L to R: International Tracing Specialist volunteer Francoise Max; International Tracing Specialist volunteer Judy Stieglitz;, Sr. National Coordinator, Restoring Family Links Gayathiry Balakvishnan; Client Services Sr. Coordinator Lisa Ghali; Restoring Family Links Emergency Response Coordinator Umi Alfiyah (Alfie); International Tracing Specialist volunteer Anette Due Rosenzweig; and Senior Field Operations Supervisor John Cruz. (Photo: Anita Salzberg)

Representatives at the Red Cross Societies of Sri Lanka and Indonesia spent four days at Chapter Headquarters in Manhattan the week of November 26, following an almost eight-week-long internship at ARC National Headquarters in Washington, D.C.. They were in Washington and New York to observe the operations of the National Society's Restoring Family Links (RFL) and ARC/GNY's RFL program. RFL helps people separated by conflict or disaster to find information about their loved ones in order to restore contact.

At ARC/GNY Umi Alfiyah (Alfie), Emergency Response Coordinator in Restoring Family Links at the Indonesian Red Cross, and Gayathiry Balakvishnan, Senior National Coordinator, Tracing, Sri Lanka Red Cross Society, learned about the Chapter’s RFL services, including casework and outreach, service structure, and volunteer participation. They also were briefed on Disaster Action Teams, family services casework intervention, Disaster Mental Health intervention, and volunteer recruitment, and went on a ride-along to a disaster response with Chapter relief workers.

Terry Danzig, Director, Client Services Disaster Planning & Response, declared, "This was a wonderful opportunity for information sharing and learning from our international Red Cross partners.”