Siberia Delegate Overcomes Harsh Conditions to Help Regional Red Cross

Written by Stephanie Kriner, Staff Writer

February 23, 2001 — Siberia may boast the harshest conditions of any American Red Cross assignment abroad. Yet, when veteran delegate Jennifer Sparnicht received the offer to work there, she did not hesitate to accept. After 10 years in Africa, working on various assignments for the Peace Corps, World Food Program, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the American Red Cross, Sparnicht was ready for the change.

"In Africa, I was always in extremely dangerous war postings. I was tired of having to negotiate with an armed 15-year-old to cross the road. I wanted a post in a peaceful country," says Sparnicht who was evacuated four times due to emergencies. "I also wanted to concentrate on long-term development work without having to fear the place where I lived."

Compared to war, Siberia's frigid temperatures posed no barriers for Sparnicht, who simply bundles along with locals in her dublanka (winter coat), leather hat and fur-lined boots. "When I received the offer, my first thought was I am in tropical temperatures here. I'll be in negative 36 degrees there," Sparnicht admits. "My second thought was that I'm going to have to learn to speak Russian because I like to be able to talk directly to the people I'm helping."

Sparnicht was more interested in the opportunity to learn about a new country than in fretting over the weather. "I was excited to learn about Russia, which had been portrayed as such a secretive place and had such negative propaganda in the United States. I've learned that Russians are some of the most sensitive people I've ever met."

The former food logistician also was excited to take on a new role in Russia, where she is helping the regional Eastern Siberia Red Cross develop into a stronger disaster relief organization. "I am an advisor," she explained. "I talk a lot. I do a lot of training, public speaking and visiting." Through her work, Sparnicht hopes to help the Eastern Siberia Red Cross develop its abilities to recruit volunteers, collect donations and respond to disasters.

She already has seen her work making a difference. "In Africa, it was always an emergency -- people running from a country where their lives were threatened in need of immediate food, health services and shelter. Here, our food has actually prevented a major crisis from happening," she says.

Still, Sparnicht says, it will take some time before Eastern Siberia recovers from the 1998 economic crisis that brought the American Red Cross to its assistance. "For the people we're helping, the pensions are improving, but there's still not enough money to put them above the poverty line."

"I think that with only a small amount of guidance the Red Cross here will do an awful lot. It's easy to train people here. They like to learn," Sparnicht says. "Everybody has a positive outlook for things improving."