4.3.1. *Ilima* in Action: Collaborative Engagement and Coordination

There were changes every day. More fatalities were noted, and more homes had collapsed. Holistic safety, health and otherwise, was a serious concern in crowded venues, especially for women and young children. When we arrived at the halls, we discovered that there had been little coordination and that donors were trickling in slowly, given the lack of an organized strategy. We arrived there with interns (psychologists and social workers) in one hall, but we were unable to start psychological debriefing, since the people there were starving. When we saw how desperate for food they were, we hurried to the store to obtain ingredients to make sandwiches and juice. Surprisingly, an NPO (non-profit organization) was serving food when we got back. They were ecstatic when they spotted us approaching the people who had been stationed in the hall and thought we were in charge of the operations. From then onwards, we coordinated our services with them as partners. The lack of coordination of the *ilima* process necessitated us, as social work academics, to employ our professional roles as brokers in order to connect the community members with philanthropists who were offering hot meals, water, sanitation, blankets, mattresses, etc.
