In 1998 Emma went to Kosovo to improve medical services there. She witnessed the growing tensions between Serbs and Kosovar Albanians. Emma was evacuated when the NATO bombing began but returned with the UN after the war ended.
Emma was born on the Isle of Sheppey in 1971. Her mother is Dutch and she spent her childhood in the Netherlands.
Emma’s interest in the Second World War influenced her decision to do humanitarian work.
‘I have always been obsessed by the Second World War…I always felt a humanitarian need that if anything like that ever happened in my lifetime, I should do the utmost…[to] help people…’
In 1996, between her Religious Studies degree and starting a Masters in War Studies, Emma travelled to Croatia to help refugees from the war in Bosnia. Seeing the devastation caused by the war was a shock.
‘…there were minefields everywhere, big [IFOR] tanks... and houses that were completely shot to bits…I remember the physical shock of being in such a violent and conflict-ridden situation…
Early in 1998, Emma went to Kosovo as a representative for an American NGO (non-governmental organisation) called International Medical Corps. Emma’s job was to find funds for health care programmes for both Serbian and Kosovar Albanian populations there.
She was aware of the tensions building up in Kosovo.
‘There was real escalation of the violence at the time, so we really did sense that this is where problems are going to start and going to grow…’
She also witnessed the discrimination faced by the Kosovar Albanians.
‘You sensed that was an atmosphere of suppression, a whole parallel society had started to develop there…’
When the NATO bombing began Emma, along with aid workers from other organisations operating in Kosovo, had to be evacuated. She moved to Macedonia where IMC had set up an office to help refugees fleeing from Kosovo.
‘On the whole people were very traumatised…’
Emma left Macedonia to work for a short time in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Republika Srpska) but returned to Kosovo after the truce was signed. Emma worked for UNMIK (United Nations Mission in Kosovo) and saw a different side to the war in Kosovo.
‘…I remember the physical shock of being in such a violent and conflict-ridden situation…’
‘After the conflict, I was in a Serb enclave where they were beleaguered by the [Kosovar] Albanians…and the electricity supply was sabotaged and food could only come in via military convoy…’
Emma left in 2000 after spending two years in Kosovo.
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