Special points of

interest:

The Pre-Hospital System.

The Hospital System.

Mass Evacuation Plan.

Disaster Recipient Drills.

In this issue:

The travel 1

The arrival 1

The learning 2

The departure 2

Shalom! This is a memoir of a unique training experience offered to me through a Mashav Scholarship in

November 2013. I am sure most of the nurses in Kenya would have loved to be a part of this Emergency

Situation Preparedness Course, held at the International Institute of Leadership in Israel.

When you / think about Israel, the first thing that comes into mind would be the history of the Holy Land, the

Palestinian situation and the related conflict, advanced agriculture and technology….there is so much that comes

to mind and well, I guess this is because ”..we just do not know what to expect…”.

Furthermore, it does not help that the process of trying to

visit the Holy Land is quite a challenge , especially for an

ordinary Kenyan. Starting from the Israeli Embassy in

Nairobi to the Ben Gurion Airport, there is a long process of

interrogation and clarifications on your purpose of travel

begins. Quite some experience - but after all is said and

done, it’s not that bad, as long as you follow simple and strict

instructions. To quote Retired Colonel Kuper– one of the

course facilitators: “Israelis do not say if, they say when…”.

So, why is such a small country so revered. Perhaps because

they have so many enemies surrounding them? Are they a

victim of their own circumstance? A rhetorical question that

has never been really answered, but provided lots of food for

thought and differences of opinions…. Be Prepared for

Anything!

The Arr iva l

MDA Ambulance: Pre-hospital system run by the

Israel Red Cross (Magen David Adom)

Emergency S i tuat ion Preparedness Course -

A Kenyan Nurse ’s Exper ience

The journey started in Nairobi, with a transit flight through Istanbul, and the fear of being interrogated by the

immigration authorities stationed at the boarding gates about the reason of the visit to Israel…First thought

after getting on the plane: ”Phew, got through that….”. On arrival at the Ben Gurion Airport, we were

received by a pleasant female immigration officer - followed by another sigh of relief: “Phew, I managed to

whisk my way through that too….”.

Then looking for the famous book store that was landmarked as the waiting point for the Escort to the

Institute. As usual in a foreign country, one can’t help but panic, especially when the host is not literally standing

there to receive you. As fate would have it, I was in the same predicament as 2 Ghanaians and 1 Ugandan

participant ,hence there was some comfort of ‘ safety in numbers’ and knowing that “at least I’m not the only

one who is lost”. The Escort was delayed for unknown reasons, and we were unable to find out why - there

indeed seemed to be a language barrier...

The drive to the Institute was as silent as a grave, as we all must have been in awe of the

pothole-less highway that took us about 30 minutes to the Training Facility. On arrival at the

reception, there was a beehive of activities. It seemed like a visiting day for some students,

coupled with hugs and the joys of laughter of youthful scholars. The receptionist, also a

student, reminded me of my 16 year old niece; she was very courteous and welcoming!

I need to mention at this point that the average age of the 4 participants I was with at the time

(including myself) was late-thirties to early-forties; so, we were by no means spring chicken!

Some of my fellow participants were befuddled at the concept of sharing rooms: especially the

Ghanaian Doctor, whose facial expression was priceless, after being informed that his

roommate was yet to arrive.! The average transit time through Istanbul had been about six hours - hence,

exhaustion and fatigue was starting to take a toll on our ‘jet-lagged ‘ bodies. Luckily at that point, we did get a

packed meal, and though not exactly gourmet, it was good enough to lure as into a slumber.

Memoirs of Israel

Newsletter Date Volume 1, Issue 1

In the Holy Land

The first day of the course (with 13 days to go) started with the usual ice-breakers and introductions, as we quickly set off to the learning process. Facili-

tated by Gil, a young and energetic , charming, authoritative and dynamic individual, I immediately felt at home. We formed a very assorted group, with

participants from Brazil, Ecuador, India, Vietnam, China, Nepal, Seychelles, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Zanzibar, Cameroun, Ivory Coast and Kenya.

Our name plate settings were arranged in such a way that representatives from different countries and different parts of the world were mixed up as much

as possible, to maximize the aspect of cultural exchange. Besides geographical diversity, a dynamic group of professionals was also represented: Doctors,

Nurses, Fire Marshalls, Police Commissioners, Representatives from various Offices of the President, Members of Parliament, Architects, Secretary General

(Red Cross), just to mention a few. Mr. Kuper, a retired Colonel, took us through the bulk of the sessions, with a wealth of knowledge to offer!

The Learning Process

Within no time, we were all acquainted and set off for an integrated learning experience. The one common factor when it comes to adult learners, is the

ability to share experiences that are unique to careers and personal life. The other advantage that the group had, was that there was at least one partici-

pant from every major continent in the World. At the onset, one could not help to expect a training course with set lesson plans and fixed objectives.

However, my interpretation of this knowledge building process was that I was enabled to learn about the Emergency Situation Preparedness that applies to

Israel, to compare and contrast this with the systems that are in place in my part of the world, and to see how we could share, modify, adopt and ex-

change experiences.

The practical sessions kicked off with a visit to the Aviv Towers – the tallest building in Israel, consisting of residential and

office occupancy. On that occasion, we were privileged to experience an example of International Assistance during

Emergencies – a level of Disaster Preparedness Drill that exposed us to think outside the box. Commonly, most

trainings that I have attended in the past stage-manage drills where the host is providing aid to the victim. In this scenario,

Israel stage-managed a drill whereby, they were the victims in need of humanitarian assistance from other parts of the

world. Interestingly enough, the scenario was based on a Natural Disaster (an Earthquake), and there were 7 globally

represented teams scheduled to conduct Search and Rescue (SAR) Operations, among others from Canada, America.

Japan, Austria, ……...I don't think I can remember the rest of the countries. But the point to note here, especially as a Trainer of Trainers, is that when

staging drills, it is important to reverse roles, rather than to confirm existing roles and conduct the usual host-respondent model.

Furthermore, the training covered the Recognition-Primed Decision Model (RPD) developed by Gary Klein and Klein Associates, a model that assists

in making quick, effective decisions when faced with complex situations. The practice of Resilience Development was explained during a theoretical

session by Horacio Kurland, who also allayed anxiety among participants about the political situation of Israel.

Fourteen days of continuous intensive theory and practicals definitely would have been a rather tiring experience, but luckily, we got a welcome weekend

break on Friday and Saturday, and were given an extensive tour of the country. Places visited were Jerusalem, Nazareth, the Holocaust Museum, Golan

Heights, the Lebanon-Syria-Israel Border, and some of the Malls. Personally, I took a spiritual journey and was re-baptized in the River Jordan. Many thanks

to our tour guide Shaul Lokier, for being so patient with our dynamic group of individuals!!

The next week was an exposure to the Israeli Hospital system, where we met a Dr. Odeda, an Israeli Nurse by profession

and Head of the Emergency Department at the largest referral hospital in Tel-Aviv, the Ichilov General Hospital. This unit

receives approximately 500 patients every 24hrs, and patients are filtered according to surgical and medical cases,. It is very

busy, short of staff, and therefore faces the same challenges the hospitals in Kenya. The resuscitation rooms could also be

compared to some of the high-end private hospitals in Kenya, as far as equipment goes. This experience was followed by a

visit to the Magen David Adom (Star of David) Operations Center, the Israeli Red Cross, which operates a pre-hospital or

National Emergency System that has ambulances for Advanced and Basic Life support, and is similar to the Kenya Red Cross

Emergency Medical Plus Services.

During Mass Casualty Incidents or Disasters, the three key players in Israel are the Federal Government, Local

Municipalities and the first responders. They work hand-in-hand in the Preparedness, Response and Recovery Phases,

even though the different players are involved in different capacities. In each phase This was demonstrated through the

Emergency Systems in Ra’anana Municipality (incidentally, where Gil’s parents reside). The emergency central supplies

are stored in a warehouse and consist of non-food items that can cover emergency

relief for about 100,000 residents.

A visit to the Tel-Hai College exposed us to a concept that has not been explored in the Kenyan setting. Dr. Moshe

Farchi, together with his students, conducted a session to link the importance of Post Traumatic Stress Counseling

with Emergency Situation Preparedness - an excellent example of how to manage the Recovery Phase. A mock

drill was conducted with the participants acting both as the victims and the responders. The exercise was carried out to

emphasize the importance of counseling immediately after incidences, and using different techniques to reassure the

victims. I noted that in Kenya, we generally extend sympathy rather than empathy, as highlighted during the exercise.

Nothing was as exciting as the visit to Siderot, next to the Gaza strip, and the very interesting speech delivered by the Mayor (Alon Shuster), who shared

with us the history and the challenges faced by his town. This was followed by a visit to the Sha’ar Hanegev School, where the education system is initially

based on learning vocational skills (such as tailoring, vehicle mechanics, carpentry, performing arts, etc.), and then a problem-based learning approach. Since

the students have various strengths and weaknesses, the school system capitalizes on student-to-student learning as a way of boosting their morale.

Mashav Alumni

Find us on the

Mashav Website.

Kenyan Chapter

Israel Embassy-Kenya

Valley Road

Tel-

Friends of Mashav

VISITING THE OLD CITY OF JERUSALEM

Siderot, Gaza strip in the horizon.

The Learning Process - Continuation

At this point, it would be prudent

to mention that in the same city of

Siderot, all residents as young as

5yr-olds know how to seek shelter

(within 30 seconds) in the event of

am emergency e.g. a Kasaam

(rudimentary rocket missile)

launched from the Palestine area.

Addressed by school principal

Aaron Shuster, we closed the day

with a sumptuous lunch on the

beautiful school grounds.

It is befitting to express my

personal appreciation to the

following facilitators of the course:

Sergio Gryn, Gil Novick, Yehiel

Kupersetaun, Guy Porat,

Superintendent Ilan Mussli,

Ambassador Ali Yayhya (Key Note

Address), Horacio Kurland, Alon

Shuster, Aaron Rothstein, Shaula

Lokier, Max Goldenberg, Dr.

Moshe Farchi, Dr.Odeda Banin,

Moshe Fishman, Chaim Rafalovsky

and Kobi Wimisberg.

The graduation of the course was

marked by a colorful ceremony,

where diplomats working in Israel

represented the different countries

attending. Prior to this, the

participants showed solidarity and

bid farewell to the Cameroonian

participant who unfortunately had

to leave before the official

graduation day. The group

prepared a sizzling barbeque grill

meal together, and coincidentally,

the Nepalese participant was

celebrating his thirtieth birthday!

Departure and

Synopsis

One could not help but realize

that this was a very emotionally

draining day. Watching the

participants leave one after the

other (”taxi is here for Uganda and

Vietnam”; then an hour later “ taxi

for Nigeria and Brazil”, while some

participants left silently in the

night), it was quite an anti-climax.

Finally, my taxi came coupled with

the Nepalese participant .

A quick good bye and hugs to

Sergio and Gil left us with tears

balancing at the brim of our eyes -

for me it was almost too much to

handle, because then I realized that

I had a family, an Israeli family.

I would not have expected that

leaving Israel was even harder then

coming in. We were again looking

at thorough and vigorous security

checks, and lots of things to be

clarified. For instance, I had my old

dilapidated suitcase scrutinized,

backed up with questions on the

date when I purchased it (1990’s).

Lucky, I remembered that Gil had

provided each participant with a

letter to present to the security

officers, and indeed this gladly

dampened any suspicions.

A bite to eat and a ‘long’ wait to

board the plane, and here I was off

again to my home, my motherland,

my Africa.

What do I say, but to deeply thank

Mashav for the opportunity to

learn, share, explore, marvel,

sympathize, emphasize, question

and challenge the emergency

situation preparedness of the Ste

of Israel.

So I have vowed to carry with me

all the knowledge that I acquired

during this trip, with the aim to

improve the existing emergency

preparedness systems in Kenya,

and if possible, even try and

develop new ones.

I know that I will be back in Israel

one day, and this time I assure you,

my friends, that I will have a

different story to tell.

Shalom!

For more details on

this article, please

contact:

Ivy Muya

+254 722 806246 (Kenya)

+252 907 312093

(Somalia).

Email:

muya.ivy@gmail.com

BBQ-TIME….