Issue 10, August 2009 - Australian Red Cross

August 2009 | Issue 10
the Humanitarian
crossing
the line
a journey
of hope

P2 the Humanitarian
the inside
editorial
In this edition of the Humanitarian, our cover story ‘Crossing the line’ by Sydney
Morning Herald journalist Andrew Stevenson explores the role of the Geneva
Conventions in their 60th anniversary year. A year in which the Red Cross
Movement also celebrates 90 years as a Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies in 186 countries, and one in which we recognise the vision of
our founder Henri Dunant 150 years after he witnessed the Battle of Solferino.
It is also, the Year of the Blood Donor and the 80th anniversary of the Red
Cross Blood Service, which prompts Liz Thynne to reflect on one of life’s
most precious gifts. As a nurse who joined us in the mid 1960’s, when the
population was booming and new uses for blood and its derivatives were
being discovered all over the world, Liz celebrates the leading role Red Cross
Blood Service has played in Australia.
It has of course also been a significant time for Red Cross in Australia during
one of the most devastating natural disasters we have faced. In this edition
the survivors of the Victorian bushfires tell Jacqui Pringle how they are moving
towards recovery in a touching piece titled ‘A new kind of normal’.
We are also moved by Flora Fekira, a 23 year old refugee from Sudan who is
using dance to help other refugees deal with the trauma of conflict and the
difficulties of adapting to a radically different new life. Eight years after her
arrival Flora is now working with Red Cross to support other migrants
and refugees.
Please enjoy this edition of the Humanitarian. And as you do, please consider
joining radio and television personalities Merrick and Rosso (opposite
page) who are featured in our television campaign. For as little as $15 a
month, you too can make a real difference to people in need by becoming a
Humanitarian Partner. Call 1800 812 018 or join online at
www.redcross.org.au
10
A journey
of hope
6
Crossing
the line
16
A moving tale
of two islands
22
East Timor
Robert Tickner
CEO Australian
Red Cross
Michael Raper
Director of Services and
International Operations
Australian Red Cross
Make a donation
1800 811 700
First Aid enquiries
1300 367 428
Give blood
13 14 95
Front cover: Civilians walk past a destroyed building
in Gaza City, January 2009. Photo: MAHMUD
HAMS/AFP/Getty Images

August 2009 P3

P4 the Humanitarian
news in brief
Red Cross volunteers are continuing to provide personal support to those people affected by the Victorian bushfires.
Photo: Australian Red Cross/Rodney Dekker
Bushfire recovery continues
Six months after bushfires devastated parts of Victoria, a new report outlines how
funds raised by the Victorian Bushfire Appeal have been allocated and distributed.
The Victorian Bushfire Appeal has raised more than $375 million, which was
transferred to a trust account established by the Victorian Government.
With $3 million in interest and other funding paid direct to the trust account, a total of
$382 million is available for distribution through the Victorian Department of Human
Services, under the oversight of an independent Advisory Panel.
Meanwhile, the tireless work of hundreds of Red Cross volunteers in the aftermath
of the bushfires has been recognised by Victorian Premier John Brumby. More than
200,000 meals were provided to emergency services personnel and people in relief
centres, while 220 first aid officers treated over 5,000 patients for conditions
including burns, fractures and respiratory problems. Volunteers also registered
22,000 people at relief centres to let their loved ones know they were safe.
As part of a targeted outreach program, volunteers are continuing to provide personal
support to people affected by the fires as they rebuild their homes and properties.
The program includes home visits, providing information about available services,
and attending community meetings. Community service hubs are still operating in
a number of locations, where people can access all bushfire-related services in
one place. Red Cross has also established the Victorian Bushfire Recovery Unit,
which is developing resources to assist people and communities affected by the
bushfires. For more information about the community service hubs please
visit www.dhs.vic.gov.au
Dunant’s inspiration is celebrated 150 years on
This year marks the 150th anniversary of Henry Dunant’s inspiration – sparked by the
Battle of Solferino – to create a neutral organisation to care for wounded soldiers. It’s
also the 90th anniversary of the founding of the International Federation of Red Cross
and Red Crescent Societies, and the 60th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions.
To commemorate these anniversaries, a series of events were held in Italy in June,
including a torch-lit procession along the path followed by nurses and injured soldiers
after the Battle of Solferino in 1859. Thousands of Red Cross and Red Crescent
volunteers joined in the 10km walk, including four Australians among 600 youth
ambassadors from around the world.
Women and war exhibition
An exhibition of stark images portraying
the plight of women in countries
affected by war has finished its two-year
run throughout Australia.
Compiled by the International
Committee of the Red Cross and hosted
by Australian Red Cross in each state, the
collection of 34 images was designed
to remind the public of the protections
that women are afforded in times of
war under International Humanitarian
Law. The exhibition included a series
of photographs exploring themes of
displacement, physical and sexual
violence, loss of contact with loved ones,
detention and lack of access to food and
medical care.
Governor-General and President of
Australian Red Cross, Ms Quentin
Bryce, said the exhibition emphasized
the strength of women in times of war.
‘[The images] show us women and girls
who are vulnerable and threatened,
displaced, dispossessed, detained. Yet
they also speak of women’s tenacity and
courage; the way they hold their families
and communities together; the way they
emerge from trauma and set out on their
road again.’
The exhibition proved successful
with thousands of Australians taking
the opportunity to view the images
and learn more about the diverse
experiences of women throughout
the world.
Mrs Jan de Kretser, President of Australian Red Cross
Victoria, and Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC,
Australia’s Governor-General and President of Australian
Red Cross, at the Women and War exhibition.
Photo: Shannon Reddaway

August 2009 P5
news in brief
Pakistan’s displaced return
home to uncertain future
Most displaced people have returned
to their homes in Pakistan after recent
conflict, but safety and access to basic
services remain problematic for many.
The international Red Cross continues
to assist people affected by fighting,
including those who remain displaced.
It is seeking greater access to Swat,
Buner and Dir.
‘Despite substantial progress in some
districts over the past few weeks, there
remain areas where the population may
not be safe and may not be able to obtain
food, clean water and medical services,’
says Benno Kocher, head of the Red
Cross sub-delegation in Peshawar.
Red Cross is seeking greater access
to areas affected by fighting to distribute
emergency food rations and evacuate
the wounded.
People on war
As Australians who are working or
caught up in conflicts around the
world well know, the laws of war
are as relevant as ever. Recently,
to gain a better understanding
of our country’s attitudes to
war, Australian Red Cross
commissioned the People on
War survey.
While there are some disturbing
results – like respondents’ view on
torture in some circumstances –
in much of the research we found
reasons to be proud of the
community’s awareness on
this subject.
Almost 90% of 1,030 Australians
surveyed have heard of the
Geneva Conventions, while over
90% believe there are laws which
should not be broken without
punishment – even in war. And
90% know that the red cross
emblem is a symbol of protection.
Red Cross works throughout the
world and in Australia to ensure
An Australian rifleman in East Timor. Photo: Courtesy Department
of Defence © Commonwealth of Australia 2009
respect for the Geneva Conventions – laws which have been adopted by
every country.
The Geneva Conventions turned 60 on 12 August – an important milestone for
the treaties, which place limits on how war is waged and form the cornerstone of
international humanitarian law (IHL).
‘The laws of war focus on the fundamental concept of a base level of humanity that
applies even during war,’ says Dr Helen Durham, Red Cross’ Strategic Adviser on
International Law.
A young woman in a camp for displaced people in Pakistan.
Photo: Reuters/Ali Imam courtesy www.alertnet.org
CPR skills hit the net
In an Australian first, Red Cross has launched an online CPR course to teach
people how to maintain someone’s breathing and circulation following a cardiac
arrest. The theory is completed online, before a practical assessment takes place at
a Red Cross centre.
It only costs $55 to become a certified CPR practitioner. To register for the course,
visit www.redcross.org.au/firstaid (follow the links to Online CPR Training) or
call 1300 367 428.

P6 the Humanitarian
As the Geneva
Conventions turn
60 this year, Andrew
Stevenson asks:
do they make a
material difference
for civilians in times
of war?
crossing the line

August 2009 P7
Two straight lines of soldiers, uniforms
sparkling in the sun, converge on a bare
field, ready for battle. In the distance, life
in the village overlooking the conflict goes
on unhindered: farmers farm, children
play and houses stand untouched by the
outbreak of hostilities.
If war ever was like that, it is no more. In
conflicts such as Afghanistan, Pakistan
and Sri Lanka there is generally no front
line, but instead an extensive area of
dispute that erupts in sporadic battles,
generally fought among a frightened
civilian population unable to flee the heat
of battle. In Gaza those fighting may be
difficult to discern from those who are not,
exacerbating the impact of the conflict
and creating a whole new class of victims.
What stands between these civilians
and unparalleled suffering, injury or even
death may be an unseen force of which
the people themselves are unaware.
The Geneva Conventions, enhanced by
the additional protocols added in 1977
and 2005, are 60 years old this year, but
the spirit they embody reaches back
much further, capturing the sense – even
if it may never have been the reality – of
the ‘right way’ to go about fighting. If it
has to happen, do all that is possible to
leave civilians out of it.
‘The Geneva Conventions,’ argues
Sydney University academic Dr Christian
Enemark, ‘are the most modern
manifestation of an idea that can be
traced back to codes of chivalry – that
war is the business of the warrior and
that there is a legitimate expectation that
those who are not in the business of
fighting shouldn’t be exposed to harm.’
Look around the world – in Gaza,
Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Darfur to
take but a few examples – and the reality
may be quite different. However, were
it not for the Geneva Conventions, and
their consistent representation to those
involved in battle by groups such as the
International Committee of Red Cross
(ICRC), the reality may be a lot worse.
And therein lies the bind, Enemark says.
‘The moral stigma against targeting
civilians I think is stronger than ever, but it
would be fair to say that more and more
civilians are being exposed to conflict,’ he
says. ‘But that is not to say that the law is
somehow at fault. The law itself is fine; it’s
the new circumstances of warfare that
are to blame.’
The essential element of the Geneva
Conventions, as they relate to civilians,
is that those fighting must at all times
distinguish between the civilian population
and combatants in order to spare the
civilian population and civilian property;
neither the civilian population as a whole
nor individual civilians may be attacked.
The Geneva Conventions
are the most modern
manifestation of an idea that
can be traced back to codes
of chivalry – that war is the
business of the warrior and that
there is a legitimate expectation
that those who are not in the
business of fighting shouldn’t
be exposed to harm.
Dr Christian Enemark,
Sydney University
Breached as they often are, the
conventions at times remain the only hope
for civilians. ‘I think it’s very important to
hold the parties accountable under the
Geneva Conventions,’ says Red Cross aid
worker Mike Dennison. ‘They can do a lot
to ensure that, if the conflict is to proceed,
then at least there are minimum standards
under which the conflict should be waged,
and [that] the principles of the protection of
the civilian population, of medical facilities
and staff are very high. These things will
help ensure that, if there is suffering, then
at least people will have access to care
and to shelter.’
In Gaza, where Dennison has worked
and where another Red Cross aid worker
Maureen Bennett is currently posted,
civilians continue to suffer greatly.
‘They’re not faring very well. They’re living
Andrew Stevenson has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years and
is presently a senior writer for the Sydney Morning Herald. He has written
about politics, history and rural affairs and has covered conflict in Kashmir.
in a miserable situation,’ says Bennett.
‘They were before the war and after the
war: basically they’re trapped.’
Dennison agrees it is extremely difficult for
civilians in Gaza to get themselves out of
harm’s way. ‘During the conflict in Gaza
the Israeli forces would drop leaflets stating
that the area was about to be bombed,
but the people really had nowhere to go
so it didn’t really make a lot of sense to tell
people to move out,’ he says.
So the impact of war is cast wider and
wider. ‘In centuries gone by soldiers would
be firing at each other, looking over the
trench, eyeball to eyeball – for example, in
World War One,’ argues Bennett.
But no more, she says, when modern
weapons in civilian zones affect many
innocent people. They may have
been designed as targeted military
weapons, but their use often has dire
consequences for civilians, such as the
deaths of Afghani civilians at the hands of
precision-guided weapons.
Enemark doubts war was ever so
simple. ‘The law exists as an ideal type
and it puts pressure on participants not
to transgress, but you will never see
a beautiful war, with civilians entirely
isolated from it, and that’s been the case
for centuries,’ he says.
Breached they may be, but Enemark
believes that 60 years on the Geneva
Conventions are far from outliving their
utility and they may have more impact
than we’ll ever know.
‘It’s hard to measure the extent to which
the Geneva Conventions exercise a
stop-and-think influence on military
commanders,’ he says. ‘All too often we
focus on the instances where the law has
clearly failed to save lives, but it’s much
more difficult to measure the extent to
which people decide not to do something
because of that moral sanction.’
For more information on the
Geneva Conventions please refer
to www.redcross.org.au/IHL.
To mark the 60 year anniversary,
Red Cross released a magazine
featuring stories from Australians
who have experienced first-hand
the power of protection of the
Geneva Conventions.
Doura, Israel/Occupied Territories. A woman in front of
the rubble of her house. Photo: ICRC/Virginie Louis

P8 the Humanitarian
While nature has a
knack for healing its
wounds after a natural
disaster, the recovery
process for humans
can sometimes take a
little longer, as Jacqui
Pringle discovers.
a new kind of normal
Ray Donkin surveys his land in Buxton, which was destroyed by the Black Saturday bushfires. Photo: Australian Red Cross/Rodney Dekker

August 2009 P9
Albin Weitacher in
his temporary home.
Photo: Australian Red
Cross/Rodney Dekker
It was like a big ball of
string all knotted up in
my head. I couldn’t find
ends to it. I couldn’t
unknot my thoughts
and that hounded me
in the night something
terrible. And then I
realised that it was part
of the trauma thing.
Copies of Coping with
a major personal crisis
and other Emergancy
REDiPlan materials
are available at
www.redcross.org.au
Kinglake West resident Albin Weitacher
says he is on the mend and that he
has been battling on and living quite
comfortably since the Black Saturday
fires. But it soon becomes obvious that
the emotional trauma of the event remains
with him today.
‘I want to describe it fairly accurately
to you because this might relate to
other people, too,’ he says. He pauses
and looks down at his hands before
continuing. ‘It was like a big ball of string
all knotted up in my head. I couldn’t find
ends to it. I couldn’t unknot my thoughts
and that hounded me in the night
something terrible. And then I realised
that it was part of the trauma thing.’
Albin managed to escape the flames
by minutes, driving through what he
describes as a war zone on his way to
Whittlesea. The thick smoke from the
fires affected his vision, leaving him
unable to see clearly as he drove through
the debris. Once in Whittlesea, Albin was
directed to the relief centre where he
was immediately treated by Red Cross.
His vision is now fine, but his lungs have
been causing him trouble: a longer-term
effect of the smoke.
‘During the first few days, I was very
arrogant,’ Albin says. ‘It has just
happened, big deal. But then I heard
about the kids burning and I knew some
of them and that cut me up something
bad. Then I got very angry and my son
told me it was a normal reaction. He said,
“If you go ape, that’s all right; you’ve got
my blessing”.’
We visited Albin at his temporary house
built next to the remains of the home he
occupied for more than eight years. His
son Rudy moved in with him shortly after
the fires, and together they constructed a
mobile home, which they have decked out
with much of Rudy’s furniture. Tradesmen
by profession, they are preparing to use a
$2,000 grant provided by Department of
Human Services to install heating to get
them through the winter.
It’s a similar story for Ray Donkin. A
Buxton resident of more than 35 years,
he stayed to fight the fires that ripped
through his property. Tears still form in
Ray’s eyes months later as he surveys
the rubble that was once his home.
‘It was pretty hard to take,’ Ray says.
‘When you see everything you’ve built up
for 35, 40 years just destroyed, you think
“God, will I ever do it all again”. It’s a long
way back for me at my age.’
The irony is heartbreaking. While the
brick home he risked his life to save was
burnt to the ground, his two fibro cabins
built to accommodate holiday goers were
spared without intervention; their grassy
surrounds and material porch blinds
protecting them from embers and flames.
‘I’m from the old school. I’m tough,’ Ray
says. ‘But just the same, at times I was
thinking I was all right and I wasn’t. I
can handle everything physically, but
emotionally I just get a bit upset when I
talk about it,’ he says.
‘I still go and visit friends every Friday
and talk about it. I’m known for a bit of a
talker and I think it probably does do me
some good to talk about it.’
Like many of his neighbours, Ray’s focus
is now on rebuilding, a task that he says
is daunting. ‘I could go out and start 10
different jobs,’ he says. ‘But mainly I am
trying to get my fencing in order. I’ve still
got five or six horses, but I sold my cattle
straight away. I thought, “What’s the good
of them?” No feed, no fences, and me
lying in bed of a night thinking that the
cows might get out onto the road. You
can’t just fix up the fences in five minutes.’
Like Ray, Albin says the most difficult
part of it all is the thought of starting from
scratch at such a late stage in life.
‘You’ve got to consider the fact that I’m
70,’ Albin says. ‘With 70, you like to sit
on the bank of the river with a fishing rod
and the sun in your face. But this is an
effort you’ve really got to make for your
own sake. It’s no good crawling in a hole
and looking out of it.
‘In my mind now, I feel good today and
the rest I put on the shelf for tomorrow.
That’s a bag I can carry. If the day is long
enough, I try to fit in a good deed,’ he
pauses and smiles sheepishly. ‘I have
done my good deed today and tomorrow
I am booked out.’

P10 the Humanitarian
In January 2006,
42 West Papuans
landed in Cape York
Peninsula to seek
asylum. Jessica
Letch talks to
Herman Wainggai
about the journey
and his future.
journey of hope
Herman Wainggai left West Papua in 2006 to seek asylum in Australia. Photo: Australian Red Cross/Jessica Letch

August 2009 P11
With experienced seafarers on board,
West Papuan independence activist
Herman Wainggai expected his voyage
to Australia to take 16 hours. But for
four days, Herman and his group had
to survive on storm water decanted
from tarpaulins.
‘The journey was full of risk because
there was a storm, and one engine
broke, and that’s why the canoe is
turning in circles,’ Herman says. ‘And
then after one day we didn’t see the
mainland or any island and people start
to feel hungry.’
But eventually land was sighted. ‘Six
people just swam to the shore and then
looked at the sign board,’ Herman says.
‘They looked at the kangaroo and emu
– something Australian Government –
then they wave to me. They say “Oh
Herman, we are already in Australia,”
and then we start to cry.’
Herman’s family had urged him to leave.
‘They encourage me: “Herman, it’s
better you go, not to stay in Papua, it’s
not safe.” That’s why I decided to come
to Australia, because I don’t want to be
arrested for the third time. I don’t want
to have [an] experience like my uncle
and die in prison,’ Herman says.
After reaching land, the West Papuans
spent a night on a Cape York riverbank.
‘We landed late afternoon, nearly dark.
Early morning we looked around and
crocodiles just swim.’ Herman motions
with his hands the movement of crocs
sliding into the water around them.
After the alert was raised by activists
back home, ‘Australian authorities they
came: customs, Australian Federal
Police, navy, including journalists.
They brought us food and drink
and started questioning us.’
After confirming that the group was
seeking asylum, the authorities
transferred the West Papuans to
Christmas Island. ‘They took us with
helicopter, ten hours from Cape York.
We arrived at the detention centre in the
middle of the night. Then they divide us
into two groups – families, young boys
separate, not in detention centre but
in [the] community. The [single] adult
people stay inside the detention centre.’
After two months on Christmas Island,
Herman and his group were granted
temporary protection and settled
in Melbourne. ‘We got a lot of help
from Red Cross. They organised the
accommodation, health and English
course,’ Herman says. ‘They explained
how to get to school, and how to get the
tram – this is a tram ticket, and if you’re
sitting on the seat you need to stand up
to give the elder people priority to sit.
And how to use the mobile phone, to
say hello to my parents.’
This year, Herman received permanent
residence in Australia, but home is never
far from his mind. ‘I miss my friends,
living as a community. I miss my mum
and my dad. They’re lovely parents’ says
Herman, who continues to campaign
for the independence of West Papua.
‘Freedom of speech is one thing I really
enjoy in Australia. I want my people to live
in their own land without fear of any kind.
As a political activist I don’t feel like going
back is the right decision for today.’
Jessica Letch has worked with Red Cross
for 10 years supporting refugees, asylum
seekers and separated families in Australia
and abroad.
According to figures for
May 2009, there are 340
detainees on Christmas Island,
and 30 living in community
detention arrangements.
Australian Red Cross
manages the Department for
Immigration and Citizenship
funded Community Detention
Program on Christmas Island.
Red Cross caseworkers assist
with housing, income support,
health care, mental health,
recreation and orientation.
There’s a certain assessment
criteria based on vulnerability.
Generally speaking, referral
occurs if you’re a family or if
you have a history of torture
and trauma, or health or
mental health needs that can’t
be met within the Immigration
Detention Centre.
Red Cross also operates
the Immigration Detention
Program on Christmas Island.
Humanitarian observers who
monitor practices across
detention network facilities
around Australia visit the island
every five weeks to raise any
issues of humanitarian concern
in regard to the conditions and
treatment of detainees.
West Papua
Christmas Island
Cape York
For more information visit
www.redcross.org.au

P12 the Humanitarian
lunch lures kenyan kids
As the drought
bites in Kenya, a
Red Cross school
lunch program
is encouraging
students to stay
in class, writes
Kelly Chandler.
Children each carry a cup of water and a piece of kindling to help the school make porridge. Photo: Australian Red Cross/Shaaban Ndege and Alex Njoroge

August 2009 P13
The drought in upper and lower-eastern Kenya
is striking primary school students hard, says
head teacher Gilbert Katheru from Kyulungwa
primary school. Photo: Australian Red Cross/
Kelly Chandler
back to school
‘Raise your hands if you eat one meal a
day,’ says head teacher Gilbert Katheru,
and most of the primary school children
clustered in the courtyard answer in a
gentle wave.
This is the third straight year the rains
have failed in upper and lower-eastern
Kenya and head teachers like Mr Katheru
are noticing attendance rates dropping.
Last year, there were 398 students
enrolled at Kyulungwa primary school, in
Mwingi district. Now there are 20 fewer
students on the roll.
‘The drought has persisted for some
time. I think this is why the numbers have
dropped,’ says Mr Katheru. ‘When we
follow up on why the children are not
coming to school, we find troubles at
home, or the children have run away to
find work.’
For some, it’s just too far to walk up to five
kilometres each way, particularly with no
breakfast. For others, helping parents care
for younger siblings, dwindling livestock
and failing crops takes precedence over
schooling. Some are lucky enough to
share a bowl of porridge for their evening
meal, but many others are not.
A school lunch program run by Kenya
Red Cross is encouraging children
to come back to school by providing
supplementary feeding in 66 schools
across two districts until the end of the
school term, with support from Australian
Red Cross and funding from AusAID.
‘Since the Red Cross program started,’
says Mwingi District Commissioner Peter
Kinuthia, ‘many children have been going
back to school, as children know they are
assured of a meal, a cup of porridge at
lunch, so at least they have that if there is
nothing at home,’ he says.
‘The only hope we have is education,’
says Mr Kinuthia. ‘We cannot count on
our weather; we can’t count on the rain,
especially because of the climatic change
we are experiencing. When we are
educated, that is equal to having bread
in the house, as we can then
sustain ourselves.’
The Government of Kenya declared a
state of emergency in January, indicating
that 10 million people nationwide could
face hunger and starvation after a
poor harvest, crop failure and rising
commodity prices. Kenya Red Cross
estimates that general malnutrition in
some areas affected by drought is as
high as 43 per cent, where normal
national malnutrition levels are between
eight and 12 per cent.
You can help us tackle these ongoing issues and
improve people’s lives, not just in times of disaster
but every day by visiting the Red Cross website
and donating to ‘Where it’s Needed – International’.
Porridge encourages
good studies
In Mwingi district, where Red Cross
concentrates on feeding school
children, the older kids are asked to
bring a cup of water from home, and
some kindling for the fire that cooks
their porridge in giant aluminium pots.
The water varies in quality and must
be boiled before it is used.
‘I enjoy the porridge very much,’
says 16-year-old Boniface, whose
mother is a cook at the school. ‘It
encourages our bodies, and I am
satisfied. When we take it, it helps us
to be strong, to be conscientious in
our studies. If not, we go hungry and
can’t concentrate well.’
District Commissioner Mr Kithunia’s
grave concern is that the August
rains will fail again, dashing the hopes
of many farming families who have
nothing in reserve and desperately
need their crops to germinate and
provide something – anything – for
the February harvest.
This school lunch program is enough
to sustain 25,000 children over
four months, but there are as many
students again in the district who are
not covered by the program, and
Red Cross fears the situation will only
deteriorate in the long hopeful wait
until the next harvest.
‘I hope Red Cross will be able to
sustain the program to assist the
district, so we can be able to assist
the children,’ says Mr Kithunia.

P14 the Humanitarian
new STEPs for
Anangu community health
making sense of a good yarn
Fiona Stanley likes a good yarn. In fact,
her conversational skills are the secret
to her success in delivering lessons
among fellow Aboriginal women and
community members in Coober Pedy
and Port Augusta.
Fiona teaches the FOODcents program,
which provides people with knowledge
and skills to prepare healthy and
affordable meals.
Fiona grew up in and around the Flinders
Ranges, South Australia. Her family
worked on sheep stations, so lamb was
a large part of her diet. However, bush
tucker was her staple food growing up
because it was easily accessible.
Today, Fiona has a chronic illness and
knows many Aboriginal people who have
one or more chronic illnesses. She enjoys
working in a role where she can try to
improve people’s health through their diet.
‘Food and nutrition play a big part
on how chronic illness impacts on
somebody,’ Fiona says. ‘FOODcents
is about getting people to yarn about
nutritious food and leaving little
messages in those conversations about
how to stay healthy.
‘Sometimes when you talk about healthy
eating you can see people switch off,’
Fiona says. ‘They get told about it so
much. They go to the doctor who checks
them, gives them tablets and tells them
to eat healthy … they get referred to a
dietician who tells them the same thing.
‘So I change my tactics. If I have the
manual out and I’m talking about healthy
eating and see them switch off, I shut
the manual and put it away. Then I talk
about things in general and get them
having a yarn.’
The program also involves participants
cooking healthy food that is simple to
prepare. The ingredients Fiona chooses
for the cooking sessions are easily
accessible in the communities, like the
ingredients for chop suey, a meal that
has been popular in the sessions.
While having a yarn has enabled Fiona
to break down barriers when delivering
the program, her experience and training
have also been helpful.

August 2009 P15
A new office staffed by
Aboriginal community
development officers
will open in the
Anangu Pitjantjatjara
Yankunytjatjara
(APY) Lands in the
next 12 months.
The new staff members will support programs on nutrition provision and education
through the Red Cross Good Start Breakfast Clubs in eight schools across the
APY Lands, which consist of more than 100,000 sq km in the north-west of South
Australia and are home to about 2,500 Aboriginal people with title to this land. Red
Cross also delivers save-a-mate alcohol and other drug education, as well as first aid
training to schools and the community.
‘Our focus on nutrition, health and wellbeing initiatives in the APY Lands aims
to tackle some of the key issues impacting these communities – including food
insecurity, and impacts of alcohol and other drug use – with a strong focus on
prevention and early intervention,’ says Helen Farinola of Red Cross.
The new staff members will be recruited through the Structured Training Employment
Program (STEP) program, which enables Red Cross to create training and
employment opportunities for local Anangu people on the APY Lands. The program
provides sustainable jobs in local communities for people who may not otherwise
have had such employment opportunities.
The people underpinning the work on the APY Lands are Aboriginal staff who are
based across the Lands and receive support from staff in Port Augusta.
So far, Red Cross has employed five people as part of this program across the
Lands, with another two Anangu people to be recruited in the near future.
This initiative has involved working closely in partnership with stakeholders including
Bungala Aboriginal Corporation.
Some of Red Cross’s partner agencies include Nganampa Health Council, APY
Council, Bungala Community Development Employment Program, Department
for Families and Communities, Department of Education and Children’s Services,
community schools and TAFE.
Red Cross has received endorsement from APY Lands communities such as Amata,
Ernabella, Fregon, Indulkna, Murputja, Pipalyatjara, Watarru and Mimili.
Financial support has come from the Australian Government’s Department of
Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.
With a certificate in primary health care,
she became a master trainer in chronic
illness management when an opportunity
arose for community leaders to attend
a course at Stanford University in
California.
But perhaps Fiona’s greatest key to her
success with the program is her passion
and enthusiasm for what she does.
‘I love sitting with the older ladies and
trying to bring the young ones in, trying
to bridge that gap between young and
old,’ she says.
Red Cross in South Australia has recently
received funds from the Department of
Health and Ageing to further expand the
FOODcents Program to regions including
Ceduna, Port Augusta and the Riverland.
By Katie Isaac
Fiona Stanley (right) and Margaret Rigney (middle) from Red Cross organised a barbecue for Coober Pedy
locals as part of a food and nutrition program. Photo: courtesy of Coober Pedy News

P16 the Humanitarian
After the tsunami claimed their homes in the Indian Ocean
four years ago, one community in the Maldives is starting
again on a nearby island.
a moving tale
New island, new life
The Asian tsunami destroyed the
Maldives island of Kandholhudhoo,
leaving more than 3,500 people
homeless, so Red Cross created an
entire community on a desolate coral
island, 185 kilometres north of the
capital, Male. This was the biggest
project of its 90-year history.
In just under three years and at a
cost of US$35 million, the previously
uninhabited Maldivian island of
Dhuvaafaru has been transformed
into a thriving community boasting
562 houses, three schools, a mosque,
health centre, administrative building,
auditorium and sports complex.
Thousands of tonnes of cement,
construction materials and machinery
had to be shipped to the island, together
with a 600-strong labour force.
For the people of Kandholhudhoo, who
lived in temporary shelters until relocating
to their new island home in December
2008, it has been well worth the wait.
‘You have built us homes to shelter us,
schools to provide our children with
education, a health centre to provide us
with medical services and sanitation, as
well as power utility services to make
our lives comfortable,’ says one new
Dhuvaafaru resident.
‘These are invaluable things which we
cannot repay in any way – this we can
never forget. Your memories shall be
etched on Dhuvaafaru forever.’
There is a general feeling of optimism
as the community looks forward. As
Dhuvaafaru resident Havva Ismail
observes, ‘This island has a bright future.’
From left to right: New residents of Dhuvaafaru survey
their surrounds and take a tour of the island. - Nurbaini
holds the keys in front of her house built by Australian
Red Cross in Simeulue, Indonesia. - Karya (80) shows
her new house key during a traditional celebration in
Kota Batu. - A family moves their belongings into their
new home in Kota Batu, Indonesia. Photos: International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

August 2009 P17
of two islands
Keys to the future
A new home means a new beginning for
tsunami survivor Nurbaini and her family.
As she seizes the keys to her new house
in Simeulue, Indonesia, a broad grin
spreads across Nurbaini’s face, and the
hardships of the past four years seem to
melt away.
After making do in temporary shelters
for years, Nurbaini’s family is among
the last group of Indonesian tsunami
survivors to move into homes that have
been built by Australian Red Cross.
‘I feel so grateful having this beautiful
house. I am feeling moved because some
people still care and are willing to help us
by building houses,’ Nurbaini says.
‘I think Red Cross not only gave us
a thing we need, but also a care for
the future. I am very pleased and
moved. When we arrived at Kota Batu
temporary shelter we only had a plastic
tent as our shelter and we shared it with
another family. We learnt to survive.’
Australian Red Cross has now built more
than 1,620 permanent new homes for
tsunami survivors in Banda Aceh and
surrounding areas, including Simeulue
island, where Nurbaini is putting down
roots. Further afield, 25 houses were
built in the Maldives, and more than 500
in Sri Lanka, meaning almost 11,000
people left homeless by the Indian
Ocean tsunami now have permanent
new homes.
Entire communities have been
reconstructed over the past four years,
from houses and roads to water and
sanitation, and the finishing touches are
now being applied across the Australian
Red Cross sites. Aid workers have set
up education, health and communitybased
first aid programs, while startup
funds have helped people buy
household essentials.

P18 the Humanitarian
reflecting on the past
with an eye on the future
When Liz Thynne started working
for the Australian Red Cross Blood
Service as a nurse 42 years ago,
Gough Whitlam was the Opposition
Leader, the Vietnam War protests
were in full swing and open-heart
surgery was cutting edge.
In the mid 1960s Australia was desperate
for blood donors. The population was
booming and revolutionary new uses
for blood and its derivatives were being
discovered all over the world.
Blood transfusion was playing an
increasing role in treating road accident
injuries, burns and diseases such as
cancer and leukaemia. Complex surgery
requiring large quantities of blood, such
as the new open-heart surgery, meant the
demand for blood was outstripping supply.
One of the most important new areas
emerging for the use of blood was the
In 1942, 1,500 blood
donations were needed
each week for the
treatment of cancer;
heart, stomach and
bowel disease; accident
or trauma; or to address
complications in pregnancy
and childbirth. Today,
21,000 blood donations
are needed each week.
use of Rh-antibodies to save the lives
of newborn babies suffering from Rh
or haemolytic disease.
In 1967, we began the Rh Antibody
Project in Sydney, recruiting people
with Rh-negative blood types and
using their blood to produce Rh (D)
Immunoglobulin (Anti-D), which was
injected into pregnant women at risk of
developing an incompatibility between
their blood and that of their baby.
Australia became the first country in
the world to issue this immunoglobulin
to protect all mothers at risk.
In 1968, we took our appeal for blood
donors to the street, driving up George
Street in Sydney with a truck-load of
Anti-D children and a monkey, borrowed
from Taronga Zoo, on board. The monkey
was used as mascot because it was
a Rhesus monkey, which gave the
Rhesus (Rh) blood grouping system its
name. It was this system which helped
overcome the final obstacles to safe
blood transfusion.
2009 is the Year of the Blood Donor,
marking 80 years of Red Cross blood
services in Australia. Since 1968, the Rh
Antibody project has helped hundreds
of thousands of Australian children and
is still going strong.
For further information on blood
donation call 13 14 95 or visit
donateblood.com.au.
Liz Thynne (near the cabin of the truck) takes to the streets of Sydney in 1968 to promote blood donation.

August 2009 P19
Vodafone Australia Foundation
and Red Cross get connected
The Vodafone Australia Foundation’s donation of mobile
phones helped connect Victorian bushfire survivors with
loved ones.
Red Cross is delighted to announce
the launch of a new major partnership
with leading mobile telecommunications
company Vodafone, through its
philanthropic division – the Vodafone
Australia Foundation.
With an initial commitment in the first
year of $520,000, the Vodafone Australia
Foundation has been granted status
as a National Humanity Partner, Red
Cross’s highest and most esteemed
level of partnership.
The majority of Vodafone’s funding
support will directly assist Red Cross’s
Emergency Services work, with
$320,000 dedicated to the development
of REDiSupport teams: flexible, highly
trained emergency response teams
able to respond to a variety of complex
emergencies across the country in a
short period of time.
‘The purpose of the Vodafone Australia
Foundation is to help those who can
help those who can’t,’ said Wendy
Lenton, Chair of the Vodafone
Australian Foundation.
‘Through our partnership with Red
Cross we hope to bring this to life
through the expertise and dedication
of the men and women of the
REDiSupport teams during times
of challenge, as well as supporting
communities to be better prepared,’
Ms Lenton said.
A further $100,000 in year one will
assist the expansion of Red Cross’s
MATES program, which works to match
volunteers with people suffering from
serious mental health conditions to
support their continued participation in
community life.
With 2009 the Year of the Blood
Donor, the remaining $100,000 will
assist the Australian Red Cross Blood
Service to recruit new blood donors,
via the introduction of a range of new
technologies.
Red Cross CEO, Robert Tickner,
welcomed the alliance.
‘The new partnership between the
Vodafone Australia Foundation and
Red Cross will pool both organisations’
resources to deliver positive impacts for
a range of vulnerable individuals and
communities across Australia,’ he said.
‘Vodafone has previously assisted Red
Cross through the provision of in-kind
support. With our new and expanded
formal partnership agreement, we are
looking forward to achieving a range of
positive community outcomes.’
The Vodafone Australia Foundation
first stepped in to help following the
devastating south-east Queensland
storms last November. Donating $50,000
worth of products, which included 100
water-resistant handsets and call credits,
the company helped connect Red Cross
volunteers when coordinating logistics in
the recovery phase.
Quick to respond to the Victorian
bushfires, the Vodafone Australia
Foundation supplied 200 free
handsets and prepaid credit to Red
Cross Emergency Services staff and
volunteers in recovery and evacuation
centres. The mobiles were used to
coordinate relief efforts and to reconnect
survivors with loved ones.
To discuss partnership opportunities please
contact the Red Cross Business Partnerships
team on 02 9229 4130 or via
businesspartnerships@redcross.org.au

You don’t
have to
be
to stack
strong
sandbags.
ARC3022_HUM
You can reduce the impact of climate change on vulnerable people.
Visit www.redcross.org.au or call 1800 811 700 to donate today.

August 2009 P21
dancing in the
rstreets
z
Flora Fekira (in the orange shirt) dances the krump
with friends from Mirrabooka. Photo: courtesy of
the West Australian
In a refugee camp in Uganda, six-yearold
Flora Fekira huddled under a leaking
tent. Heavy rains drenched her family,
who had fled Sudan with barely more
than the clothing they wore. Falling ill after
eating contaminated food, Flora and her
family were ‘hospitalised’ in a medic’s tent
staffed by only two people. Completely
broke and with no hope of going home,
their prospects seemed bleak.
Flora, now 23, has been in Australia for
more than eight years. She recently won
the Inspiration Award at the WA Youth
Awards, which she describes as being
like a dream. ‘It (Australia) is such a place
of opportunity, of freedom. To have come
from a refugee camp, to be honoured like
this is like a dream.’
Like many Sudanese refugees, Flora
has been forced to deal with the trauma
of conflict and repression, as well as
the problems of leaving her homeland
and adapting to a radically different
new life. After finishing high school, she
volunteered for the Red Cross as a peer
supporter, reaching out to youth from
refugee backgrounds to help them deal
with the challenges they face. Last year,
she started to krump: a high-energy
African-American dance she shares with
friends as a way to let off steam and keep fit.
‘I saw the documentary about krump
and I realised everything we do when
we dance is good for our health. Every
time I get upset I can just put the music
on and just go crazy and I feel better. I
decided to tell the community and say,
“This is krump, let’s just do it.” You just
lose yourself.’
Flora began as a participant in the Red
Cross ‘World Aware’ refugee youth
leadership program three years ago.
At the Red Cross ‘World Aware’ 2007
International Youth Day Event, she spoke
to over 1,000 attendees, including the
Lord Mayor of Perth, about the challenges
facing new arrivals to Australia.
Red Cross continues to develop a range
of culturally appropriate programs and
strategies to address mental health
issues, and to raise awareness in the
wider community about issues facing
migrants and refugees.
For more information contact
wayouth@redcross.org.au.
Excerpts of this article were originally
printed in the West Australian.

P22 the Humanitarian
East Timor

August 2009 P23
Four communities
in eastern East
Timor are working
with Red Cross to
protect their water
sources and guard
against preventable
disease, writes
Sarah Horan.
Protecting a
precious resource
The delighted squeals of noisy children
playing in the dust resonate throughout
the village of Chai in East Timor’s most
easterly district of Lautem.
Sitting outside her modest home,
Filipina da Costa, a 34-year-old mother
of 10 children, watches on as she cradles
her youngest son. A quiet smile plays
across her face.
Around her, village volunteers and Red
Cross water and sanitation experts
have been busy in recent months,
rehabilitating and protecting Chai’s
water source and constructing family
latrines, school toilets and hand-washing
facilities to help give Filipina and her
children a better chance at a healthy life.
In partnership with East Timor Red
Cross and local volunteers, and with
funding from AusAID, Australian Red
Cross is undertaking this and similar
activities in three other villages. The
aim is to reduce the spread of disease,
benefiting some 300 families and over
2,000 school students throughout four
villages in Lautem district.
East Timor Red Cross is working
with local volunteers to rehabilitate
and protect water sources, construct
family latrines, school toilets and handwashing
facilities.
The project provides construction
materials and technical expertise, while
the community contributes labour and
a commitment to manage and maintain
the facilities.
East Timor is the poorest country in
Asia. In a country with a population of
just over one million, each woman will,
on average, give birth to seven children.
One in 10 children will die before
reaching the age of five.
In the absence of adequate water and
sanitation facilities, many East Timorese
are beset by readily preventable illnesses
such as diarrhoea: illnesses that can
prove fatal for the young and vulnerable.
Red Cross provides construction
materials and technical expertise, while
the community contributes labour
and a commitment to manage and
maintain the facilities upon completion
of the project. Filipina’s family has been
actively involved with the construction
process and now has its own latrine.
‘I am very pleased to have a latrine for
my family’ says Filipina. ‘I believe it will
help improve the health of my family.’
Health, hygiene and early
childhood nutrition
Red Cross is also promoting improved
health and hygiene practices in
Lautem district through the delivery of
community-based first aid programs by
local volunteers.
In a new initiative, developed in
conjunction with local non-government
organisation Alola Foundation, East
Timor Red Cross is establishing local
feeding groups focusing on infants and
young children.
All images taken in Chai Village, East Timor. From left to
right: Filipina da Costa with youngest son and surrounded
by her children. - Filipina da Costa carrying water home from
a new water point. - Children from Chai go about their daily
chores. - Filipina’s husband shows off the new family latrine.
Photos: Australian Red Cross/ Mario Jonny dos Santos
To help Red Cross
continue to reach
people in need become
a humanitarian partner
today. Go to
www.redross.org.au
to sign up and help
change lives for as little
as $15 a month.

Contact your local
Red Cross office for
more information.
In all activities, Red Cross staff members and volunteers
are guided by the following Fundamental Principles.
Humanity The International
Red Cross and Red Crescent
Movement, born of a desire
to bring assistance without
discrimination to the wounded
on the battlefield, endeavours,
in its international and national
capacity, to prevent and
alleviate human suffering
wherever it may be found.
Its purpose is to protect life and
health and ensure respect for
the human being. It promotes
mutual understanding,
friendship, co-operation and
lasting peace among all people.
Impartiality It makes no
discrimination as to nationality,
race, religious beliefs, class
or political opinions. It
endeavours to relieve the
suffering of individuals, being
guided solely by their needs,
and to give priority to the most
urgent cases of distress.
Neutrality In order to continue
to enjoy the confidence of all,
the Movement may not take
sides in hostilities or engage
at any time in controversies of
a political, racial, religious or
ideological nature.
Independence The Movement
is independent. The National
Societies, while auxiliaries in
the humanitarian services of
their governments and subject
to the laws of their respective
countries, must always
maintain their autonomy so that
they may be able at all times
to act in accordance with the
principles of the Movement.
Voluntary Service It is a
voluntary relief movement not
prompted in any manner by
desire for gain.
Unity There can be only one
Red Cross or Red Crescent
Society in any one country. It
must be open to all. It must
carry on its humanitarian work
throughout its territory.
Universality The International
Red Cross and Red Crescent
Movement, in which all
Societies have equal status and
share equal responsibilities and
duties in helping each other,
is worldwide.
Cover image MAHMUD HAMS/AFP/
Getty Images
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Editor Janine Gray
Proofreader Peter Cruttenden
Printer DPA printed on Monza Satin
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the Humanitarian is published three
times a year by Australian Red Cross.
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