TIJS ZIERE (30)
CASH INFORMATION MANAGER IN THE DATA & DIGITAL TEAM 510
Helping the most vulnerable Ukrainians
Reading time 5 minuten
"Cash assistance is the best job in the world. This idea is gaining ground. People are perfectly capable of deciding for themselves what they need. Cash gives more freedom and leaves people feeling valued. I have just returned from six weeks in Poland. There, I helped to set up a registration system where refugees from Ukraine could register for emergency assistance via an app.
We wanted to help the most vulnerable Ukrainians who had not yet been taken in by other organisations. Criteria had to be used to determine whether they were entitled to cash: €120 per person per month for four months. A good system not only takes over a lot of the workload, people also know where they stand. We received five thousand applications a week.
Great pressure
It was a complex mission because of the unexpected war. There were suddenly two million refugees in Poland, while we had money for ten thousand. That made it a challenge to trace the most vulnerable based on criteria. The pressure from headquarters in Geneva was high: how can we help as many people as possible in as little time as possible. Are we making the right choices and can we explain them to donors? Also, the Polish Red Cross had never provided cash assistance before; everything had to be set up from scratch.
See what you are doing it for
I am proud that I can make a positive impact. I think that 510, the Data & Digital team of the Red Cross of which I am part, is a great initiative. The team is young and enthusiastic. You can earn more in the business world, but this is a conscious choice. I really believe in cash assistance. Besides, it's great to be able to travel and see up close what you're doing it for."
ANTONIO HUGHES (49)
RED CROSS VOLUNTEER ON SABA
“Proud that a lockdown was no longer necessary”
"I have been a Red Cross volunteer since 2009. Together with my island colleague Jessica Gumbs, I was the first person on the island to be trained as an instructor. Over the years, I have guided some thirty Sabans towards their Red Cross diploma. I also serve the public cause. Firstly as a fireman; then as an ambulance and school bus driver."
Child of the Caribbean
"I am a child of the Caribbean. I was born and raised on the Windward Island of St Maarten. As a young person in my twenties, I took the shuttle plane to the neighbouring island to celebrate carnival. Saba, like many other islands, is not yet overrun by tourists and is called the unspoiled queen. I fell in love instantly and that has never left me. It all feels so quiet and peaceful here. That also had a positive effect after the worldwide outbreak of corona."
Hard work
"Thanks to Saba's isolated location and a firm intervention by the authorities, the virus did not have a chance to infect many of the nearly two thousand inhabitants in the early spring of 2020. As soon as one or two people were diagnosed with corona, Saba went into lockdown. We brought the necessary groceries to people's homes. That way, they didn't have to go out and we limited the number of contacts of the most vulnerable residents to a minimum. It was hard work, but rewarding. After two weeks, all shops were able to open safely again and a lockdown was no longer necessary. We are quite proud of that. What will always stay with me is how we supported each other and stuck together here on Saba."
ANNE MARIE TOUW (51)
VOLUNTEER RESTORING FAMILY LINKS IN TEAM SOUTH-WEST
“A search is sometimes a struggle to join the dots”
"I am a mother of a daughter and I can’t imagine losing her in the total chaos of a war or natural disaster. This has happened to people from Syria, Somalia, Afghanistan, Ukraine and elsewhere, and I hear their stories when I meet them at the Restoring Family Links (RFL) office. The desperation and grief is not easy to bear. Being in a position to help them in their search makes me feel extremely grateful.
Match
"The other day, we had a magic moment. A woman with children was looking for her husband. Two weeks later, a man with the same surname reported looking for his wife and children. It turned out to be a match! They were only an hour apart in the Netherlands. Often it is not that easy. A search can take a long time. It is sometimes a struggle to join the dots, where details can make all the difference. During the consultation hour, we talk - with or without an interpreter - with the person seeking help. We put all the information into the database and write a report for the RFL professionals at the association’s head office. The Red Cross has access to agencies and large networks in different countries."
Getting things done
Despite the intensely moving stories, I have really enjoyed doing this work for one and a half years. The vacancy interested me right from the start. Besides my job, I wanted to make myself useful in some other way. Life isn’t just about yourself. Just look at how humanitarian disasters can drive people apart. Now I come into contact with people I would not easily meet in my own life. The colleagues I work with are also inspiring. They know how to get things done. The Red Cross gives guidance and pays a lot of attention to the human and emotional side of volunteer work. You receive courses, briefings and debriefings. That makes it enjoyable and very special.”