The Algerian population has come together
in a great wave of national solidarity to help victims of the devastating
flooding that affected the country and in particular the capital, Algiers
on November 10. This feeling was also shared, of course, by Algerian Red
Crescent Society (ARCS) volunteers, as well as hundreds of spontaneous
volunteers, who flocked to the headquarters and branches of the National
Society to offer their help. One thousand Red Crescent volunteers were
mobilized in the immediate emergency phase to search for survivors, help
evacuate victims, provide first aid, distribute relief items and manage
temporary shelters.
In some cases, they worked day and night,
especially since the month-long fast of Ramadan imposed constraints on
their activities. Some slept or rested in the Algerian Red Crescent offices
before going off again into the streets of Algiers to help flood victims,
always bringing with them not just material help, but a smile and a compassionate
word. More than a month after the disaster ("el hemla" as it
is called in Algeria), which left 760 people dead, 120 missing and thousands
homeless, dozens of volunteers are still in the field.
Among the thousand volunteers mobilized by the Algerian Red Crescent are young and old, men and women, students and professionals; 120 of them are specially trained first aiders. Here are a few portraits of extraordinarily dedicated Algerian Red Crescent volunteers, chosen among hundreds of anonymous others, who explain, in their own words, who they are, what they did, and why.
Lamia, 23,
(Paris-based businesswoman, headed the ARCS night teams)
"On November 10, I was in Paris. On the 11th, I was in the Algerian Red Crescent headquarters and since then, I've been working in the field. Our work is to register, comfort, and provide first aid. It's not good enough just to make promises, you have to keep them, too. A few days ago, in a single night, we registered and brought assistance to 118 families, that's 631 people. I'm particularly touched by the suffering of children and the elderly. The other day, I brought a baby to the Red Crescent offices, even though it is contrary to procedures. He was sick and his mother pleaded with me to do something for him.
I'm happy within the Red Crescent because it's a credible organization and it gives those who have an innate need to help others a structured framework. It's also like being among family and friends and I've never felt that anywhere else. Actually, it's a bit of a love story between me and the Red Crescent."
Omar, 38,
(sculptor and cabinet-maker, trained in first aid, active volunteer with
the Algerian Red Crescent for more than 10 years)
"Nothing beats the joy of saving lives and of meeting people who think like you. The day of the disaster, I was in my workshop and it was only that evening that I realized what had happened. After getting over the initial shock, I jumped into a taxi and went to the Algerian Red Crescent headquarters where I joined one of the first groups ofrescue workers who were sent to Bab-el-Oued (the most severely affected neighbourhood of Algiers).
It was a hellish night, with volunteers working side by side with civil protection people. Sadly, most of the work consisted in digging bodies out of the rubble. The next day, the Red Crescent set up a temporary shelter, called Oued Koreich, in a local school, where I was put in charge. The teams of volunteers did great work, showing remarkable commitment and professionalism. You had to be very patient because survivors who came to the shelter were very agitated, which is normal, in view of the tragedy they had just experienced. Now that they all have a place to live, Oued Koreich is closed. But when I went down to the neighbourhood the other day, many people stopped me in the street to shake my hand, or smiled at me, calling me by my name. It really warmed my heart."
Samia, 24
(studies commercial engineering)
"I decided to become a volunteer on the eve of the disaster. I knew about regular Red Crescent activities during Ramadan, and I thought it would be a good idea to join my friends, who have been with the Red Crescent for awhile. On the night of the disaster, I went down to headquarters and I was immediately assigned to a team helping survivors on site. During the first days, we didn't have much to offer them, except guide them to shelters. People were so shocked they could not eat. When the first donations arrived, we were able to begin distributing food and blankets, but often, there was not enough for everybody.
There is no stronger motivation than to know you can help someone else. I will never forget a desperate young woman who had just lost her husband and her home. She was alone with her baby in the shelter at Oued Koreich. Every day I went to see her and talk to her, and after a week, she began to take an interest in her life again.
My team has been working the night shift, from seven in the evening to three in the morning, in several shelters, and we will continue until people no longer need us. My parents live abroad but they know what I'm doing and are very proud of me."
Zimmouri, 34,
(nursing assistant and first aid trainer)
"When I heard the news, I was on duty in the hospital where I work, at Ain Taya, 25 kilometres from Algiers. I called the Algerian Red Crescent headquarters right away and they told me to come as soon as possible to join the rescue operation. Thanks to great support from my bosses, I was able to leave Ain Taya for Rouiba, where a team of six rescue workers was waiting for me. We jumped into the only available vehicle and at eight in the morning on the 11th of November, we reached headquarters. We were immediately sent to Bab-el-Oued to help civil protection personnel as well as ordinary citizens who were trying to dig survivors out of the rubble. Unfortunately, for most people, it was too late. We began digging with our bare hands, we didn't have any other tools. When more civil protection people arrived later in the day, with expertise and technical means, we left. Our next job was to begin registering families in need, to assess their needs and to fill those needs as quickly as possible.
Our old car gave us so much trouble that most of the time, we had to climb mountains of mud on foot. We worked non-stop for the first six days, without resting. We were really feeling tired and cold, because we had no boots, no jackets and no uniforms. But now that we are beginning to draw up tallies, we realize that we provided assistance to 50% of families in need. It was not that easy, you had to gain people's trust. For many of them, life is already difficult in normal circumstances, and they were completely traumatized by the disaster they had just experienced. I was put in charge of the Hammamet site, where 578 people were temporarily sheltered. Between managing the shelter, insuring regular distributions, doing daily checks and managing other rescuers and volunteers, I didn't have much time to talk to survivors about their personal experiences. But there was a small, two-year-old boy who is very dear to me. During a distribution of biscuits to youngsters, he crawled between the legs of the older children to reach me, pulled on my jacket to claim his biscuit, calling me "uncle". He pierced my professional shield and touched my heart. Every time I see him, I feel rewarded to have found a balance between professionalism and emotion, thanks to him."
Nabila, 29,
(nurse)
As she struggled through thick and thin to reach families in need, with her colleagues from the Algerian Red Crescent medical team, Nabila repeated constantly: "Nothing will discourage us from bringing assistance to these families. All you need are good, strong shoes and solid commitment. What touched me most were the families in the Chemin du Fort and Beaufraisier neighbourhoods. Several generations of their family have lived in these houses and they refused to leave them, in spite of the risks they ran, of the severe damage they had suffered and of the thick mud, which in some places, reached more than a metre and a half. In spite of their small means and results, they persist in trying to erase all traces of the disaster.
Helping others is my way of life. I don't know of any other."