Going global: Colin Bent (BA’06)
By Janet Dyson
When Colin Bent (BA’06) was finishing high school, he knew he wanted to stay in Halifax for his undergraduate degree despite having many places he wanted to travel in the future. He chose Dalhousie’s Department of Political Science and that launched him to a graduate degree and work abroad – he’s travelled to 70 countries.
But Bent’s travel isn’t all for leisure. Bent’s work with Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) has him currently based in Sarajevo, Bosnia. He travels to various countries such as Turkey and Iraq for his work. He was previously based in the Gaza Strip for a year and a half. NPA is an international NGO based in Oslo but working in over 30 countries. Bent manages the Conflict Preparedness and Protection (CPP) programs which are focused on protecting civilians in conflict affected countries from explosive weapons such as landmines, cluster munitions, and air-dropped bombs. These programs are being run in Syria and Gaza and will soon be starting in Myanmar and Somalia.
“These projects try to improve the resilience of conflict affected countries and communities,” he explains. “They focus mostly on training civilians living in conflict affected communities on how to better protect themselves especially from explosive weapons, but also against other dangerous threats that exist in conflict zones.”
Engaging the local communities
One of his current projects in the Idlib region in Syria is in an area controlled by various rebel factions that are fighting against the government of Syria. Humanitarian access to this area is extremely limited and it’s not possible for Bent to physically work there because it’s too dangerous. NPA develops partnerships locally and creates teams that go into these communities. Most NGOs are staffed by expatriate staff and staff from the country the project is occurring in – nationals make up the bulk of the project staff performing a variety of tasks. Those local connections are helpful for the work NPA does. The nationals can help NPA “gather groups of civilians together at a community center or a mosque or at an NGO office and deliver a training session,” Bent explains. “These training sessions focus on teaching civilians what they can do before, during and after an attack happens in order to better protect themselves.”
The training in these programs can be modified to suit the situation when entering other conflict-affected countries. With a program starting in Myanmar, it can be adapted to suit their needs. “There are several civil conflicts happening throughout Myanmar, but mainly around the borders and in some of the states,” Bent explains. “It’s lower intensity conflict, with use of small weapons and land-based heavy weapons and intermittent exchanges. And it’s a very different kind of conflict from what is happening in Syria or in Gaza and a very different culture as well. So we’ve had to adapt all of the educational materials and the messages and [ensure] how culturally appropriate all of the imagery and educational content we use are.”
Dangerous, but rewarding
Despite the danger inherent in humanitarian work, Bent finds the work challenging. Being able to connect directly with beneficiaries of projects is rewarding and important to learn how programs can be modified, he explains. “When you’re on the ground and able to talk to these people, you’re also learning from them and learning what the needs are for the next project, what needs to be developed, what needs to be changed. And you have the feel-good feeling of doing something that has a tangible benefit.”
Bent says what you see in the headlines or learn in a class isn’t necessarily the reality of humanitarian work. While managing the dangerous situations workers can find themselves in, workers are also managing their programs and feel “a tremendous amount of responsibility to use public funds to have an impact on people’s lives,” he says. “Every dollar that you use on the wrong kind of project or deliverable could have been used towards another project that was more effective. And we have responsibility to donors, we have a responsibility to the beneficiaries, we have a responsibility to ourselves. It’s not like in a movie or a news headline. It’s real tangible day to day work.”
Visiting home can be jarring
Coming home to visit Canada can be jarring for Canadians working abroad and Bent agrees it comes with mixed feelings. When he returns home, he can take stock of the privileges many Canadians have. “There’s a lot of good things about coming home to Halifax and there’s a lot of great things about Canada,” he explains. “And I miss them constantly, especially when there’s no electricity for half the day in Gaza or if some kind of attack is happening in Mogadishu or something like that. It makes you appreciate this country a lot and what we have, and the opportunities that we have.”
Travel as a learning experience
Bent believes Canadians can learn a lot from travelling and learning about other cultures “I think the more that Canadians are able to travel, the more that our younger generation are able to get out and see and experience the world, no matter what kind of form that’s going to be in, I think it helps us evolve. It touches on everything, if you go and see how other cultures are living, and how they interact with each other.”