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Tefi Randriamarolo, Logistician-administrator in Mauritania

Published on Friday 24 October 2014
Tefi Randriamarolo

What was your first impression when you arrived?

When I got there, I was happy and at the same time I was trying to get my head around the size of the challenge ahead. There was a lot of work to do and I said to myself that even if it is a big challenge since it was my first experience, I was determined to see it through.

In fact, I had only seen refugee camps in the news and when I got there, I was pretty choked seeing people’s living conditions. But at the same time it gave me courage, because these were the people who would benefit from our work.

How were people in the camp, especially health-wise?

Outwardly everyone was relaxed, they were walking around, children were playing, they queued at the few water points installed at that time. In other words, they were trying to live in the primitive camp conditions.

With your team, what were your first tasks?

Our first tasks were to install bladders to be used as water reservoirs so that people could draw water for their needs. These bladders were supplied by water tankers which went from bladder to bladder. These tankers took water from a borehole around 4 km from the outskirts of the camp.

How many people were there at that time?

There were between 15,000 and 20,000 refugees when we started our activities.

Were you able to meet everyone’s water needs?

That is an important issue because the actual number of refugees is not known (it was a UNHCR estimate). However, in April we estimated 10 litres/person/day whereas the daily minimum is set at 15. For your information, in March, we were between 8 and 9 litres/person/day

Do you work with other NGOs?

In the beginning, for water and sanitation, there were only SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL and MSF Belgium, then at the end of April INTERMON OXFAM arrived. CICR and the Mauritanian Red Crescent also participated in the WASH program.

Did you work independently or in collaboration?

A coordination meeting is held twice a week to organise activities between the NGOs, and a special coordination meeting for those working in WASH is held once a week. We collaborate and work together.

Where are you now in your activities? Do you only do WASH?

In all, SI has installed 33 bladders and in June we managed a fleet of 9 water tankers that drew water from 2 boreholes. At the moment, we are installing a mini water main to supply directly 16 bladders and thus reduce the tanker fleet. In fact, there are only 6 tankers left at the moment since the water main has been running since the end of June. We are happy that this project is up and running, but there are still many challenges.

Which challenges?

Living in Bassikounou (BSK) is a challenge! First, there is the distance (1,295 km from Nouakchott): 200 kms (4 1/2 hrs) from the closest airport.

Second, another important issue in Bassikounou is security. The town is very close to the Malian border.

In general the climate is hard, especially the heat; usually the temperature rises over 50°C before the rainy season. And with the rain at the moment, all the tracks have become stagnant pools.

Does this create hygiene problems? Is there a risk of cholera?

Cholera: for the moment at BSK, I have not heard of any but there is always the risk.

Hygiene problems: yes because the stench of the foul water makes you feel nauseous.

When will your activities finish?

For BSK there were 3 projects: one finished in May, the second will finish in August and the last in September, but the coordinators and the desk are currently negotiating extensions because needs still exist. The refugees are still there, they have not yet gone home.

We plan to stay in this area but the mission also has plans for a for food security program in another region of Mauritania.

How many refugees are there at the moment?

At the moment, UNHCR estimates that there are 96,751 people in the camp.

Are refugees still arriving?

If I go on the UNHCR estimation, there was still an influx last week, since there were 90,919 people, meaning around 5,800 new arrivals in one week (according to UNHCR).

So in the end, there are more needs today than at the start of your aid operation?

Theoretically, there are more needs and more people today than at the beginning. There has been no research to confirm it but it is our evaluation.

Are there enough latrines, etc.?

As for latrines, we are around 1,200. 1,116 latrines to be exact!

And you, what is your day like?

I look after logistics: all the purchasing, capital equipment. I also take care of all the capital items (vehicles, IT and property).

On the administration side, I am responsible for the budget, finances and treasury, accounting and HR.

I also look after relations with the other NGOs and local authorities.

Is managing the budget and HR a little difficult in this context?

The main difficultly is the budget since there is no bank here, everything has to be transferred from Nouakchott, so we must plan ahead for all our financial needs.

How do you find life here?

It is not easy. The work itself is not difficult but it is mainly the adjustments and sacrifices that you have to make that make the mission more difficult. However, it is a very rewarding professional and personal experience. It is good to start with a “difficult” mission because then everything seems easier in comparison!