When Indonesia’s Aceh province was devastated by the Asian tsunami last December, one organisation that moved quickly to respond was the little-known RedR Australia.
RedR Australia maintains a register of trained engineers and technical experts ready to fly into the world’s trouble spots to assist lead agencies perform their work.
Its volunteers have worked with a range of United Nations organisations, including the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the World Food Programme, in locations like East Timor, Sudan, Chad, Afghanistan, Palestine and now Indonesia.
RedR is a global organisation and the Australian division, established in 1992, has about 300 volunteers on its register.
Its founding president, the late Fred Hollows, challenged Australian engineers to apply their ingenuity and resources to the alleviation of suffering, wherever it occurred.
Mundaring engineer David Lavell has been on three postings with RedR Australia, with each lasting two to three months.
He had two postings to East Timor in 1999 and 2000, and his focus was on the provision of shelter, specifically the distribution of timber, cement and corrugated iron to families so they could rebuild their homes.
Mr Lavell said his work, part of a two-year UNHCR program to provide shelter for 35,000 families, was very rewarding.
“The second time it was very gratifying to see all the new houses that had gone up,” he said.
“The beauty of RedR is that you have got professional, quality people.
“With the background of the people and the training you get., you can hit the ground running.”
Mr Lavell’s third posting, to war-torn Sudan in early 2004, had to be cut short because of the political situation in that country.
Volunteers receive a modest salary while they are posted overseas, paid by the federal government agency AusAID, and are paid per day travelling allowances by the UN agencies.
RedR Australia treasurer Barry Greer, speaking in Perth last month, said logistics was one of the major challenges facing aid agencies working in Aceh.
“Logistics is always a major issue in any aid program,” Mr Greer said.
Volunteers in Aceh had focussed on the provision of electrical services, telecommunications, potable water, sanitation and shelter.
He said RedR places a high priority on training, for both its own volunteers and for humanitarian relief workers from other organisations.
It offers training courses on topics such as humanitarian logistics, the essentials of humanitarian practice and personal security and communications.
RedR has also established a technical support service, which provides free technical advice to humanitarian agencies and aid workers in the field.
RedR is backed by Australia’s four professional engineering bodies, namely: Engineers Australia, the Association of Consulting Engineers, the Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers Australia and the Institute of Public Works and Engineering Australia.
