Red Cross aid worker Libby Bowell has been working with the remote communities of Malaita and the Weather Coast of Guadalcanal for the past three years.
Australian Red Cross aid workers are ordinary Australians with extraordinary qualities. Posted to the world's most vulnerable regions, often in the midst of conflict or in the aftermath of disaster, they land on their feet and work to assist those in need.
Their commitment and dedication are well known and greatly respected, not only by those within the Red Cross Movement, but by the thousands of people around the world who benefit from their activities. Aid workers bring with them technical excellence and solid experience in their field, which enables them to contribute effectively in often demanding environments.
Every year Australian Red Cross has more than 100 aid workers helping people in over 30 countries around the world.
Aid worker profiles
Australian Red Cross aid workers have varied professional and/or technical skill sets known as profiles which include:
- community development
- construction and shelter
- disaster management
- economic security (nutrition and livelihood)
- environmental health (including water, sanitation and vector control)
- finance
- health (for example, public health, surgical nursing, HIV technical advisors, surgeons, maternal and child health nurses and midwives)
- logisticians
- restoring family links (tracing)
- monitoring and evaluation.
You can read more about our aid workers in action in stories from the field.
What's involved?
Red Cross offers a range of short and longer term contracts for aid workers which generally include: salary, daily field allowance, superannuation, travel, health and life insurance, and all work related travel and accommodation.
Once offered a mission, all aid workers must undergo a full medical assessment including vaccinations which are mandatory for the region in which they will be working and will be required to sign a code of conduct.
Photo: Australian Red Cross/Joe Cropp