Humanitarian - Australian Red Cross

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On the road to recovery Residents begin to rebuild in Tully. Photo: Australian Red Cross In early 2011, Australia faced four major disasters in just 40 days. Following this disaster season, communities are continuing to do it tough. Slowly, homes are being rebuilt around the country. While the physical task of rebuilding is taking place, communities and individuals are piecing their lives back together. While the worst of the current disasters is over, the road to recovery is long and requires committed support from agencies across the nation, including Red Cross. ‘Recovery’ refers to programs that go beyond immediate relief, assisting affected people to rebuild their homes, lives and services. It is about more than bricks and mortar. Recovery is about supporting the psychological wellbeing of those affected and their livelihoods. It is also about communities working out how to re-establish the way they function and be more resilient to future disasters. Recovery activities vary and are carried out after close consultation with community members. ‘Recovery is one of the core outcomes of the emergency services strategy,’ says John Richardson, National Coordinator of Strategic Development, Emergency Services. John has been leading Red Cross national recovery work over recent months. He says recovery activities vary, depending on the emotional, economic and physical needs of the people in affected areas and the severity of the emergency. For instance, they might start new groups to get people talking to help cope with the trauma, or support people with practical assistance and referral to other support agencies. The impact of emergencies can have long lasting, diverse and profound consequences on communities. There is plenty of evidence that recovery takes many years, says John. ‘Think about how long it takes to build a home or renovation, from start to finish. Then add the stress of having lost everything, maybe even family members, dislocated from family, friends, networks. This is what people have to deal with in the aftermath of the disaster.’ Recovery activities currently being undertaken by Red Cross include personal and psychological support like door-to-door outreach to check in with people in affected areas. Community support has also been a major focus. Red Cross has forged new relationships with local governments and community organisations in areas affected by the disasters, including Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley. The Australian Red Cross recovery plan is heavily influenced by the International Federation of Red Cross. However, due to the succession of disasters in recent years, the Red Cross emergency services team has tailored and strengthened its recovery responses. ‘We hold a significant amount of recovery experience in the Australian context,’ John says. Following the 2009 Victorian bushfires, Red Cross now has a better understanding of what communities need, whether they are recovering from floods, fires, or cyclones. ‘Fire is different to flood because it’s fastmoving and unpredictable,’ John says, reflecting on the bushfires. ‘Due to the extreme conditions, we ended up with significant loss of life far greater than what we’ve seen in living memory. We had townships that were completely destroyed, and others which had significant property loss.’ The ultimate goal of Red Cross recovery activities is to strengthen affected communities’ capacity to cope with future disasters if and when they strike again. From John’s experience, after an emergency, people become much more aware of what they need to do to protect themselves from another disaster. ‘Usually the call comes directly from the community, and they say, “We don’t want this to happen again. What can we do”’ REDiPlan is the Red Cross four-step emergency preparedness plan available to all communities in disaster-affected and disaster-prone areas. The four steps are: be informed, make a plan, get an emergency kit and know your neighbours. ‘The beauty of REDiPlan is that it is so flexible. The message is there and consistent, and based on our experience we can tailor it for their different circumstances.’ For the next few years, Red Cross staff and volunteers will be on the ground, knocking on people’s doors, helping rebuild lives across the nation. You can help by donating monthly or volunteering. To find out how call 1800 811 700 or visit www.redcross.org.au. Page 10
Males in Black Vice-Chair Robert Taylor and his family. Photo: Wayne Quilliam Photography In Port Augusta, the Males in Black program, which has been operating since 1989, is supporting young Aboriginal fathers in a oneon-one mentoring program supported by Red Cross. Males in Black: supporting Aboriginal fathers Males in Black grew out of a committee formed by the local Aboriginal community following the premature deaths of two young men. The committee members wanted to improve Aboriginal men’s social and emotional wellbeing, and issues such as the impact of the stolen generation and exclusion by the mainstream population of the town, and realised there was a lack of programs for local men. Robert Taylor, Males in Black Vice- Chair and a born-and-bred local, says that he was an example of the type of client that the program helps. ‘I was about to become a father but there’s no manuscript on being a father, which some of us fathers do need. I was slowly coming down from alcohol and drugs and hanging around the wrong people. Basically, I had to make some adjustments to my life so that I could be a positive role model for my son and my daughters,’ Robert says. Almost 20 per cent of the Port Augusta population is Aboriginal, compared with the Australia-wide average of 2.5 per cent. The Aboriginal population is also much younger, with an average age of 23 years, compared with 36 years for non-Aboriginal people. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Port Augusta face poverty, discrimination, remoteness and a lack of opportunities. While health programs have focused on strengthening the bonds between mothers and their babies, the benefits of programs supporting fathers are increasingly being recognised. There have also been low rates of participation of Aboriginal fathers in family programs. Red Cross has recognised this need and supports the work of Males in Black by providing premises and services, such as phones, so that the group can continue to operate. ‘If there wasn’t a program like Males in Black here in Port Augusta, we would be skating on thin ice with a lot of youth into drugs and alcohol, pregnancy, in and out of the courts and jails,’ says Robert. He says the group is getting a lot of referrals of troubled young fathers and that at any one time, the program helps between 10 and 15 young men to be better fathers and to break the cycles of unemployment, offending, incarceration and addiction. Robert says that Males in Black has been successful because it has gained the trust of the fathers and has provided one-on-one support from Aboriginal men who are voluntary role models and local community members. The program often conducts its activities outside work hours to make it possible for their volunteers and young men to come together. Despite his wayward beginnings, being involved in the Young Dads Project came naturally to Robert whose traditional name is Ynimmy, meaning ‘old man’. ‘As a young boy, people told me that that name is not to say that you’re an old man, it’s more of a wise thing, where they can tell if you’re going to be a wise person in the future. I’ve had that understanding in my head since I was a child. I wanted to be a leader. I want to be that guy that basically helps my family. I’ve had all these obstacles, drugs, alcohol, brothers, mates but I’ve now cemented myself in a good position as a positive role model,’ he says. This will have a big impact in Robert’s local community and he says that while he has three children of his own, his kinship obligations mean he has shared responsibility for up to 30 children. Robert says the program teaches young men to organise camps and social events, and teach skills like first aid, budgeting, hunting and gathering for elders as well as being involved in things like play groups for young dads particularly with children up to five years of age. Males in Black workshops and community outreach programs for young Aboriginal dads aim to build leadership skills, promote community development, build stronger families, teach culture and foster better parenting for children. The support of Red Cross for the project highlights key principles of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander strategy, adopted in July 2009, to work in respectful partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities by supporting community-led initiatives. Page 11
Page 1 and 2: Humanitarian Winter 2011, Issue 15
Page 3 and 4: The inside The first half of this y
Page 5 and 6: Building our capacity to support of
Page 7 and 8: A new generation of young humanitar
Page 9 and 10: Critical humanitarian work - improv
Page 11: Australian aid-worker Kristen Proud
Page 15 and 16: TK (Tarin Kowt) in the DMT (Detenti
Page 17 and 18: Alice Willy washes her family’s c
Page 19: In all activities, Red Cross staff,

Humanitarian - Australian Red Cross

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