Kristil is NORWAC’s Country Director for Palestine. She has only been in this position for a year since July 1^st 2023, but managed to travel three times to Gaza and the West Bank before October 7^th. Despite being new to the task, Kristil has a long history with NORWAC spanning more than three decades. She first traveled to the Palestinian territories during her time as a nursing student in 1988, and later worked a year as a nurse in a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon. During her time as the Country Director for Lebanon and Country Representative for Syria, Kristil also worked closely with health projects regarding Palestinian refugees. In other words, Palestine and engagement for Palestinian health has always been important for Kristil.

When Kristil started in her position as the Country Director for Palestine, it was planned that her work and projects would consist of maternity health, mental health, a pain management clinic, oxygen supply and general strengthening of the health capacity and strengthening of institutions like the Al-Shifa hospital. Most of the projects involved supporting and strengthening the health services. This all changed October 7^th and the following day NORWAC and Kristil applied for grants to send in an Emergency Medical Team (EMT) to Gaza as well as to fund medical supplies. Although NORWAC was granted funds, and managed to get the supplies into Gaza, getting the team into Gaza proved more difficult than ever before. NORWAC managed to send the first EMT through the World Health Organization in January of 2024, as the coordination of sending in EMT’s was more complicated than before. This also means that a large portion of Kristil’s day to day life is reserved by coordinating and supporting the EMT’s that NORWAC has in Gaza. At the same time, NORWAC is also continuing the projects to support the infrastructure of the Palestinian health services in Gaza and the West Bank, including supplying oxygen, medicines and medical supply as well as continued support for the capacity strengthening of maternity-health.

There is no shying away from the fact that the last nine months have been demanding. Kristil describes having the responsibility for NORWAC’s EMT’s as a 24/7 affair which you can’t clock out of.  At the same time, she describes the engagement and initiative that has come from health professionals wanting to be part of a NORWAC EMT as inspiring, as well as the strong and continued support NORWAC has received for its work from the general public. Kristil has also experienced first-hand the importance of good collaboration with the WHO when the local health services are struggling. Flexibility has also become an important part of Kristil’s work as the situation in Gaza is ever-changing. Kristil also feels that NORWAC has developed a good system during the past months in preparing the individuals that are part of the EMT’s in terms of what to expect in Gaza, as well as support during the mission and after.

For Kristil, the past year has consisted of being placed into an ongoing catastrophe, she has lived with the people of Gaza though WhatsApp and is constantly in communication with the Gazans. She talks about how NORWAC’s EMT strategy has been described as a success by the WHO in terms of collaboration with local hospitals and how easily NORWAC is able to adapt in Gaza through flexibility and extended experience with working in Gaza and the region.