The second of a two-part series on how COVID-19 has affected Ramadan. Read the first part .
Paul Caney has made a career helping others by knowing a lot about everything, but not so much about any one thing.
In 1994, he was recruited by M茅decins Sans Fronti猫res, known in North America as Doctors Without Borders. His cousin, who was visiting Calgary seeking staff for the humanitarian organization, asked Caney what his expertise was.
At the time Caney was working in the film industry, which required some of the same skills his cousin was looking for. He could operate a radio. He could set up a generator. He knew how to drive in the mountains.
sa国际传媒淎nyway, they asked me if I was interested,sa国际传媒� he says now. sa国际传媒淚 sort of thought they were a little flaky and said yeah, sure.sa国际传媒�
Three weeks later he flew to The Netherlands for training. Then it was on to Sarajevo sa国际传媒� in the middle of the Bosnian War.
sa国际传媒淚t doesnsa国际传媒檛 work like that any more. Itsa国际传媒檚 much more professional, you have many more mentors and work up to that kind of role nowadays.sa国际传媒�
Caney, 56, works as an international logistics co-ordinator, which is better described as an extreme jack of all trades.
His daily duties include: overseeing construction and renovation of medical facilities, offices and living spaces; managing security guards, drivers and a fleet of vehicles; communications; and supply chain management.
Hesa国际传媒檚 also the tech guy.
sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 by far the most interesting job Isa国际传媒檝e ever had, bar none,sa国际传媒� he says.
Caney, who lives in Nelson when hesa国际传媒檚 in Canada, is currently stationed in Pakistansa国际传媒檚 capital city Islamabad. He arrived in the country just as the pandemic was spreading. The World Health Organization says there have been 22,533 cases of COVID-19 in Pakistan along with 526 deaths.
The Islamic republic of 207 million people has been criticized by its own medical association for allowing mosques to remain open during the holy month of Ramadan, which began April 23. For 30 days, Muslims fast during the day before celebrating with family and friends in the evening while also attending evening prayers.
But Caney says hesa国际传媒檚 observed empty streets, closed tourism areas and clerics telling people to stay home.
sa国际传媒淲e have a tendency in Western cultures and Western media to group Islam as a single theological idea, which is of course not the case,sa国际传媒� says Caney.
sa国际传媒淭here are moderates and there are fundamentalists just as there are in Christianity. So I think itsa国际传媒檚 very much a freedom to choose. I donsa国际传媒檛 think anybody is being incentivized or pushed toward gathering at risk to their faith. I think every single person in Pakistan is aware of what is going on.sa国际传媒�
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Caney works for the Amsterdam arm of Doctors Without Borders, which also has centres in Geneva, Barcelona, Paris and Brussels. Three of those centres have teams working across Pakistan, where the organization typically focuses on mother-child health.
One in 11 children dies before the age of five in the country, according to the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey. Last year, Doctors Without Borders said it provided treatment to 11,000 malnourished children in the province of Balochistan, where Caney and the rest of the Dutch team focus their efforts.
But COVID-19 has forced the organization to change its priorities.
Caney said his colleagues have had to suspend some of its programs as staff assist Pakistansa国际传媒檚 health ministry in COVID-19 screenings.
sa国际传媒淚 really hope, I think we all do, that wesa国际传媒檙e not overwhelmed in our medical facilities by coronavirus, so we can keep supporting the women who are having complicated pregnancies and really need our facilities,sa国际传媒� says Caney.
sa国际传媒淲esa国际传媒檙e the only game in town in some of these places in terms of access to obstetric health care. I think we all have a back-of-our-mind concern that coronavirus might just overtake our normal lifesaving programs.sa国际传媒�
Acquiring supplies for front-line staff has become Caneysa国际传媒檚 biggest challenge during the pandemic.
Personal protective equipment is difficult to come by in Pakistan, where domestic flights are grounded and the European supply chains once relied on by Doctors Without Borders are closed.
sa国际传媒淭hat puts you in a position where you have to purchase things locally that normally you would never do on the basis of quality, availability and price,sa国际传媒� says Caney.
sa国际传媒淭here are some things manufactured here in Pakistan, and thatsa国际传媒檚 why I say Isa国际传媒檓 much luckier than some of my colleagues in less-developed countries. Yousa国际传媒檙e at the mercy of opportunistic businessmen at times and thatsa国际传媒檚 the same for everybody.sa国际传媒�
Caneysa国际传媒檚 concerns also extend to the humanitarian sector at large.
Most organizations rely on donations or government assistance to operate, which he expects will dry up. He worries too that the pandemic will impact just how many people want to take less money to work for NGOs.
sa国际传媒淲esa国际传媒檒l see how it all plays out. I donsa国际传媒檛 know, but I think already within the health care industry, many [current or future] health care workers are seeing very real consequences of the job, especially when we are working in a highly infectious viral emergency.sa国际传媒�
But for now, he isnsa国际传媒檛 seeing anyone on the front lines himself. Caney has stayed put in a house in Islamabad, where hesa国际传媒檚 visited by staff and struggles to find supplies for Doctors Without Borderssa国际传媒� medical personnel.
Like everyone he works with, Caney worries about his own health. When hesa国际传媒檚 stressed, he tries to make use of the homesa国际传媒檚 gym equipment. Hesa国际传媒檚 been using it a lot.
sa国际传媒淚f anything,sa国际传媒� he says, sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檓 healthier than when I arrived.sa国际传媒�
| tyler.harper@nelsonstar.com
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