One year ago, from the taping of this episode, our world’s were rocked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  The markets dropped and inflation spiked, yes it has hurt our wallets and portfolios, but what it’s done to the lives of the people on the ground of this senseless war is heart-wrenching.

In this episode I talk with a great humanitarian. Violaine Des Rosiers has been working to make this world a better place all of her adult life.  The list is long, but she has worked with various humanitarian organizations in Latin America & the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and the Middle East, as well as with the International Bureau for Children's Rights.

She has also been the head of one of Canada's largest private foundations. In 2018, Violaine received the Marcel Côté Award from the Public Policy Forum of Canada, which recognizes the contribution of Quebec leaders who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in the field of public policy and civic discourse.

Now, Violaine Des Rosiers is head of the Red Cross operations in Ukraine and that’s where I reached her today.

I’m joined in this interview by my podcast producer; Nicholas Saranczuk, who is of Ukrainian descent.

• A look at how Violaine ended up in Ukraine. [03:04]
• What a day looks like while working for the Red Cross. [05:36]
• How Violaine became interested in humanitarian work. [13:04]
• How she preserves her mental resilience while on the job. [16:22]
• What brings her a sense of fulfillment in her work. [20:12]
• Once the war is over, what will her work look like going forward. [26:24]
• How listeners can help the people of Ukraine. [29:07]

Thank you for listening

You can help support the Red Cross operations in Ukraine by donating to our special “Love not war initiate”, organized through my private foundation which will be matching all donations throughout the month of March.  Details are on my website: www.maryhagerman.ca

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