Intensive preparation before recent elections helped the Gabonese Red Cross Society respond to election-related violence that reportedly left 15 people dead and more than 100 injured. As part of a contingency plan developed by the National Society, 110 volunteers were deployed nationwide to provide assistance to the injured. IFRC emergency funds also supported pre-election training and simulation exercises for 2,000 volunteers and civil protection staff. Dielvic Mbadinga, 31, a member of the National Disaster Response Team, was one of them. “Though we are faced with regular stops at barricades during our interventions, I keep calm and remain focused,” he explained. “Each time we are stopped… we explain our mission and the assistance we are providing to communities.”