April 1, 2016
It's a great feeling to finish your Master's thesis. It is even better when you see all that hard work put to good use. MASHLM 06 graduate Thomas Büeler, a Logistic Coordinator with the Swiss Red Cross, recently presented his thesis, Preparing the Egyptian Red Crescent for the Future, to Professor Moamena Kamel, Secretary General of the Egyptian Red Crescent.
Thomas was already working with the Egyptian Red Crescent as part of an ongoing partnership with the Swiss Red Cross and decided to use his thesis to identify strategic projects which could benefit the ERC:
The question came up, what are we going to do the next five years and in order to clarify that question in a bit more detail, I decided to choose the approach of scenario planning, to highlight and to display a comprehensive picture which gives them a good guideline of what kind of competences they should work on.
Based on his research, Thomas recommended a number of strategic projects for the ERC including establishing a marketing and fundraising unit and a logistics unit. The ERC has now started working on these two proposals:
They are focusing now really on the mobilization fund raising part. They believe that donor money will get less so they have to become more independent and more self sustainable. They are also implementing a logistics unit which is dealing with especially procurement, professional procurement.
The ERC is also interested in Thomas' proposal to enhance their health care services:
Where they really want to work on the ground, its very much in a building up further competences in the health segment, especially when it comes to increase the competences related to pandemics.
Thomas and the Swiss Red Cross will continue supporting the Egyptian Red Crescent as they work towards getting these projects fully underway in 2017.
