Supply chain best practice seminars: Multimodal hears how smart thinking meets the ever increasing humanitarian need

I recently attended Multimodal Seminar 2014 at the NEC Birmingham, starting on 29th April, 2014. Multimodal, now entering its eighth year, is the UK and Ireland's leading freight transport and logistics exhibition. It features topical seminars and masterclasses, and hosts a Shippers' Village, giving freight buyers a private space to meet logistics suppliers. The seminars on 29th were organised in conjunction with the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), and the Freight Transport Association (FTA). 

The exhibitors represented all of logistics, and the software and hardware suppliers. It is where shippers, importers, exporters, manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers go to seek ways of running a slicker supply chain. The 2014 show broke all previous records with more than 7,100 visitors, nearly 300 exhibitors, an appearance by HRH Princess Anne, the patron of Transaid, and by Kevin Keegan, the legendary footballer who entertained at the VIP dinner. Transaid is an International development charity, championing local transport solutions for people in Africa and developing countries. 

Recent events, such as the Syrian Crisis and the Philippines hurricane, have highlighted the need for more focus on developing logistics and supply chain capabilities, enabling countries and economies hit by disaster to recover and move on. That's why it’s important to continue work in this area and to educate the public about humanitarian supply chain operations and its challenges. This CILT knowledge sharing event brought together key sector experts. A variety of themes were discussed, for example, Transaid looked at how team building can help save lives in the developing world. 

Mike Whiting, senior logistics consultant for the World Food Programme (WFP), chaired a seminar on humanitarian logistics on the opening day of the exhibition. He reported that aid costs increased by 430%  between 2004, the year of the Indian Ocean Tsunami, and 2013. Last year, half of those facing humanitarian needs were in conflict-affected areas, up from 25% 10 years ago. No fewer than four countries – Syria, the Philippines, South Sudan and the Central African Republic – faced maximum “level three” crises last year.

Seated from left to right: Mike Whiting, visiting lecturer in humanitarian logistics, Cranfield University, consultant at WFP and OCHA; Dorothea de Carvalho, professional development project director, CILT; Martijn Blansjaar, head of logistics and supply, international division, Oxfam; Chris Weeks, director of humanitarian affairs, DHL/DPWN 

Whiting said: “The system is having to deal with problems of increasing scale and complexity, which has profound implications. We need to find a more locally based, anticipatory approach – a more creative way of dealing with the logistics challenge that faces us.” He also said the institute could be  a catalyst for change. “We must listen to what those in peril want, not impose what we think they need,” he added.

Raising the status and enhancing the professionalism of humanitarian logistics, challenges and opportunities. 

Dorothea de Carvalho, CILT’s professional development project director, said people development was critical. More than 1,000 students have now passed through the institute’s certified qualification programme in humanitarian logistics, developed in association with organisations such as WFP, Save the Children, the Red Cross, Oxfam and UNICEF.

Logistics professionals can study for a humanitarian supply chain management qualification, while a specialist medical logistics practices strand (Medlog) is suitable for doctors or nurses needing to understand “the unique requirements of running a cold chain,” de Carvalho said. She urged  companies to sponsor students or offer work placements for graduates, to help benchmark their work against what was happening in the commercial sector. 

Martijn Blansjaar, head of logistics and supply, for Oxfam’s international division, said airlines offering cargo space to the charity had become fashionable in the 1990s, only to result in aid supplies failing to fly because the paperwork was not right.

Oxfam now benefited from fantastic long-term arrangements with JCB, which regularly supplied digging and lifting equipment, and British Airways, which could usually offer free capacity within  days of a crisis developing, Blansjaar said.

Chris Weeks, director of humanitarian affairs at DHL, said the company was helping disaster  preparations by helping airports in high-risk areas to be ready for a surge in incoming air freight. 

“The trick is to act smarter,” Weeks said. He contrasted the “old world” model of sending bottles of water, with today’s focus on purification units and jerrycans. “Disaster response is becoming more professional and co-ordinated. We’ve got to upskill and change the profile of our employees,” Weeks said.

Whiting concluded the seminar saying: “We can’t go on as we were, transformative logistics is needed. Training people in storage and distribution will control the amount of food wasted between harvest and end user. We have to go from tonnage-based to knowledge-based operations.” 

“Thinking more sustainably and helping people to help themselves can save a huge amount of long-term investment,” he said. He quoted an example from Tanzania, where at one time cola drinks were obtainable everywhere, but not essential drugs. Following collaboration between Coca-Cola and the Ministry of Health, medical supplies were now being distributed by those delivering the soft drinks across the country.

But the event wasn’t all trucks and bodies, DSV, a Danish company, was giving free food to the CILT  Knowledge Lounge. Having lived in Denmark, when I worked for the United Nations, I’m familiar with their fantastic cuisine. As soon as I spotted my favourite Danish herring, my mouth began to water, prompting my stomach to lead me to where all the human traffic was heading. 

You can guess what followed, and my humanitarian day out was smashing!

The evening ended with a wonderful roundtable discussion on key matters with Martijn Blansjaar, Dorothea de Carvalho, George Fenton (director for supply chain, World Vision International) and Dr  Silvia Rossi of Cranfield University, who also teaches humanitarian logistics and supply chain.

While humanitarian logistics is what I do, as well as building new connections, I also learnt something new about the CILT’s resources, both online and traditional, and that they can provide one-to-one services. I just need to sign up to benefit from the service.

Facing breast cancer in the UK and in Africa

All of my past blogs have focused on many different topics surrounding poverty and the varied problems in our world, but this time I write about me personally. When I read about American actress, Angelina Jolie going public about her mastectomy in 2013 I never imagined I would go through a similar experience.

David and Pam wait for Pam to be taken to theatre

I was diagnosed with DCIS, early breast cancer, on August 8 2013, and had a mastectomy less than three months later, on October 21 2013. Since then I have been recovering slowly but steadily. In fact, just a month later, on November 18 2013, I was standing in front of third year engineering students at Oxford University, delivering a guest lecture on humanitarian logistics operations and innovation (you can read the blog on this below). Little did they know how conscious I was of my asymmetrical chest. But the thought of whether there are any women out there whose chests are totally symmetrical kept me comforted. I was only able to give the lecture, and see clearly that day because of the effective and efficient care I received from my oncologist at the John Radcliffe Hospital here in Oxford. Along with the wonderful support from my husband, daughters, church members, relatives and friends from all over the globe who supported me each step of the way. They kept me positive, strong and brave enough to face it all.

I consider myself very fortunate to live and work in Britain where cancer detection and treatment is so advanced. Right from the day I was diagnosed, the care had been professional and carefully handled. From the mammogram tests to biopsies to surgery and after care. And you know what?  There was no charge.

When I first heard my diagnosis, I was so sad and shocked my brain felt like a frozen ice cube, but not angry to ask “why me?” – because why should it be anyone? Of course, I worried about dying and leaving behind my children and my husband, who I want to grow old with. I also worried about not being there for my mother and family in Kenya.

I would not have made the journey without a positive attitude, and those who supported me. They sent emails, cards, flowers, texts and rung to hear my voice, and those who live in England visited me in hospital and at home after being discharged. But above all it was the quality of the health care that I was able to receive. My oncologist, nurse and GP still follow up to check that I am recovering well, and, yes, I am, and fortunately my cancer had not spread to other organs.

Pam recovering in hospital

In fact, in February 2014 I was able to make my first trip abroad since my surgery, to Copenhagen for work, and last week I travelled to Paris to attend the humanitarian logistics general assembly and summit (oh, I should blog about the Paris trip next!). It was wonderful to reconnect with senior logisticians, heads of humanitarian logistics operations (from various aid organizations) and Humanitarian Logistics Association Board members, and catch up with how they have managed with being so busy over 2013, responding to major disasters of the year; the Syrian Crisis  and the Philippines hurricane  just to mention a few. It was good to learn of the humanitarian challenges ahead and the things that keep logisticians awake.

But why blog about this? It’s because my experience reminded me of the situation of the many poor people in this world who struggle to access even the most basic healthcare. Particularly those in developing countries who, when diagnosed with something like cancer, would face a certain death sentence. During my illness, I read some sad stories of poor women in Africa who could not find help when they were diagnosed with breast cancer, as their relatives would not even let them talk about it. In fact, some were told to consider visiting traditional healers; in the meantime the tumours would grow and burst. A horrific experience that no one should have to go through. During that time, I also read that a key breast cancer drug, herceptin, cost USD 1,600 per patient per month. And I wondered how on earth people who can barely put food on the table afford this? My own experience, and these people’s experience, put into perspective the importance of my research in public health supply chains. 

My cancer being caught early, the appropriate quality treatment beginning without delay, and at no cost to my family, are the reasons why my hopes were rekindled. I would like poor people in low- and middle-income countries to one day also be able to have the kind of care I received. This is why I’m calling upon national government policy makers to do more for their people, and improve healthcare financing. Starting with setting up cancer screening equipment at district levels, train all of their nurses to know how to use the equipment, and lastly to make testing completely free of charge.

And to any one reading this blog, especially women, please take the first step to go for breast cancer screening, as an early diagnosis can help save your life. This was my experience when I felt a tumour on my left breast and decided to visit my GP. The rest is history. If I had not moved as fast, I may have been writing a different story or none at all.

Bringing the voice of the end user into the product design at the earliest stage

Engineering students, Oxford University

Recently, I was invited to talk to a group of Oxford University engineering students about solar cookers. I am not an engineer nor qualified to speak on technical issues, but I felt that I could be a voice for the beneficiaries in developing countries. A key to the success of a product is the early involvement of the intended end user in the design process.

I often visit my family in Kenya. My relatives in Nairobi welcome me with a traditional meal of chicken, beef, vegetables, rice and ugali. The food is cooked by the women over a cylinder gas cooker, a table-top electric hob or a paraffin stove.

After Nairobi, I return to my childhood home, Uboro, a rural village in Nyanza Province far from the nearest city, Kisumu. I love the freshness in the air. Over time, much of the surrounding area has been cleared for farming, but the land has been degraded. The soil is easily washed into the river ‘ugege’ from the hill where I collected firewood as a child.

Kenyan Jiko, photographer AH

My elderly mother serves food cooked using the traditional three stones and firewood or, when there is charcoal, on traditional charcoal stove called a jiko. The Jiko is used sparingly to save on the cost of charcoal but, in her old age, my mother is not strong enough to gather firewood for herself.  She uses some of the little money I send her to buy firewood from the market.

African evenings can be chilly so, as a child, I loved to sit round the fire with my siblings while my mother cooked a simple meal and shared her wisdom with us. The smoke from the kitchen brought tears to our red eyes which only stopped when the food was ready to be served!

Cooking food in a solar oven could reduce the need for fuel and so reduce the burden on women to gather wood or pay for expensive sources of fuel. It would also reduce health hazards for women labouring for so many hours over a fire and for their children who accompany them.

Solar cooking is an environmentally friendly technology that could contribute to the solution, provided that the technology is accepted by end-users and that the solar ovens are both appropriate and affordable. However, it is important to understand a community’s way of life and traditional practices before deciding on what’s good for them.

Currently there are many efforts to design an appropriate solar cooker; some are already being marketed or distributed. There seems to be a race to be the first to get the product to market regardless of whether it is culturally acceptable.

It is important to appreciate that African families come in different sizes, and that cooking pots will vary according to family size and the types of food being prepared. Like others, Africans prefer to cook inside the house. The fire warms the house for those who would use the kitchen later as their bedroom, and the smoke, it is believed, kills the insects that invade a muddy grass thatched kitchen. Those without fridges use the smoke to dry food so that it does not go bad. The intended user of a solar oven MUST be involved in deciding what would be culturally appropriate in their situation.

The Albedo Solar Oven, one of a number of design concepts by the ISIS-Dytecna partnership

 Right now, there is much innovation in the humanitarian and development sector. In fact, innovation is a strategic priority of many aid organizations. Several UN agencies such as the WHO, UNICEF and UNHCR have their own innovation units. Domestic governments in developing countries are recognizing the need for innovation in the public and social sector to improve services. Individuals are also busy making their contribution, thanks to modern technology. But key to innovation is to ensure citizen participation in researching novel methods, especially from intended beneficiaries!

I commend the Oxford University students for engaging with someone with first-hand experience of the context and the people’s way of life, even if their current assignment is a paper exercise. It is my hope that when they complete their studies and get to apply their knowledge, they will remember to involve the intended customer or beneficiary!

Research into the medicine supply chain in developing countries

Cranfield University gave me the opportunity to study a subject close to my heart. I spent over one year researching in-country supply chain factors that affect medicine availability at service delivery points in developing countries. In this short video I share my motivation for the topic and my plans for future research.

I hope you enjoy the video and leave your comments on the subject. I am available to work on short-term research contracts through PSA Ltd.

Disaster preparedness: lessons from cyclone Nargis by Pam Steele

guardian.co.uk

The reluctance of the military junta to allow aid into Burma slowed down the response of aid agencies, and showed that without local capacity, humanitarian assistance is often too late 

A monk walks by his damaged monastery, at the isolated village of Mingala Taungtan in the Ayeyarwaddy delta, Burma. Photograph: Getty Images

The Politics of Humanity

Recently, I had the opportunity to hear John Holmes (UN Under-Secretary–General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator between 2007 and 2010) speak in Oxford on ‘The Politics of Humanity’,  an honest evaluation of the world of humanitarian relief aid based on his recent book of the same name.

John Holmes in Oxford

John spoke of his experiences of missions to Sri Lanka, Darfur, and the DRC Congo and the challenge of being an emergency relief coordinator. ‘What was he supposed to be coordinating? The International humanitarian set-up is not a ‘system’ in any recognizable sense. Rather it is a collection of organizations and groups which have, over the years, been morally impelled to alleviate the world’s misery’. As the overall emergency relief coordinator, he had no authority to command the aid organization to do things in a certain way. His job was made more difficult by the diverse nature of humanitarian aid organizations with different mandates.

He saw crisis from both sides: the reality on the ground in some of the bleakest places on earth, as well as the strategic view from a comfortable diplomatic chair. He revealed the difficulty of being true to humanitarian principles, particularly in conflict settings where governments tried to use humanitarian aid for their own political aims. ‘Humanitarian relief must not be used for political or security purposes, still less withheld for such resources, or manipulated in other ways. Humanitarian aid is a moral imperative, not part of anyone’s stabilization strategy’.

In closing, he stated that of we must invest more in disaster risk reduction to have a reasonable chance of keeping pace with the growing need otherwise the world may face huge catastrophes without the means to tackle them effectively.

I recommend his book to anyone wanting to learn more about the challenges of applying humanitarian principles in a political world.

Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh

Occasionally, I'm invited to speak to an audience on humanitarian logistics which gives me the opportunity to meet new people and visit new places I might not otherwise see. An invitation from Kate Hughes to speak to MSc Logistics students at Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh was one such opportunity.

Pam in Edinburgh

I was fascinated by the beauty of Edinburgh, this being my first time to visit Scotland, and what it had to offer: great hospitality, stunning scenery, and a rich cultural heritage.

Having a guest lecturer can give students the opportunity to hear from those with long-term experience in disaster response and humanitarian relief giving personal insight in to the unique challenges of this area of logistics and supply chain. I was able to share with the students my professional experience in humanitarian logistics in Africa, as a woman and as a 'local': the advantages and the challenges, and to share about my studies.

I was delighted to meet a diverse group of students who listened keenly and asked important and intelligent questions. I have always found the opportunity to exchange with students to be of mutual benefit where both parties gain from the ensuing discussions.