Two Eye-Opening Meetings with IFRC Geneva That Crafted My Humanitarian Voyage

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Carey Chan

Placement Site: IFRC, Geneva

Interning at IFRC, Geneva has been a fabulous experience. During my 4 months internship with the Emergency Health team, I was fortunate to participate in and support 2 meaningful and important events. One was the annual Health Surge Technical Working Group meeting (see Figure 1), where participants from the fields of public health, clinical care, and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) across the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement convene to discuss health surge topics, endeavouring to optimize health emergency responses and make them more effective and efficient. As an intern during this challenging time of budget constraints, I was grateful that I could attend this event in person in Oslo, Norway, this year as a member of the organizing committee. Throughout the 4 days, I had the opportunity to network and interact with 55 participants and facilitators, learning a lot from their experiences as well as from their insights during the plenary presentations and breakout discussions. 

Figure 1. Health Surge Technical Working Group meeting in Oslo, Norway 

Apart from technical discussions, this year's meeting featured a dedicated networking session, allowing participants to extend conversations beyond work and build closer relationships for future partnerships and collaboration. Participants were given 3 choices; I chose the traditional Norwegian fjord swimming and sauna experience, during which I jumped into the cold fjord waters from a floating sauna and quickly restored my warmth by enjoying the hot sauna. The experience was spectacular, and I could feel my body replenished and relaxed afterward. 

Figure 2. The Fjord Swimming and Sauna Team’s group photo after the amazing experience

Another event was the high-level Clinical ERU meeting (see Figure 3), where the decision-makers of each health ERU-holding National Society (NS) gathered at the IFRC premises in Geneva to discuss future directions and strategies for maintaining, improving and increasing the use and effectiveness of clinical Emergency Response Units (ERUs). Over the 2 days, I learned about the perspectives and difficulties each NS faces in maintaining health ERUs, as well as the heated debates during the group exercises on identifying opportunities and challenges and discussing possible resolutions. As a minute writer, I encountered obstacles in capturing all the important details, as the discussion flowed back and forth between different participants. However, I also found it interesting and meaningful to contribute to the meeting in this way, as it allowed me to learn how leaders of each National Society think and how they come up with effective solutions that iron out the significant and challenging problems identified.

Figure 3. Clinical ERU Meeting at IFRC, Geneva premises 

 I have always seen advertisements on Red Cross Red Crescent staff and volunteers operating on the ground to serve vulnerable populations since I was young. Yet, it was not until I had the opportunity to intern with the Emergency Health Team at the IFRC Secretariat that I learnt that behind each seemingly small response team—often consisting of only a few experts— there is a massive network working to discuss, support, track and monitor operations to make every mission possible. It was truly an eye-opening experience to attend all these meetings and be part of the network, learning about the complex procedures and thorough considerations needed behind every detail and how each partner coordinates and complements one another. I am genuinely grateful for the opportunity provided by both the school and the IFRC. This experience has not only equipped me with the technical knowledge required to navigate and understand complex health emergency situations, but it has also strengthened my determination in contributing to the humanitarian world in the future. I am proud to be part of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, dedicated to protecting humanity and alleviating human suffering. 

Figure 4. Me in the red vest inside the Red Vest photobooth