Susanne Buser was born on 26 November 1957 in Sissach, near Basel, in north-western Switzerland. Several years after completing her compulsory schooling in Sissach, she enrolled in a preparatory school for nursing in Riehen, on the outskirts of Basel. Following that one-year programme, she enrolled in a nursing school associated with the Basel cantonal hospital, earning her degree three years later, in 1980. She then spent a year at that hospital working as a nurse before moving over to Davos hospital, where she was assigned to the intensive care unit. That latter experience prompted her to return to school; between 1982 and 1984 she took an intensive care course back at Basel cantonal hospital while also working in that hospital’s surgical intensive care unit.

As a nurse, Susanne enjoyed the close contact with patients and their relatives. She worked well in the hospital setting, where she was also called on to teach nursing students and train new employees. Susanne’s personal interests included languages – she picked up French, Italian, Spanish and English in addition to her native German – handicrafts, sports and cultural events. Before working for the ICRC, her foreign travel was mostly limited to England (1976) and Spain (1981), where she attended language courses.

Susanne applied to the ICRC in October 1984 as a nurse, expressing interest in a three- to six-month posting preferably in South America or East Asia. As things turned out, she ended up staying for eight years, working in both South America and Africa. Her first assignment was in Nicaragua (July 1985 to May 1986), followed by two in Peru (July 1986 to December 1987, and March 1988 to July 1988). While in South America, she helped assess civilians’ needs in conflict zones, worked in public health (e.g. epidemiology, nutrition and sanitation) and provided nursing services during detainee visits. She was praised by her colleagues for her medical knowledge, as well as for her hard and soft skills. All these attributes served her well in the unpredictable circumstances in which she worked.

After a year-long hiatus from the ICRC, Susanne went to Kenya for a six-month assignment, from September 1989 to March 1990. There she continued the existing vaccination programme, taught and trained a handful of local health workers, and supported newly created dispensaries. Access to the delegation was cut off during this time, which meant that she had no technical support and had to assume some of the tasks of a delegate. She even agreed to extend her contract and work as the ICRC’s medical administrator in Nairobi for a short period. Needless to say, Susanne was highly motivated – and not easily daunted.

After another, shorter, hiatus, Susanne rejoined the ICRC and returned to Africa. First came Uganda (October 1990 to May 1991) and then Liberia (November 1991 to June 1992). In these postings, she continued to show a deep personal commitment to her job and to perform extremely well, both in the delegation and among the communities she worked with. In July 1992, the ICRC sent Susanne to Kenema, Sierra Leone. Her responsibilities were manifold and included setting up and overseeing medical facilities and a feeding centre, training local staff, managing the medical inventory in Sierra Leone and taking part in detention visits as a medical delegate. She was also a member of the teams that ran nutrition surveys and carried out a range of field activities in sanitation, relief and ICRC awareness-raising. Her medical expertise, professional competence and sense of teamwork were again on display.

On the morning of Friday 27 August 1993, Susanne was riding in an ICRC convoy delivering food and medical aid to around 10,000 displaced people. Together with the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society, the ICRC had been working with these groups for the previous 18 months. Near the city of Gorahun, the convoy was attacked by assailants who opened fire on the passengers. Susanne was killed, along with two other people: Sarah Leomy, an ICRC nurse from Sierra Leone, Susanne was 35 years old.

It would be hard to overstate Susanne’s dedication to her work and to helping those in need. From the beginning of her career to the end of her life – in the face of discomforts large and small – she embodied the humanitarian spirit.