He remembers: “I needed a job and an opportunity to do something other than looking on helplessly as my country cried out for help. The ICRC offered just such an opportunity. I started working at the tracing department in charge of locating missing persons and re-establishing contacts between detainees and their families through Red Cross messages.

Barely five months into the job, I had my first encounter with the dangers that lie in wait for humanitarian workers. Sadly, it was not my last. I was on a bus with colleagues heading to the office when the sound of a big explosion ripped through the air. I saw a massive cloud of black smoke rising towards the sky and was sure we had been hit.

We continued driving until throngs of people pouring out onto the roads made driving impossible. We continued on foot and the closer we got to the office, the harder the reality struck me. I just wanted to make sure my colleagues were alright. I got there and all I remember is screaming in disbelief. There was destruction everywhere and fire engines and ambulances were rushing to the scene.

Suddenly I realized that my parents had not heard from me and might be going crazy with worry. We had no mobile phones at the time. But I had to stay with my colleagues and salvage whatever we could.

The delegation was immediately relocated to another part of Baghdad and work continued. I worked from home for two days. Back at the office things had changed. We had lost two of our colleagues and several were injured, but no one wanted to talk about it. We started coming to the office earlier and leaving later to avoid rush hours. On several occasions, I narrowly escaped roadside explosions.

Each morning we tried to dodge danger, taking a different route to work every day. Often, some colleagues were unable to reach the office. The thought of staying away from work never crossed my mind, yet having to leave my parents alone at home caused me a great deal of anxiety.

After my father died I feared for my mother’s safety in Baghdad. We left for Jordan in 2005 and I started working with the ICRC's office in Amman. I have nothing but envy and respect for my colleagues still working in Baghdad, for their unwavering will”.

Jacqueline Jacqueline

Sally Sally