Typhoon Haiyan Response

Morning friends!

I had a craaaazy busy day at work yesterday - as you may know, I work at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (D-FAT-D, for short) in the humanitarian assistance unit, which is the primary group that programs Canada's assistance for natural disasters and complex emergencies (e.g. Syria). 

After Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines, a few people from my unit have been working non-stop to organize our response and unfortunately did not get the chance to enjoy their long weekend...although obviously for a good cause. I was pulled into an urgent meeting about 5 minutes after arriving at work yesterday morning and did not stop until the lights went out. Literally. Our building has started an energy-saving initiative where the lights automatically turn off at a certain time. I took that as my cue to go home ;)

Note: if you are thinking of donating to the response to the typhoon, the Government of Canada currently has a matching fund until December 9th. Essentially, it means that if you donate to a registered Canadian charity, the Government will match that amount and set it aside in another pot of money which will then be used to program even more assistance for typhoon-affected people. I would recommend any of the following organizations:

• Canadian Red Cross Society, which has extensive relationships with local organizations on the ground and can typically access hard-to-reach vulnerable populations; 
• Humanitarian Coalition, which is a group of Canadian NGOs that are experienced in humanitarian responses;
• UNICEF, which provides emergency nutrition and child protection services - super important in an emergency context; and,
• World Food Programme (WFP), which is the largest humanitarian organization and has the logistical capacity to deliver food assistance quickly and efficiently (this isn't a Canadian organization, so it won't apply to the matching funds, but it is effective nonetheless)

[Disclaimer - I don't work for any of these organizations, but if you choose to donate to another organization, I encourage you to look into their capacity to deliver assistance in humanitarian emergencies before funding to them. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions :)]

Workout

Since I didn't get the chance to go for a run at lunch today - I barely had time to eat lunch - I decided to bundle up and go for a run when I got home. It's always hard to get up the energy to go for a run when it is cold and dark outside, but I was feeling a bit lethargic after a long day and knew it would perk me up to go outside for a run. 

I'm glad I did!

Although, I have to admit...it was pretty darn cold out there. It took a bit to warm up, but once I got in my groove it was smooth sailing :)

Breakfast

I made a protein pancake for breakfast this morning and decided to go wild and add some oatmeal into the mix - best. idea. EVER! I ate it with a drizzle of maple syrup and cinnamon. Perfect start to the day :)

 

 

I came in early this morning since I have to leave on time tonight, and things are already heating up. I'll be back tonight with a review of the power yoga class I am attending with a friend :)

Have a great day!