Life on the Front Line: World-Leading Humanitarian Emery Brusset on the Hidden Truths Behind Global Aid #130
The world is at war, and while we’re sat at home comfortably wishing it better, Emery Brusset is making a genuine difference.
Since 1991, Emery has been pivotal to bringing life-saving aid to Iraq, Rwanda, Ukraine and Libya, and he’s perfectly placed to explore the human reality of conflict.
Courage and clarity are at the heart of this episode of Extrology - explore what we gain when we stop reducing people to spreadsheets, and build a better picture of our world…
Lee and Emery discuss:
How traditional humanitarian aid often misses the mark
The limitations of bureaucratic reporting and the power of visual storytelling
Why soft power in international aid is more complex than governments claim
Emery’s ‘Letter C’ initiative, aiming to transform how we understand and deliver humanitarian support
Links & references
Emery Brusset:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/emery-brusset-3526781/
Letter C:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/letter-c-cordee/
Extrology:
https://www.instagram.com/extrologypodcast/
https://www.tiktok.com/@extrology
https://substack.com/@extrology
https://www.youtube.com/@extrology
Lee Cooper:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/leecooperrecruiter/
Get in touch: lee@extrology.com
Episode highlights:
“I've always felt that being on the side, helping people understand, helping them reflect about the consequences of what they do, that was what I was really best at.” - 6:35 - Emery Brusset
“I think anybody who's been in conflict knows that there's no completely pure feeling. You're always torn. You're always thinking about the people left behind. You're always thinking you were lucky and did you deserve it.” - 7:45 - Emery Brusset
“We need to be fair to these organisations that deploy people in difficult circumstances. I was recently in Somalia, and I witnessed people posted there that receive mortar shells more often than not, and they really are risking their lives.” - 10:05 - Emery Brusset
“Working on these reports is sometimes soul destroying, because we spend so much time finding information, interviewing people, visiting communities, even risking the team's lives, and then we get back, we send a report, and then the door closes because they're using it internally for their own politics.” - 25:25 - Emery Brusset
“There's a fundamental integrity to human beings, and encouraging that integrity is going to make the world a better place.” - 41:35 - Emery Brusset
“The cordée is a French word for people who are tied by a rope as they go up the mountain. The challenges are there. They're there for us to overcome, and I do think we can, and we can do it by acting with that spirit of cooperation.” - 43:25 - Emery Brusset
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