In the summer of 2008, the country of Myanmar was devastated by a cyclone, which caused more than 140,000 fatalities. Then, in less than a week, China was rocked by its deadliest earthquake since 1976. Nearly 70,000 people died and another five million were left homeless.
“It can be overwhelming,” says Helen Barrette, a co-op student with the International Humanitarian Assistance Directorate of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) at the time of the natural disasters. “You really become aware of all the suffering around the world but you realize how much can be done.”
Helen Barrette
Barrette, a public policy and administration graduate student, spent two co-op work terms at CIDA, which, through non-governmental organizations, helps administer funding to areas with urgent need.
“We spend a lot of time analyzing the situation,” says Barrette. “You don’t want to give all your budget to one disaster and forget about something else.”
Barrette was named Co-op Student of the Year by Carleton for her exceptional work with CIDA. She demonstrated she was capable of handling the tasks assigned with maturity, professionalism and a strong work ethic, and she had the ability to adapt to the requirements of the different managers on the team.
“Some of Helen’s most noteworthy contributions have been her ability to step in and coordinate the drafting of a lessons learned document for our responses to natural disasters in both Burma and China; as well as take the lead for the directorate on issues relating to our new electronic data management system,” says Anar Mamdani, the directorate’s acting director.
Barrette credits CIDA for providing her with the skills necessary to become a more effective leader, and to leading her to a new career path.
“I have come to realize that working in humanitarian assistance, particularly in the field of disaster relief logistics, is an ideal career that would allow me to complement my fervent belief that international humanitarian assistance can—and will—become more effective, with my interest, education and experience in management and logistics,” says Barrette.