Aid workers

Dr Nick Williams and his team set up a makeshift hospital in a tent to treat 2,275 people after Typhoon Haiyan. Photo: Japanese Red Cross

We have a register of specialist aid workers who can quickly be sent to support humanitarian operations across the globe: whether responding to disasters, helping people affected by conflict or supporting National Societies in our region.

Our aid workers undergo a rigorous selection process and offer specialist expertise in disaster management, shelter, sanitation, health, communications, gender, disability and other fields. In the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, 36 Australian aid workers joined international and Philippine Red Cross teams to help people recover. In Geneva, an Australian health specialist pioneered a method of data sampling which will be adopted by the World Health Organisation and the United Nations to respond more quickly and effectively to disease outbreaks. Our aid workers also worked with the ICRC to triage and support refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria.