Mission in paradise

"I couldn't sleep at night, wondering how things were in Aceh and whether my friends there had survived."

When nurse Eva Ringvall arrived in Indonesia's Aceh province in 2002, in the midst of a civil war, she was struck by its beauty.

"It was a remarkable situation in many ways. The war was ever-present, threats and violence were all around, and it was difficult to enter the area. At the same time, it was like an untouched paradise." Eva Ringvall's mission was to work with a Swedish colleague to establish medical support for the peace observers who would be working in the area. Seven more people from the SRSA assisted with the logistics side of the project. In reality, many of the tasks were shared.

"As far as possible we tried to carry out the operation using local resources, which meant finding and buying everything we needed locally - cars, food, clothes, fur­niture, computers, paper — every­thing," says Eva Ringvall.

She even made clothes for the peace observer team.

THE MEDICAL SUPPORT Was Set up to provide emergency care fol­lowing gunfire and road traffic accidents, and to deal with flesh wounds and infectious diseases. It was to provide everything from plasters, first aid and medication to facilities for fast air transporta­tion to hospital.

"We travelled around with inter­preters trying to source the equip­ment we needed. I remember one time we spent ages looking for first aid supplies and eventually found a roll of gauze fabric in a chemist's shop. Then I sat in my hotel room and cut it up to make bandages."

After six months, a new Swed­ish team arrived to relieve Eva and her SRSA colleagues.

two years later, when the tsunami came, Eva Ringvall was working for the SRSA in Darfur. "I couldn't sleep at night, won­dering how things were in Aceh and whether my friends there had survived."

When she was asked to return to Aceh for another logistics and medical support operation, it was with mixed feelings that she agreed to go.

"When I arrived I couldn't be­lieve my eyes. It wasn't the same country. Houses had been dragged into the sea and huge areas had been laid waste by the salt water. There was no plant life, just earth and rocks. But I encountered the same warm, friendly spirit as be­fore."

Eva Ringvall's earlier experi­ence of the country and of sourcing equipment locally was put to good use in this operation.

"One positive thing about the tsunami was that it meant that international organisations were allowed to enter the area, which brought a sense of calm and order to the peace process."

From chaos to order

"It was the first time the SRSA's International Department had carried out an operation on behalf of residents of Sweden. It really affected a lot of the personnel working there’’

LENNART LARSSON Was in the middle of installing the TV that his daughter had received for Christmas when programming was interrupted for an emergency broadcast. A major tidal wave disaster had taken place in South East Asia. It was 26 December 2004.

At that point, he had no idea that four months later he would be at Pearl Village Hotel in Phuket, Thailand, managing the SRSA's operational team.

"It was a major challenge. When I look back I see two things. Firstly, the difficult work of finding the best way to take care of the victims and their relatives. Secondly, the comradeship, sense of community, and motivation that permeated the team," recalls Lennart Larsson.

THE PERIOD DIRECTLY following the tsunami was chaotic, but by the time Lennart Larsson took over as incident commander in April, there was a working struc­ture in place and cooperation between authorities and organisa­tions was functioning well.

"Nonetheless, the situation was still very unusual. It was the first time the SRSA's International Department had carried out an operation on behalf of residents of Sweden. It really affected a lot of the personnel working there," says Lennart Larsson.

The operations were mentally and emotionally gruelling, partic­ularly during periods when many victims were identified and sent home, or when there were large numbers of child victims.

One important guiding prin­ciple was that the work was to be characterised by dignity and respect. A total of 69 homecoming ceremonies for deceased swedes were carried out at Phuket airport for personnel and relatives, led by Swedish pastors. Each ceremony was different, but hymn 256 from the Swedish Hymnal - Don't be afraid — was sung every time.

"Every ceremony was meaning­ful, and for the personnel repre­sented a worthy conclusion to a lengthy and demanding process," says Lennart Larsson.

THE TASK OF SUPPORTING the large number of survivors and family members presented a number of challenges.

"Many of those affected had specific requests, like wanting to visit a particular place or hospital or get in touch with a person who drove them out of the danger zone on a moped. Many were in various stages of shock, and it was our job to give them as much support as possible."

The external conditions for the work were excellent, which helped a great deal. The Thai authorities were helpful and cooperation worked smoothly. There was a real sense of community shared by the different actors in the area.

"it was fantastic to see so many people from different Swedish authorities and organisations all working towards the same goals. And the Thai authorities openness to Swedish and other foreign authorities was admirable — and probably unique from an international point of view," says Lennart Larsson.

One of the tasks of the incident commander, which demand an ability to listen and communicate clearly, is to support colleagues in the field. The enormous commitment of the personnel to the work at hand could occasionally put their mental or physical health at risk.

"It's all about employer responsibility. On occasion I did have to speak privately to colleagues to advise them not to stretch themselves too far," explains Lennart Larsson.

As well as working as incident commander in Thailand for two periods in 2005, Lennart Lars-son has also participated in other dramatic operations in various countries, including Iraq. These operations have changed his per­spective on life.

"I hope and believe that I have become more humble, and that I value everyday life more. Sometimes I find it hard to understand when someone at work gets upset about a broken photocopier, for example," chuckles Lennart Larsson.