As a humanitarian worker who travels the world providing assistance to communities coping with natural disasters, Marian Nelson-Addy knows that despite the best intentions, sometimes providing the required assistance is beset by challenges. As such, she would like people to understand some of these challenges.

The reality when it comes to disasters is that it is impossible to be fully prepared for what to expect, especially for relief workers. In training professionals to handle such events, a number of topics are tackled, including performing effective triage to setting up safe locations. And while it’s important to ensure the safety of the communities, the well-being of the humanitarian staff also has to be addressed.

People who work in the humanitarian aid field often see themselves as having nerves of steel; able to put themselves in dangerous or unsafe situations without putting much thought into it. But it is for this reason that relief staff is trained to take care of not only the survivors but themselves as well.

In 2015, Marian Nelson-Addy was part of a relief team that responded to an earthquake disaster in a remote location in Asia. When her team arrived, they knew that fresh water and food would be an issue, so they had packed supplies to last several days. Well, most of the supplies were mishandled on the way from the airport to the affected town, and the rest was given to survivors they met along the way.

So from the minute they reached the emergency zone, they had two goals: saving lives and taking care of themselves. They had to count themselves among the survivors, and it wasn’t until they located an international relief agency’s camp that had pitched a tent outside the affected town that they managed to get help.

Because aid teams are invariably expected to go into “uncharted” territories, it’s important that members think about their own survival and be prepared for unexpected scenarios. For Marian Nelson-Addy and her team, the proximity of other aid agencies proved to be a blessing, but she can’t imagine if there wasn’t a team nearby that they could ask for assistance from.

About: Marian Nelson-Addy works as a humanitarian aid worker in Bristol, UK. She holds a Master of Science degree in Professional Management.

To Learn more visit at :https://www.behance.net/mariannelson-addy