The Foreign Service Journal, April 2010

provide lessons for assisting with dis- aster relief operations in the future. “This has served as practical expe- rience for me. It was well organ- ized, and any situations like this that I happen to find myself in, I will bring the experience to bear,” he told Joy FM listeners. Ghana and Beyond The FMstation’s audience, which numbers approximately threemillion thanks to partnerships with other stations around the country, also heard from Capt. Thebaud, who had visitedGhana the previous year as commander of Africa Partnership Station 2009. “People like Samuel [Ayelazono] are able to develop a very good bond and help build the confidence of the peo- ple who have been devastated by this earthquake,” says Capt. Thebaud. “It really has been my APS international staff that has gotten this program going and has allowed the people in the local area to come in and help their brothers and sisters.” Joy aired the interview four times throughout the day on Jan. 28 and posted an article to its Web site, Myjoyon- line.com , which reaches a broad audience of Ghanaian expatriates in addition to local listeners. Officers fromNigeria and Sene- gal were also on board the Gunston Hall , and U.S. missions there helped bring the Haiti relief oper- ation story to their compatriots. The public affairs sections in Abuja and Lagos connected local audi- ences with Nigerian Navy Capt. A.A. Osinowo, who was serving as the ship’s deputy com- modore. In addition, Lagos Public Affairs Officer Jennifer DeWitt Walsh hosted an event for about 20 Lagos-based local journalists framing the otherwise distant story in a local and personal context. Embassy Dakar’s public affairs staff organized a tele- phone interview between Senegalese Navy Officer Lieu- tenant Assane Seye, embedded on the Gunston Hall , and journalists from a variety of news outlets. For more than an hour, the Senegalese journalists quizzed Lt. Seye on a variety of topics. “Being from a poor country, I understand how the Haitian people feel,” Lt. Seye says. “I know that I would be very happy to receive help if I needed it, which 22 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / A P R I L 2 0 1 0 F O C U S Accra’s largest FM radio station was eager to report on the Haiti earthquake from a local angle. Lt. Cmdr. Samuel Ayela- zono (left), an officer from Ghana assigned to Africa Partnership Station West staff aboard the USS Gunston Hall , and Lt. Rafael Solis Martinez (center), from Mexico, help deliver food con- tributed by the Mexican Navy to a community in Haiti. The Gunston Hall was diverted from its Africa Partnership Station mission to assist with re- lief efforts for Operation Unified Response follow- ing the Jan. 12 earth- quake. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Martine Cuaron