How did you come to be in Conakry?
Last summer as I was on my way to Niger for work, I received a call asking whether I'd agree to go to Conakry instead to support UNHAS in the Ebola crisis. I immediately accepted. Once in Conakry I called my family to tell them about my change of plans. We had one Beechcraft 1900 plane and we were already moving passengers inside the country to Nzérékoré and Kissidougou, and to Sierra Leone and Liberia. I took over the operations at the airport, checking in passengers, handling the liaison with airport authorities and dispatching aircrafts.
How did you feel about being based in an Ebola-affected country?
I work for a humanitarian organization. I don't have a problem working in difficult areas. My aim is to facilitate the movements of humanitarian actors, including nurses and doctors, who in turn try to help – I think we share the same goal. I just came here determined to do a good job.
Reassuring people. Humanitarian workers have luggage and equipment, and really need someone to assure them that it is possible to travel to and from where they want to go – that they can count on us. I very much enjoy dealing and interacting with passengers on both a personal and professional level. They can be worried and worn out. I do my best to support and assist them.
What challenges do you face?
We send our aircraft to remote areas, and the weather during the rainy season can be very unpredictable. Getting information about the weather, and planning in a way that takes into consideration these unexpected changes, can prove challenging. You really need to anticipate and adapt as the situation unfolds.
There has also been an increase in demand for the UNHAS service, which has expanded fast and is starting to exceed aircraft capacity. Here again, we have constantly been adapting to our partners' demands. Finally, until now there was no fuel available outside Conakry, so we have had to plan ahead and decrease our load in order to carry sufficient fuel to Forest Guinea and return to the capital.
What, if any, developments have you noticed throughout the operation?
The increase in passengers as mentioned above. Very few people were using the service at the beginning, which I think is also due to the fact that the media coverage initially impacted the humanitarian community's willingness to deploy to the Ebola-affected countries. A change in attitude is perceptible in people who travel back from Guinea. You get a sense that it's where they were supposed to be, where they are most needed.
Is there any event in particular that stands out?
A few weeks ago we organized a medical evacuation out of the forest region for a woman who had just lost a member of her family and was in shock. We are working in a hazardous environment and any illness inevitably raises the question of Ebola. As she walked down from the aircraft she was too weak to stand. Nobody approached her and she could have collapsed, so I reached out and grabbed her. It's impossible to just stand there and do nothing.
What other reflections do you have?
This is a mission in which you apply everything you have learned in aviation. The movement of dangerous goods is very real: we have been asked to move lab items, blood samples, substances and equipment which are hazardous: there are regulations attached to this. Caution is needed to transport medical items.
Finally, what have you learned from your experience here?
I have learned dedication, seen it in what people do to get results. I have worked in the UN for over a decade but it is the first time I have seen people so determined and selfless. This selflessness has impressed and inspired me.