| Weekly Observer, 5th July 2006
For most a treacherous winter spent high in the earthquake-devastated
Himalayan mountains of Pakistan, where showers are buckets of cold
water, beds are sleeping bags and temperatures regularly dip to
the minus double figures, would be enough to discourage further
travelling, but not for Andrew Parkes.
But the Athea man has never been attracted to the pedestrian. A
jack of all trades he is already part environmental scientist, part
geologist, part IT specialist and part businessman. Now he has another
string to his bow – GOALie.
Andrew, who has just returned from the Pakistani village of Bagh
where last October’s apocalyptic earthquake flattened 95%
of all buildings killing 73,000 people and leaving over 2.8 million
homeless, cheerfully states that he has set his sights on the volatile
north-eastern region of Africa next. He adds that he fully expects
to meet even harsher conditions there, this time coupled with serious
security risks. Such is the life of a humanitarian aid worker, he
says, and that is what he now considers himself to be. In fact,
Andrew was so moved by his experiences in Asia that he has now decided
to devote at least the next 10 years of his life to the Third World.
He is likely to continue working as a logistician or as a programme
manager, both roles that he filled in Pakistan.
His commitment is obvious. In the run-up to the Pakistan trip he
was given only one week to interview, accept and prepare for the
job – not an unusual situation given the emergency. Without
hesitation, Andrew sold shares in the company he had been working
for, quit his job, stopped work on the house he is building, and
packed his bag.
He agrees that conditions in Pakistan were rough, revealing that
as he left Islamabad last month temperatures were peaking at 42
degrees Celsius. This part of Pakistan is currently experiencing
a heat wave that has so far killed more than 50 people, in sharp
contrast to the lows of minus 15 degrees Celsius experienced by
the GOAL team at the heart of the harsh Himalayan winter. But these
extremes don’t seem to have deterred him in the slightest.
He says, “Conditions in Pakistan were as I expected them to
be, better probably”, he then qualifies this statement by
describing his first impression of the quake-affected zone. “I
arrived a month after the earthquake. Even though a lot of clearing
had been done the smell of death was overwhelming and there was
chaos all around.” Though the experience was harrowing Andrew
and the rest of the GOAL team took their lead from the Pakistanis
who he describes as resilient and capable people. “I thought,
how can I best help? What can I do? We all just mucked in and did
our best to blend and help.”
Andrew, a former pupil of St Joseph’s Boy’s School
in Abbeyfeale, has previously worked in the Limerick region on ‘Afforestation
Remedies’, part of the EU-sponsored Leader II project. Under
that scheme the west of Ireland was designated a disadvantaged area
within Europe, but Andrew says he now understands disadvantage here
to be just that, Irish disadvantage. To see truly deprived areas,
he says, you must travel to the developing world.
That’s not to say that he will be saying goodbye to Ireland
though. He is currently building a house in Kerry, “I’m
waiting for my next placement overseas with GOAL. I really just
came home to finish the house and get things in order.” Andrew
will also maintain his business interests here at home where he
is involved with Irish company Equestrian Photographic Services.
That company, the biggest agency of its kind in Ireland and the
UK, travels to international equestrian events taking photographs
that then appear, as he puts it, “in every national newspaper
from here to Dubai.” Andrew says he will remain engaged in
managing the business but states that he feels his home for the
next while is overseas. It seems he’s been bitten by a very
addictive bug.
His advice to anyone who is thinking of pursuing a similar career,
“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. Research it,
understand it and dig in. It’s not about knowing it all in
the beginning. Your team will help and advise you – that’s
the good thing about aid workers, they’re usually very tolerant
– a good bunch of people.”
All aid agency operations in the quake-affected areas of Pakistan
will be winding up their operations over the next couple of months
as people there attempt to stand on their own feet again. Members
of the GOAL Pakistan team will be moving on to the next crisis,
wherever that may be. Behind them they leave thousands of people
who have been touched by Irish generosity and compassion.
While there, GOAL’s emergency team, provided essential supplies
to almost 100,000 people distributing more than 2,000 winterised
tents, 82,000 sheets of plastic and galvanised steel, 70,000 blankets,
tarpaulins, and sleeping bags as well as food, tools and cash vouchers.
In addition, local people were given skills that will improve their
ability to deal with future disasters and 100 schools were rebuilt
by the agency.
|
