Intercross: The Podcast

Intercross: The Podcast

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Intercross: The Podcast episodes

  • Lessons from Ebola: COVID, Conflict & the Democratic Republic of Congo

    This year marks the 60th birthday of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. For the last 25+ years, the country has been embroiled in conflict due to the massive refugee crisis and spillover from the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. The armed conflict and violence in the DRC has affected thousands of families and created a deteriorating humanitarian situation. Brutal clashes between groups has had very serious consequences for people: many have been killed, wounded, or traumatized, villages have been burned and fields destroyed and there has been massive population displacement. In addition to conflict, DRC has had to deal with pandemics, and not just COVID. In June, the country declared its eleventh Ebola outbreak since records began, following the revelation of new cases of Ebola in the northeast. This occurred less than two years since the last outbreak of the disease ended there. That outbreak ended up being the worst ever documented in DRC and the second-largest Ebola outbreak recorded anywhere. Of course, all of this is compounded by the realities of fighting an epidemic in a conflict zone. In this episode of the podcast, we speak with Alexandru Cretu, the ICRC Hospital Project Manager in Goma. We talk about the challenges of trying to save lives in the midst of conflict, how ICRC is working in the DRC, and lessons learned from dealing with Ebola that can be applied to COVID.

    37 min
  • Lessons from Ebola: COVID, Conflict & the Democratic Republic of Congo
    This year marks the 60th birthday of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. For the last 25+ years, the country has been embroiled in conflict due to the massive refugee crisis and spillover from the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. The armed conflict and violence in the DRC has affected thousands of families and created a deteriorating humanitarian situation. Brutal clashes between groups has had very serious consequences for people: many have been killed, wounded, or traumatized, villages have been burned and fields destroyed and there has been massive population displacement.
    In addition to conflict, DRC has had to deal with pandemics, and not just COVID. In June, the country declared its eleventh Ebola outbreak since records began, following the revelation of new cases of Ebola in the northeast. This occurred less than two years since the last outbreak of the disease ended there. That outbreak ended up being the worst ever documented in DRC and the second-largest Ebola outbreak recorded anywhere. Of course, all of this is compounded by the realities of fighting an epidemic in a conflict zone.
    In this episode of the podcast, we speak with Alexandru Cretu, the ICRC Hospital Project Manager in Goma. We talk about the challenges of trying to save lives in the midst of conflict, how ICRC is working in the DRC, and lessons learned from dealing with Ebola that can be applied to COVID.
    37 min
  • Covid-19, Displacement & Armed Conflict: Adapting to a Compounded Crisis
    In conflict and post-conflict contexts, access to assistance and protection is constantly contested, particularly for vulnerable populations such as the internally displaced. With the additional challenge of COVID19, this access is even more complicated, challenging the ability of humanitarian actors and creating second effects for those fleeing. In this episode of the podcast, a follow-up conversation from a recent Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and ICRC webinar, we are joined by NRC's Central and West Africa Regional Director Maureen Magee and ICRC's Global Advisor on Internal Displacement Angela Cotroneo. We discuss the interplay between COVID19 and armed conflicts and the resulting double crisis, how humanitarian organizations are adapting to ensure they can continue to reach IDPs and durable solutions going forward. Hosted by Austin Shangraw.
    42 min
  • Covid-19, Displacement & Armed Conflict: Adapting to a Compounded Crisis
    In conflict and post-conflict contexts, access to assistance and protection is constantly contested, particularly for vulnerable populations such as the internally displaced. With the additional challenge of COVID19, this access is even more complicated, challenging the ability of humanitarian actors and creating second effects for those fleeing. In this episode of the podcast, a follow-up conversation from a recent Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and ICRC webinar, we are joined by NRC’s Central and West Africa Regional Director Maureen Magee and ICRC’s Global Advisor on Internal Displacement Angela Cotroneo. We discuss the interplay between COVID19 and armed conflicts and the resulting double crisis, how humanitarian organizations are adapting to ensure they can continue to reach IDPs and durable solutions going forward. Hosted by Austin Shangraw.
    42 min
  • Conflict Dynamics, Climate Change and Diplomacy in Mali
    Mali sits in the middle of West Africa, with most of the country situated within in the Sahel desert. It is a key operation for the ICRC, where we've worked since 1982 and held a delegation since 2013—falling typically within the top 15 largest global operations budget-wise, and top 5 in Africa. Since 2012, the country has experienced escalated conflict and a resulting dire humanitarian situation. In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Jean Nicolas Marti, the outgoing head of delegation in Mali and Judith Oputu, ICRC's Diplomatic Advisor for Africa. We speak about the continuing instability, conflict dynamics, and operational impacts as well as diplomatic interventions and why the situation continues to deteriorate despite efforts. We also discuss the implications of a global pandemic on an already precarious situation and COVID19 policy efforts in country as well as the exacerbating effects of climate change in the Sahel, and the policy work and conversations trying to mitigate the results. Hosted by Trevor Keck.
    36 min
  • Conflict Dynamics, Climate Change and Diplomacy in Mali
    Mali sits in the middle of West Africa, with most of the country situated within in the Sahel desert. It is a key operation for the ICRC, where we’ve worked since 1982 and held a delegation since 2013—falling typically within the top 15 largest global operations budget-wise, and top 5 in Africa. Since 2012, the country has experienced escalated conflict and a resulting dire humanitarian situation.
    In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Jean Nicolas Marti, the outgoing head of delegation in Mali and Judith Oputu, ICRC’s Diplomatic Advisor for Africa. We speak about the continuing instability, conflict dynamics, and operational impacts as well as diplomatic interventions and why the situation continues to deteriorate despite efforts. We also discuss the implications of a global pandemic on an already precarious situation and COVID19 policy efforts in country as well as the exacerbating effects of climate change in the Sahel, and the policy work and conversations trying to mitigate the results. Hosted by Trevor Keck.
    36 min
  • 100th Episode: Serving on the Surgical Frontlines of Syria
    To say that COVID19 has had global reaching impacts is an understatement. But for those living in Syria, the pandemic reaches the country at a time when ten years of destructive conflict has led to mass population displacement, and a once strong health system is in a precarious state. Half of all health facilities are now out of service or partially functioning. The country has experienced an economic decline as a consequence of the conflict, sanctions, and a regional downturn generating further hardship for many vulnerable Syrians. On this, our 100th episode of the Podcast, we are joined by Issa Ahmed Dahir, the hospital project manager at the Al Hol camp. The camp, in the North East of Syria, currently holds around 65,000 people, the majority of whom are children and women. We discuss the challenges facing Syria's health systems in the time of COVID, what it's like not only serving on the surgical frontlines in one of the world's most dire situations but to also lead a team of 200+ others in such a situation, and the human stories behind the headlines. Hosted by Niki Clark.
    22 min
  • 100th Episode: Serving on the Surgical Frontlines of Syria
    To say that COVID19 has had global reaching impacts is an understatement. But for those living in Syria, the pandemic reaches the country at a time when ten years of destructive conflict has led to mass population displacement, and a once strong health system is in a precarious state. Half of all health facilities are now out of service or partially functioning. The country has experienced an economic decline as a consequence of the conflict, sanctions, and a regional downturn generating further hardship for many vulnerable Syrians.
    On this, our 100th episode of the Podcast, we are joined by Issa Ahmed Dahir, the hospital project manager at the Al Hol camp. The camp, in the North East of Syria, currently holds around 65,000 people, the majority of whom are children and women. We discuss the challenges facing Syria’s health systems in the time of COVID, what it’s like not only serving on the surgical frontlines in one of the world’s most dire situations but to also lead a team of 200+ others in such a situation, and the human stories behind the headlines. Hosted by Niki Clark.
    22 min
  • Conflict, COVID & Infrastructure: The Impact on Water
    Each year, armed conflict disrupts millions of lives. It also disrupts the infrastructure that makes daily life possible, such as damage to water supplies. The protracted conflict in Libya, now going on 9+ years, has made clean water a luxury for many. Close to 70 % of the Libyan population depends on the Man Made River, a gigantic water supply pipeline that draws water from the aquifers in the south of the country and brings it up north. Even before the added complexity of COVID, the tasks at hand were enormous, and the resources, shrinking. In this episode of the podcast, we have Hamza Oun, a water and sanitation engineer with the ICRC in Tripoli, Libya. Hamza is part of the ICRC field team responding to the Covid-19 pandemic in Libya, leading disinfection campaigns for Internal Displaced Persons shelters. We discuss the current situation, the additional challenge a global pandemic has created, and how there is hope in Hamza's new Chlorine app, which allows people to take matters into their own hands. We also have a short audio diary from Mya Mya Soe, a water engineer in Myanmar, who shares about the water challenges in her own country. Hosted by Niki Clark.
    30 min
  • Conflict, COVID & Infrastructure: The Impact on Water
    Each year, armed conflict disrupts millions of lives. It also disrupts the infrastructure that makes daily life possible, such as damage to water supplies. The protracted conflict in Libya, now going on 9+ years, has made clean water a luxury for many. Close to 70 % of the Libyan population depends on the Man Made River, a gigantic water supply pipeline that draws water from the aquifers in the south of the country and brings it up north. Even before the added complexity of COVID, the tasks at hand were enormous, and the resources, shrinking.
    In this episode of the podcast, we have Hamza Oun, a water and sanitation engineer with the ICRC in Tripoli, Libya. Hamza is part of the ICRC field team responding to the Covid-19 pandemic in Libya, leading disinfection campaigns for Internal Displaced Persons shelters. We discuss the current situation, the additional challenge a global pandemic has created, and how there is hope in Hamza’s new Chlorine app, which allows people to take matters into their own hands. We also have a short audio diary from Mya Mya Soe, a water engineer in Myanmar, who shares about the water challenges in her own country. Hosted by Niki Clark.
    30 min

About Intercross: The Podcast

From the publisher's feed

The official podcast of the International Committee of the Red Cross out of the delegation in the US & Canada. We aim to delve into the rules of war and take you to the frontlines of some of the most inaccessible conflicts in the world, where the ICRC and the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement work to neutrally and independently respond to emergencies.