Humanitarian Logistics Forum, Hull University

Delegates at the Humanitarian Logistics Forum

I feel very positive after attending the two day Humanitarian Logistics Forum (28+29 Nov) at Hull University Business School.

The meeting brought together around 30 senior practitioners and academics and focused on the logistics skills and capabilities needed to to enable post-disaster recovery and to lay the ground for future economic development.

Pam (right) and Gyöngyi Kovács
at the Hull University,
Humanitarian Logistics Forum, 2011

The conference was truly international with participants from North America, Australia, Scandinavia, the UK and more locations than I can remember. It was a great opportunity to network and to share experiences and  ideas. The meeting concluded with ideas for a research agenda and a white paper will follow shortly.

The event was sponsored by Cocal Cola and chaired by Emeritus Professor of Marketing & Logistics, Dr Martin Christopher of Cranfield School of Management, Cranfield University.

Short term deployment to Sierra Leone

Pam at the UNICEF country office, Freetown

I'm in Sierra Leone on a short term deployment to support the UNICEF country team. Sierra Leone is an extremely poor country, although rich in minerals and natural beauty. The country is still recovering from a brutal 11-year armed conflict that ended in 2002 and 70% of the population live on less than US$1 per day.

Lumley Beach, Aberdeen, Freetown

In April 2010, the Government launched a major initiative to provide free health care to pregnant women and girls. The challenge of addressing maternal mortality in Sierra Leone is enormous, given the country’s poor infrastructure, high levels of poverty and the continuing impact of armed conflict.

The Government has taken some important steps to address these challenges and UNICEF is working with donors and partners to assist the Ministry of Health in improving the situation. I am transferring my skills to colleagues and government logistics teams. I feel proud to be part of this great cause in Sierra Leone, and to work with a wonderful team under the leadership of the country representative.