Blandouet-Saint-Jean, Mayenne, France, attracted some 30 trainees for training in humanitarian action. Instructors include Veoliaforce volunteers who have already left on a mission, representatives of humanitarian organizations and permanent experts from the Foundation.
For Cécilia, Théo, Julie, Ludwig, Mara and Steve, the Aquaforce 2000 holds no secrets. For three days at the end of June, they learned how to deploy this mobile water treatment unit, producing drinking water for 2,000 people in just a few hours. This was just one aspect of the humanitarian intervention training organized each year by the Veolia Foundation to get its Veoliaforce volunteers up and running.
On the program: assembly and disassembly of the Aquaforce 2,000 and 15,000, familiarization with water chemistry, construction of latrines and discovery of the humanitarian sector. A number of Veolia representatives were on hand to give examples of their activities. The French Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières explained their internal processes and described how they work with Veoliaforce volunteers.
Safety during missions and interpersonal skills in an international and humanitarian context were also the subject of dedicated sessions.
Feedback from volunteers who have already left on a mission enabled trainees to project themselves into future mobilizations. See you in the field!