IRC releases the names of victims of ambush in Afghanistan

New York, NY 13 Aug 2008 – The International Rescue Committee has released the names of its four staff members who were tragically killed in an ambush Wednesday morning in Logar Province, Afghanistan.  They are:

Mohammad Aimal, 25, of Kabul, Afghanistan.  He had worked as a driver for the International Rescue Committee since 2002.

Shirley Case, 30, of Williams Lake, British Columbia.  She joined the IRC on June 8 in Afghanistan to manage education programs designed to meet the needs of children with disabilities.

Nicole Dial, 30, a dual citizen of Trinidad and the United States.  Her permanent residence was in Trincity, Trinidad and Tobago, W.I.  She joined the IRC May 21 in Afghanistan as a coordinator in the agency’s programs for children.

Jacqueline (Jackie) Kirk, Ph.D., 40, of Outrement, Quebec, a dual citizen of Canada and the United Kingdom.  An education-programs technical advisor, she had worked for the IRC since 2004.  She provided support for the agency’s children’s education programs worldwide.

A second Afghan driver employed by the IRC was seriously wounded in the attack and has been hospitalized.

The victims were en route to Kabul and traveling in a clearly marked International Rescue Committee vehicle when they came under fire at mid-morning.

Read on…

Our deepest sympathies go out to the family members.

Tragic loss in Afghanistan

Four International Rescue Committee Aid Workers Killed in Afghanistan

13 Aug 2008 – Four International Rescue Committee aid workers were killed this morning in an ambush in Logar Province in Afghanistan.They include three international staff members, all women – a British-Canadian, a Canadian and a Trinidadian American – and an Afghan driver.  Another Afghan driver was critically wounded.

They were traveling to Kabul in a clearly marked International Rescue Committee vehicle when they came under fire.

The IRC has contacted family members and will provide additional information later.

“We are stunned and profoundly saddened by this tragic loss,” says George Rupp, president of the International Rescue Committee.  “These extraordinary individuals were deeply committed to aiding the people of Afghanistan, especially the children who have seen so much strife.  Words are inadequate to express our sympathy for the families and loved ones of the victims and our devoted team of humanitarian aid workers in Afghanistan.”

The International Rescue Committee has suspended its humanitarian aid programs in Afghanistan indefinitely.

The IRC has been working in Afghanistan for 20 years, providing lifesaving aid and recovery assistance to the Afghan people.

Link

US-based IT jobs in the humanitarian sector! Take a look!

My guess is that some of you might be looking for opportunities with aid agencies here in the US, specifically in the IT sector.  Well, it turns out that right now there are a number of posts open.  Let’s try and fill ’em up so that we can keep those networks running at peak performance while they’re getting hammered with requests during this conflict.

(Keep in mind these are US-based IT related positions.  There are A LOT more jobs out there, particularly in the international sector.  Please check the Humanitarian Job Info page for more information!)

New York, NY

International Rescue Committee (IRC) – Helpdesk Support Technician

Santa Monica, CA

International Medical Corps (IMC) – Senior Software Architect

International Medical Corps (IMC) – Senior Systems Administrator

Portland, OR

Mercy Corps – Business Systems Analyst

Mercy Corps – System Administrator/Engineer

Atlanta, GA

CARE – Talent Database Coordinator (Intern)

Federal Way, WA

World Vision – Oracle Functional Analyst

World Vision – Data Analyst II

World Vision – Senior Network Systems Administrator

Aid organizations shifting into high gear

UNHCR staff offload emergency relief items at a temporary reception centre in Mtskheta, outside Gori. © UNHCR/A.Shrestha

Just about every organization has now managed to post an update regarding their activities in Georgia.  Over the weekend the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Save The Children (SAVE), CARE, United Nations High Commision on Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have all issued statements.  Some organizations were on the ground prior to the recent hostilities and they have now stepped up operations to handle the increasing flow of civilians streaming out of the conflict zone.  Other organziations are sending in teams to assess the situation.  Coordination meetings are already being held in the Georgian capital of Tibilisi and rumor has it organzations have begun submitting their proposals to the U.S. Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) for funding.

The IRC and Microsoft Access

A few weeks ago there was a job posting on AlertNet.org for a ‘ProLogs Project Deployment Coordinator‘ for the International Rescue Committee (IRC).  Now, I have been involved in the roll out of various logistics database applications in the past as have most logistics officers.  What struck me about the IRC roll out is that the ProLogs system is built with a simple Microsoft Access database.  The posting goes on to state that,

“ProLogs is a simple Access® database intended as a tool for managing and reporting on Procurement, Inventory, Asset and Vehicle activities in accordance with the IRC global policies and procedures. The system has limited functionality but is intended to be a cost effective interim tool between the paper or multiple spreadsheets employed today and identification and implementation of a full logistics management system in 3 -5 years time.”

Here is one of the world’s largest aid organizations deploying a system to track probably hundreds of millions of dollars worth of assets and for the next 3-5 years they are going to rely on good old Microsoft Access.  We’re not talking a massive platform that requires years of development and fine tuning we’re talking about a system that has been used time and time again and that is going to cost IRC close to nothing.  Of course there are development costs but not like there would be if they were using Oracle or SAP.  It sounds like that will eventually be the case but for at least 3-5 years all that manpower and money will be going, we trust, right back to the beneficiaries.  Kudos to the IRC.

This, for me, is what it is all about.  Making do with what you’ve got on hand.  Trust the stuff that works and avoid like the plague the stuff that no one can really give you an answer to.  I know nothing about ProLogs but look forward to hearing more about it’s strengths and weaknesses.

At the end of the day you can roll out any system you want but if the folks in the warehouse are not getting their tallies right you are really just spitting in the wind.