Training local staff in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in times of Covid

Interview with Henrico Kroek (Trainer CSD)

Henrico, you recently spent time in Africa, training local French-speaking staff at a government agency. Quite remarkable, certainly in these COVID times. Have you often provided training abroad for CSD?

Absolutely, though my most recent trip was the first one in 18 months. The training we provide abroad is mostly for humanitarian organisations and various government agencies. I provide training around the world, and this journey took me to Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

What safety precautions did you take for this trip?

The safety and security situations in the countries I visited are quite serious, and the situation is incredibly complex and sometimes very unsettled. Apart from being a trainer, I am also a Security Advisor. My CSD colleagues and I prepared a safety plan for this trip in advance.

Also, I always advise that a local safety briefing be held. Luckily, this on-site briefing was quite good, so I was up to date with the latest changes, also regarding the local perspective. A local employee did their very best to give me all the information that I needed. It left me with a positive feeling.

For example, we deviated from the safety plan once, as suggested by a local employee. Due to the unrest at the time, we chose a different means of transport. We immediately communicated this change of plans internally and to the client, so that everyone was kept in the loop.

Did you feel unsafe at any time during this trip?

No, not once. That said, local traffic is a risk and you cannot really prepare for that.

We are dealing with a global pandemic at the moment. Certainly, travel is not possible right now?

It is not impossible but requires quite a lot of effort. All countries have their own, different requirements, for instance.

In general, for every leg of the journey, I had to prove that I do not have COVID. This happened by way of PCR tests, they took my temperature several times and I had to complete declarations about my health. These checks are additional to the general checks at the airport. Of course, (surgical) masks must be worn and other basic measures are also applicable.

How did you integrate the knowledge of the local people into the training programme?

We obtained information from the participants beforehand, by way of a questionnaire. What do you consider to be important? What do you consider to be risks in your country? What have you experienced and what would you like to learn in this training? For CSD, this was our starting point.

The local staff often have hefty experiences to share. During our training programmes, we teach the local staff how to assess a situation more objectively, using a personal risk profile. We often discuss past experiences in this context. How did you deal with a situation in the past, and how can you, in the future, make use of tools so that you can then look back on the situation with a better, safer feeling?

What are the challenges in training local staff?

We provided the training in French, and, luckily, my French is good. The different dialects can pose a challenge when you are not familiar with a local dialect.

Also, it is important to take local practices into account in your training schedule. For example, remember that some participants might want to pray at specific times. Discuss this and state that such is possible beforehand.

We are glad that you made it back to the Netherlands safe and sound. Did it take some getting used to?

The temperature difference between Africa and the Netherlands was 50 degrees. At the time, it was -1 in the Netherlands. So, that took some getting used to.

I am incredibly thankful that I was allowed to train these participants and for the opportunity to go on this journey.