AHA Centre - The ColumnAHA Centre - The Column

  • HOME
  • VOL 85
  • VOL 84
  • VOL 83
  • VOL 82
  • VOL 81
  • VOL 80
  • VOL 79
  • VOL 78
  • VOL 77
  • VOL 76
  • VOL 75
  • VOL 74
  • VOL 73
  • VOL 72
  • VOL 71
  • VOL 70
  • VOL 69
  • VOL 68
  • VOL 67
  • VOL 66
  • VOL 65
  • VOL 64
  • VOL 63
  • VOL 62
  • VOL 61
  • VOL 60
  • VOL 59
  • VOL 58
  • VOL 57
  • VOL 56
  • VOL 55
  • VOL 54
  • VOL 53
  • VOL 52
  • VOL 51
  • VOL 50
  • VOL 49
  • VOL 48
  • VOL 47
  • VOL 46
  • VOL 45
  • VOL 44
  • VOL 43
  • VOL 42
  • VOL 41
  • VOL 40
  • VOL 39
  • VOL 38
  • VOL 37
  • VOL 36

Vol 36-Gaynor Tanyang

Monday, 06 August 2018 by AHA Centre

Gaynor Tanyang
Managing Director, Lumina Ventures
ASEAN-ERAT Member from the Philippines

Gaynor’s path into the disaster management field, and direct engagement as an ASEAN ERAT member was formed through more than ten years of work in the development sector. Her first experience directly with disaster management in the ASEAN context came when she joined Oxfam on a programme being implemented within the AADMER partnership. She tells the AHA Centre, “I was just volunteering with a local organisation, when a contact recommended I apply for the role”.

Having gained some disaster-related experience in her time undertaking gender audits of disaster responses, Gaynor first heard of the AHA Centre through Oxfam’s support to the ASEAN Secretariat developing this new disaster management institution in 2011. She then acted as an observer of the 2013 ASEAN-ERAT training course, managing the simulation exercises, before strengthening her involvement by undertaking the role of facilitator during a 2014 ASEAN-ERAT refresher training. It is this training element that forms a large part of Gaynor’s passion for the work. “Most of my work with NGOs involved training, so that is what I really enjoy most” she states.

As an ASEAN-ERAT member, Gaynor has experienced one deployment. It was this deployment, however, that influenced significant change in the landscape and format of the ASEAN-ERAT course. The deployment was to her home nation of the Philippines, and the assignment was as an initial responder to the devastating Typhoon Haiyan that struck Tacloban in late 2013. Gaynor’s arrival into the affected area was an experience that would stay with her. “Usually, even after a disaster, there are still markets, and people are still going about their lives – but Haiyan was different.

Everything was destroyed. There were no markets, no shops open – no-one cared about your money” she recalls. “When we arrived in Tacloban, our only water was a half-bottle left over from our lunch”.

“AT THAT TIME, WE WERE NOT FULLY PREPARED, AND THIS PREPAREDNESS IS A KEY LESSON WE LEARNED FROM HAIYAN.” GAYNOR ADMITS. “TRAINING CAN HELP YOU PREPARE TO SOME DEGREE, BUT HAIYAN WAS JUST SO DIFFERENT. THE DEVASTATION WAS SO MASSIVE. ALL ASPECTS OF LOGISTICS WERE EXTREMELY CHALLENGING.”

Local knowledge and connections formed key elements of Gaynor’s and the other ASEAN-ERAT members’ ability to gain access to the disaster zone. Without their local Filipino contacts, gaining vehicles and transportation would have been almost impossible. This stands as one of Gaynor’s tips to first responders – “take advantage of local connections and personal contacts”.

The lessons learned from the Haiyan response have guided the AHA Centre during its more recent development, and Gaynor played a central role in the development of these lessons and the recommendations that followed. “After my experience in Haiyan, I realised that the ERAT course needed some changes” she recalls. Her input was accomodated when the AHA Centre expands the roles of ASEAN-ERAT, from assessment towards responses, including pre-deployment preparation. Regarding this preparedness, Gaynor’s primary tip to responders is to “expect the worse – take a bare minimum of items to survive in trying conditions and always carry a strong sense of purpose.”

Written by : William Shea | Photo : AHA Centre

BACK
ASEAN-ERATPhilippinesTyphoon Haiyan
Read more
  • Published in The Other Side
No Comments

Recent Posts

  • Vol 86 – BUILDING LEADERSHIP SKILLS IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT: AN ACE LEDMP EXECUTIVE LEVEL JOURNEY

    ...
  • Vol 86 – ENHANCING DISASTER MANAGEMENT CAPACITY THROUGH STRATEGIC FORESIGHT AND PLANNING

    ...
  • Vol 86 – ENHANCING THE CAPACITY OF AHA CENTRE STAFF THROUGH THE FIRST AID AND SAFETY TRAINING PROGRAMME

    ...
  • Vol 86 – BUILDING A RESILIENT FUTURE: THE AHA CENTRE FORGES NEW PARTNERSHIPS WITH ADRC AND JICA

    ...
  • Vol 86 – ASEAN WORKSHOP ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CAPACITY BUILDING ROADMAP ON DISASTER MANAGEMENT

    ...

Recent Comments

    Archives

    • February 2024
    • January 2024
    • November 2023
    • October 2023
    • September 2023
    • December 2022
    • March 2022
    • January 2022
    • December 2021
    • November 2021
    • October 2021
    • September 2021
    • August 2021
    • July 2021
    • June 2021
    • April 2021
    • March 2021
    • January 2021
    • December 2020
    • November 2020
    • October 2020
    • May 2020
    • April 2020
    • March 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • July 2019
    • May 2019
    • March 2019
    • February 2019
    • January 2019
    • December 2018
    • November 2018
    • September 2018
    • August 2018
    • July 2018

    Categories

    • AHA Centre Diary 1
    • AHA Centre Diary 2
    • AHA Centre Diary 3
    • AHA Centre Diary 3
    • Highlight
    • Insight
    • Insight
    • Monthly Disaster Outlook
    • Partnership
    • The Other Side

    Meta

    • Log in
    • Entries feed
    • Comments feed
    • WordPress.org

    Featured Posts

    • Vol 86 – BUILDING LEADERSHIP SKILLS IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT: AN ACE LEDMP EXECUTIVE LEVEL JOURNEY

      0 comments
    • Vol 86 – ENHANCING DISASTER MANAGEMENT CAPACITY THROUGH STRATEGIC FORESIGHT AND PLANNING

      0 comments
    • Vol 86 – ENHANCING THE CAPACITY OF AHA CENTRE STAFF THROUGH THE FIRST AID AND SAFETY TRAINING PROGRAMME

      0 comments
    • Vol 86 – BUILDING A RESILIENT FUTURE: THE AHA CENTRE FORGES NEW PARTNERSHIPS WITH ADRC AND JICA

      0 comments
    • Vol 86 – ASEAN WORKSHOP ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CAPACITY BUILDING ROADMAP ON DISASTER MANAGEMENT

      0 comments

    ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management

    TOP