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As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. In the humanitarian sector, particularly in emergencies, innovations often come about in response to a specific challenge that forces organizations like the Canadian Red Cross to adapt and change processes.

“The stress and anguish (people) go through, especially right after a disaster, and the emotional toll it takes to recover or deal with the situation – it affects everyone,” says Angelo Leo.  The Canadian Red Cross humanitarian from Vancouver has helped people impacted by disasters and emergencies as far away as Nepal, Bangladesh, and the Philippines. But this summer, he volunteered to help much closer to home. Leo is part of the Red Cross Safety and Well-being team and he went to Williams Lake to help people work through the trauma left behind by the massive wildfires that swept across much of British Columbia.

When people think of hospitals, they think of doctors and nurses. They don’t always think of scientists in lab coats. But we are always there, hidden in the background, providing those doctors and nurses with critical patient information to guide their diagnosis and treatment decisions. Even in a field hospital in Bangladesh. 

Inside the isolation tents at the Red Cross Red Crescent field hospital in Bangladesh, the air is still. Six kids fight measles, although at some points over the past weeks nearly all 20 beds have been filled at once. Little lungs work to fill as respiratory tract infections are the hallmark of this disease.

Recently, I had the chance to chat with four women aid workers, who have been on a combined 35 missions for the Red Cross. They talked about why they do this kind of work, what keeps them driven, and what it is like being a woman in the field. 

It’s been three months since waves of people started arriving in Bangladesh by the thousands. Now, at least 621,000 people have fled violence in Myanmar since August 25, joining more than 300,000 who left earlier. That’s almost one million people. But nine-year-old Nur Kiyas doesn’t want to be just one in million.

It’s hard enough to help people when you clearly see the pain, exhaustion or panic on their faces. But when thousands file past in the dark, as they arrive from Myanmar at the Bangladesh transit centre - stumbling, moaning or just staring blankly - all a small team of Canadian doctors and nurses could do was try their best.

Sandra Damota, a Canadian psychosocial worker currently in Bangladesh, shares some of her experiences working as a member of an international Red Cross team helping thousands living in camps in Bangladesh after fleeing their homes due to violence in Myanmar.

"That [photo] was actually a really powerful moment as we prepared to support the Canadian mobile health team with the arrival of about 2,500 refugees into the transit camp from the border."