Edsel, how long have you been involved with the Red Cross?

“I have been involved with the Red Cross for over twenty years. It started as an extracurricular activity at school. Given by the former President of the Red Cross, Mrs. Raily. All my peers decided to do this activity together. It was fun to learn and get the experience. And here I am. Twenty years later. ”

George, how long have you been involved with the Red Cross? 

“Actually I’m a few years behind you, Edsel. I’m involved ten years now. I started with the International Federation of the Red Cross as an Intern. I worked in the regional office in Nairobi covering East and Southern Africa. I worked there for five years in different roles and capacities. Then I joined the Netherlands Red Cross in Uganda in 2018 as WASH delegate. Most recently I started in September 2023 in a new role. As the regional coordinator for the Caribbean branches in beautiful Curacao.”

George, how did you initially get involved?

“I kind of just stumbled and fell into the Red Cross. I was inspired to work in the humanitarian sector during and after finishing my masters. I did my education in International Public Health and I wanted to find an organization that is able to provide some support around the public health and give back to the community. A colleague of mine suggested the Red Cross. I started to look around and got a position within the International Federation of the Red Cross. I never looked back ever since. What amazes me up to today, is that we are part of this huge global volunteer network. I just really love the work that we do.”

Edsel, you mentioned that you are a branch manager. Can you tell me more about your role within the branch Red Cross Saba?

“Since June of 2023, I stepped into the role of Branche manager. Basically that role intents the basic overseeing and running of the different functions in the Branche, volunteers and all that includes. The Branche manager is also in charge of organizing all the events. Last but not least, I have the overall outlook of the entire branch. Saba is a smaller branch. A lot of the responsibilities are condensed. So we have maybe one person doing the job or maybe three of four.”

Can you talk about your current position, George?

“I think some of the role descriptions of Edsel his job are similar to mine. My role involves overseeing the programs in the six overseas branches. The Dutch Caribbean as we call it. The majority of my time is spent as a link between the branches and the Netherlands Red Cross. I try to link the branches to the various technical departments at the Headquarters. I also provide oversite of all the various programs we have in the branches. Sometimes my role extends to providing some technical support. Overall, it is providing that coordination support if and when needed to the difference branches.”

The Caribbean is much more than a holiday destination. Can you describe the situation?

George: “A lot of people have an idea of the Caribbean that it is a kind of a holiday destination. But the islands themselves really do face a lot of challenges. Social economic issues, some of them are in the hurricane belt so they’re really affected by various disasters. I try to emphasize that all you see outside, it is not the reality on the ground. The Red Cross plays a special role in the islands supporting the people who are in need. There are a lot of (un-documented) migrants, health and social economic issues. So the Red Cross has a critical role in addressing these issues, especially through their vast volunteer network. The issues on the islands are somewhat overlooked, and need more attention.”

Edsel: “I agree with George. The last three years we had a major project that the Saba Red Cross were working with. The female health project. All the females were able to come to us to get a voucher so they can go to the pharmacy and get all those necessary products. We also did Dental Drive. For all who weren’t able to get proper dental care we assisted them with that. We also had a program that got kids who weren’t able to get breakfast, they come to school and have breakfast.”

Looking back at 2023 what are your key highlights, Edsel?

“The key highlights is the OSB weekend in Curaçao.” The Caribbean board annual meeting is a platform for the board of each NLRC Caribbean overseas branch (OSB) for alignment of OSB policies and exchange of ideas and experiences. “That was a plus for me. Some people I knew, who I was familiar with already, but it was nice to meet new people. And get familiar with them and what they do and tightening those bonds with our own organizations’ regional and international partners.” 

What do you say about your experience in 2023, George?

“One of my low points was unfortunately to leave my team in Uganda. I worked there for five years. I really formed some really strong bonds with the Uganda Red Cross and the teams and the communities we were supporting. But my highlight would be joining the current Caribbean team. I felt really warm and welcome by the various branch managers, and the presidents that I have met during my recent visits to the islands. I had the chance to engage with some of the community members as well. And also my team here within the Netherlands Red Cross. It is such an amazing and divers team.”

What are your ambitions for 2024? What are you most looking forward to in the new year?

Edsel: “I am looking forward to the re-introduction of the branch into the community. Re-establishing what the Red Cross means to the community and its’ members. One of the biggest goals I have is to insure we have our own headquarters. So we can operate from our own space. That is one of the biggest goals and task that I have set for the new year. Another thing I am looking forward to is the collaboration with George of course in developing this project. So we can in a proper way present this idea to the headquarters and see how we can achieve this goal.”

George: “For me, what I am really looking forward to is strengthen the cooperation and the coordination of the Netherlands Red Cross and the various branches. But what would make me really happy in the future is to see how I will be able to support the branches in translating their long-term goals into reality. So whatever shape or form that would look like, as long as we are moving a step closer to that. I’ll be really looking forward to see how I can be able to be at service to support the branches in that journey. I am a really big believer of the localization agenda try to empower the various branches to lead Humanitarian Aid organisations in the various islands. That is my big goal. To see that these branches take the lead and are  able to achieve their goals.”