A Quick Chat with Thomas Haettenschwiller

 

Thomas talked to us about his recent retirement, which followed a long career that included the US Air Force, Peace Corps, Africare, UNICEF, and IAEA.  We then chatted about his family, his home improvement, projects, and his trips around scenic spots in Europe in the family's camper van.  

Looking back on his many emergency assignments, Thomas gave us his thoughts on how UNICEF is doing with the crises of today.  In reply he reiterated one of the comments he gave earlier to the 10 Questions - 'that when it comes to emergencies, UNICEF has the attention span of a 4 year old' - i.e. that our focus is always on the immediate emergency, while little attention goes to preparing for the next.  

Finally, he said that he has been inspired by the commitment to social service expressed by those who contributed earlier chats.  Like them, Thomas believes that we all have an obligation ´to give something back' to our communities.  In his own case Thomas wants to do something more for the non-Ukrainian refugees in Switzerland  - those who arrive without  means and with little support.

In case you missed it, here is the article we posted in February in which Thomas replied to the 10 Questions. Click below to watch our chat with Thomas.