to build on their knowledge and equip them with the right tools to manage emergency operations of various sizes and complexities. The Canadian Red Cross, with support from the Government of Canada, is investing in operational leadership and supporting delegates like Nicolas to fill such crucial roles in international Red Cross responses.
"This training really helped reinforce what you feel you already know," observes Nicolas. "There’s been a lack of training for operations managers and this course really filled that need. It helps create a standard."
Nicolas is currently coordinating Red Cross operations in Myanmar where severe flooding has affected millions of people.
Nicolas Verdy’s work in Asia and the Canadian Red Cross Operations Manager Training were both made possible through generous contributions from the Canadian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development.
