I just finished my first budget revision. It was a nightmare. I slept 2 hours the night before sending it to Paris, and that’s one solid week of work. We’ll see what feedback I get and what needs to be changed.
The whole team here will soon be changing. Our short-term Head of Mission and Logistics Coordinator will both be leaving before the end of October. The Medical Coordinator and Human Resources Coordinator, both of who have been here for 9 months, also leave during October. That leaves me and the pharmacist (who is taking 2 weeks of vacation in October!). I take over the human resources, along with finance. A Canadian should arrive to fill in for the Medical Coordinator for 6 weeks. The new Head of Mission arrives at the beginning of November. No Log Coordinator in view. Besides, I am sending my finance assistant to another site to fill in for someone on vacation there. AND the finance assistant in Khartoum, who we sent to Paris for training, has disappeared into thin air. She may have decided to live there. We’re having fun now!
I’ll do as much as I can do, but I’m really looking forward to a time when a complete team is in place. I should still be moving to Nyala in South Darfur (El Geneina, where I am now is in the state of West Darfur) at the beginning of November, but I’m skeptical. All our projects for the moment are in West Darfur. The idea is to have some management in South Darfur to negotiate with the local officials for us to set up some new projects there. There seems to be a real need, but I am afraid that we will really start screwing up if we try to add more projects while we are so short-staffed in coordination.
Apparently, the security picture is not pretty at this time. We got a phone call today from the Head of Mission saying that he is making a plan for staff reduction (partial evacuation). For us, this means reduction of expats and national staff hired elsewhere than where they are working. I’m not yet sure what sites are implicated in this plan, but my bets are on Nyala (where I should be moving) and Niertiti. To be continued……………
Friday, September 28, 2007
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
First trip to the Field
I am just finishing my first field tour, so I have a better idea of the work we are doing here in Darfur.
In Zalingei, our main work is with the local hospital, alongside the government’s hospital staff. We work mainly in the services that see the most IDP (internally displaced population – this means refugees inside their own country) camp patients: emergency room, pediatrics and a therapeutic feeding center for undernourished kids. We also have home visitors who go into the camps to refer patients who need help to the hospital and get a general feeling about the number and condition of arrivals in the camp.
For the moment, the number of undernourished kids is increasing rapidly, so we have just opened an outpatient therapeutic feeding program (OTP) in one of the camps. This program provides therapeutic ready-to-use food to undernourished kids who don’t have any associated pathologies, to be taken at home rather than in the hospital. This kind of program allows us to treat more kids with fewer resources during this peak period. They are followed on a weekly basis until their weight comes back to normal. Of course, the kids with pathologies enter into our therapeutic feeding center at the hospital so that they can be followed medically.
We feared an outbreak of cholera here. A treatment center has been set up, but fortunately, there is no need for the moment.
The staff in Zalingei is great. Some of the high level national staff live in the same house as the expats, and the atmosphere is really good. We spent some late nights talking, singing, and watching old Tom and Jerry cartoons.
Niertiti is a very small town with two very big IDP camps. It is closer to the fighting zones; we heard some heavy artillery fire Saturday night. We run our own 42 bed hospital (emergency room, maternity, pediatrics, therapeutic feeding center, women’s ward, and men’s ward), which currently has about 70 beds. It’s a bit crowded, but activity is decreasing here. In cooperation with the government’s health care service, we also work in an outpatient clinic which includes a women’s health program. Both of these operations were set up for the IDP camps, but we get people from the town as well. We also have a big home visitor set up as in Zalingei.
We usually transfer surgery to the Zalingei hospital, but sometimes there are situations that call for small surgical interventions to save lives. This includes primarily cesareans. Some women walk several hours to get to our clinics and are pretty far along when they arrive. Zalingei is about 1 ½ hours away when the security is good and when we can arrange for transportation. We have doctors who are capable of performing these operations here in Niertiti if necessary. So we are preparing a surgical annex with the basic equipment necessary for these emergencies.
We also have two outlying clinics: Thur and Kutrum. I got to visit Thur yesterday. It is a small outpatient clinic much like the one in Niertiti. We have 600 consultations a week, and the medical team goes from Niertiti on Tuesdays and Thursdays only, joining local employees on site. People come from quite far away, because this is the only clinic around.
Kutrum is in the Jebel Marra area, an area with a lot of fighting. In fact, we have been prohibited since the middle of August from going there because the security of our people cannot be guaranteed. It seems that this travel restriction may be lifted so that we can return this Saturday. The team from Niertiti leaves on Saturday mornings to join the local employees in Kutrum, and they return the following Thursday evening. This clinic is again along the same lines as the outpatient clinic in Niertiti and they also get about 600 consultations a week.
In Niertiti, the office, expat compound and national staff compound (for Sudanese employees who work in Niertiti but were recruited in other cities) all touch, but are sort of divided. It makes for a lot of intermixing, but allows some privacy, too. Niertiti is a lot colder than our other locations, being at an altitude of about 1200 meters. They say that Kutrum is a paradise. It is higher up the mountain and is known for its delicious oranges. Unfortunately, with the travel ban, I didn’t get to see it this time.
Tomorrow, it’s back to El Geneina where I have to finalize the August accounting by the 15th. We have a big coordination meeting the 17th to decide on actions up until the end of the year. And based on this, I have to complete a budget which must be in Paris on the 20th. I don’t think I will sleep much until the 21st. Then I need to go back to Niertiti to help them prepare the pay for their staff at the end of the month. It’s good to be needed.
In Zalingei, our main work is with the local hospital, alongside the government’s hospital staff. We work mainly in the services that see the most IDP (internally displaced population – this means refugees inside their own country) camp patients: emergency room, pediatrics and a therapeutic feeding center for undernourished kids. We also have home visitors who go into the camps to refer patients who need help to the hospital and get a general feeling about the number and condition of arrivals in the camp.
For the moment, the number of undernourished kids is increasing rapidly, so we have just opened an outpatient therapeutic feeding program (OTP) in one of the camps. This program provides therapeutic ready-to-use food to undernourished kids who don’t have any associated pathologies, to be taken at home rather than in the hospital. This kind of program allows us to treat more kids with fewer resources during this peak period. They are followed on a weekly basis until their weight comes back to normal. Of course, the kids with pathologies enter into our therapeutic feeding center at the hospital so that they can be followed medically.
We feared an outbreak of cholera here. A treatment center has been set up, but fortunately, there is no need for the moment.
The staff in Zalingei is great. Some of the high level national staff live in the same house as the expats, and the atmosphere is really good. We spent some late nights talking, singing, and watching old Tom and Jerry cartoons.
Niertiti is a very small town with two very big IDP camps. It is closer to the fighting zones; we heard some heavy artillery fire Saturday night. We run our own 42 bed hospital (emergency room, maternity, pediatrics, therapeutic feeding center, women’s ward, and men’s ward), which currently has about 70 beds. It’s a bit crowded, but activity is decreasing here. In cooperation with the government’s health care service, we also work in an outpatient clinic which includes a women’s health program. Both of these operations were set up for the IDP camps, but we get people from the town as well. We also have a big home visitor set up as in Zalingei.
We usually transfer surgery to the Zalingei hospital, but sometimes there are situations that call for small surgical interventions to save lives. This includes primarily cesareans. Some women walk several hours to get to our clinics and are pretty far along when they arrive. Zalingei is about 1 ½ hours away when the security is good and when we can arrange for transportation. We have doctors who are capable of performing these operations here in Niertiti if necessary. So we are preparing a surgical annex with the basic equipment necessary for these emergencies.
We also have two outlying clinics: Thur and Kutrum. I got to visit Thur yesterday. It is a small outpatient clinic much like the one in Niertiti. We have 600 consultations a week, and the medical team goes from Niertiti on Tuesdays and Thursdays only, joining local employees on site. People come from quite far away, because this is the only clinic around.
Kutrum is in the Jebel Marra area, an area with a lot of fighting. In fact, we have been prohibited since the middle of August from going there because the security of our people cannot be guaranteed. It seems that this travel restriction may be lifted so that we can return this Saturday. The team from Niertiti leaves on Saturday mornings to join the local employees in Kutrum, and they return the following Thursday evening. This clinic is again along the same lines as the outpatient clinic in Niertiti and they also get about 600 consultations a week.
In Niertiti, the office, expat compound and national staff compound (for Sudanese employees who work in Niertiti but were recruited in other cities) all touch, but are sort of divided. It makes for a lot of intermixing, but allows some privacy, too. Niertiti is a lot colder than our other locations, being at an altitude of about 1200 meters. They say that Kutrum is a paradise. It is higher up the mountain and is known for its delicious oranges. Unfortunately, with the travel ban, I didn’t get to see it this time.
Tomorrow, it’s back to El Geneina where I have to finalize the August accounting by the 15th. We have a big coordination meeting the 17th to decide on actions up until the end of the year. And based on this, I have to complete a budget which must be in Paris on the 20th. I don’t think I will sleep much until the 21st. Then I need to go back to Niertiti to help them prepare the pay for their staff at the end of the month. It’s good to be needed.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Greetings from El Geneina
At the time of writing this, it’s Friday, the weekly day of rest in Sudan (I am posting it on Sunday, because we haven't had internet access for a week). I just took a walk into town with Fred, to get out of the compound. It rained pretty hard last night (we are in the rainy season up until October), and the market was pretty ravaged. We bought some meat and vegetables for tonight’s dinner, I found a guy to repair my leather flipflops, I bought another pair in plastic, and Fred has his water pipe (shisha) fix.
The coordination team has miraculously filled up; we are a complete team now. Besides me, the token American doing the accounting and budgets, we have 5 French and a Japanese.
Fred is the Head of Mission (the big boss). He is French, but has lived all over the world since he was 12. He now lives in Jakarta, Indonesia with his Italian wife when he’s not in the field. He’s been working for NGOs (non-governmental organizations) since 1992, and not only MSF-France. He arrived this week, but is only staying for a couple of months.
Mathilde, a French doctor, is our Medical Coordinator. She’s been with MSF for about 6 years, working 9 months with us, then returning to practice in northern France for 6 months at a time. She will be leaving around the end of September.
Thierry is the Logistics Coordinator. He arrived 10 days ago, and will also be staying for only 2 months. He has had a lot of experience with other NGOs and now is a permanent employee of MSF-France in the emergency pool.
Chloé is the Human Resources Coordinator. I met her in Paris when I worked in headquarters last summer. She started MSF about the same time I did, in the autumn of 2005. When she leaves at the end of September, I take over her responsibilities as well as my own.
Sandrine is the Pharmacist. She’s from Bayonne, in the Basque country. She has been here a while, but will probably be extending a couple of months, as she enjoys it.
Mathilde, Chloé and Sandrine all worked together before here in Akuem, in southern Sudan, in their last mission.
Hayato, whom we call Toto, is the Japanese guy. He is our Supply Logisticien. He also has worked with several other NGOs, although this is his first time with MSF. He as also lived around the world. He should have left in October, but has just extended for 3 more months.
It’s a great team. We all get along well. Since the living quarters and the office are together, it’s a good thing. I still do some of the cooking the day that the house staff is off, but Toto is also a great cook, and today, Fred has prepared the lamb for the grill and made the salad.
I will be leaving Monday for my first field office tour. The trip will be 10 days in 3 different sites. After 1 month here, I am looking forward to seeing our programs in action. It’s necessary, because I have a budget revision to prepare for 20 September. This is supposedly a small revision, but the programs are changing every day. I have to fix onto one hypothesis to formulate the costs. To give you an idea, our annual budget for Darfur is around 6.5 million dollars.
It sure doesn’t seem like I’ve already been here for a month. I feel like I just got here.
The coordination team has miraculously filled up; we are a complete team now. Besides me, the token American doing the accounting and budgets, we have 5 French and a Japanese.
Fred is the Head of Mission (the big boss). He is French, but has lived all over the world since he was 12. He now lives in Jakarta, Indonesia with his Italian wife when he’s not in the field. He’s been working for NGOs (non-governmental organizations) since 1992, and not only MSF-France. He arrived this week, but is only staying for a couple of months.
Mathilde, a French doctor, is our Medical Coordinator. She’s been with MSF for about 6 years, working 9 months with us, then returning to practice in northern France for 6 months at a time. She will be leaving around the end of September.
Thierry is the Logistics Coordinator. He arrived 10 days ago, and will also be staying for only 2 months. He has had a lot of experience with other NGOs and now is a permanent employee of MSF-France in the emergency pool.
Chloé is the Human Resources Coordinator. I met her in Paris when I worked in headquarters last summer. She started MSF about the same time I did, in the autumn of 2005. When she leaves at the end of September, I take over her responsibilities as well as my own.
Sandrine is the Pharmacist. She’s from Bayonne, in the Basque country. She has been here a while, but will probably be extending a couple of months, as she enjoys it.
Mathilde, Chloé and Sandrine all worked together before here in Akuem, in southern Sudan, in their last mission.
Hayato, whom we call Toto, is the Japanese guy. He is our Supply Logisticien. He also has worked with several other NGOs, although this is his first time with MSF. He as also lived around the world. He should have left in October, but has just extended for 3 more months.
It’s a great team. We all get along well. Since the living quarters and the office are together, it’s a good thing. I still do some of the cooking the day that the house staff is off, but Toto is also a great cook, and today, Fred has prepared the lamb for the grill and made the salad.
I will be leaving Monday for my first field office tour. The trip will be 10 days in 3 different sites. After 1 month here, I am looking forward to seeing our programs in action. It’s necessary, because I have a budget revision to prepare for 20 September. This is supposedly a small revision, but the programs are changing every day. I have to fix onto one hypothesis to formulate the costs. To give you an idea, our annual budget for Darfur is around 6.5 million dollars.
It sure doesn’t seem like I’ve already been here for a month. I feel like I just got here.
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