Does happen... almost is humanly preventable’
direct line of sight.”
The money, he explains, pays for “Plumpy’Nut”, the vitamin enriched peanut-paste which in 90% of cases can bring a child on the brink of death back to life.
Looking back his career is, he says, a natural progression.
Gareth’s parents Emyr and Jane met at Bangor University. His father went on to become a professor teaching agriculture and his childhood home was filled with international students.
Born and brought up in England, Gareth had strong links to Wales. He returned and still returns every summer to the family farm in Dolanog, Powys.
It was from here on Boxing Day 2004 that he abandoned Christmas to fly to Sri Lanka as Save the Children’s head of response for the disaster there.
On the flight over he prepared his recurring PTSD after witnessing horror in Angola. He says he has learned to cope with what is a natural response when the mind and body is overloaded.
“I saw extreme violence in Angola. PTSD never goes away. You have been in a heightened state of survival and that can come back in ordinary situations. Your sense are overloaded.”
When he needs rest and recuperation after an operation Wales provides the balm, says Gareth, who lives – when not overseas – with his long term partner in London.
“The Welsh hills cuddle me. It’s where I always come for rest and recuperation.”
Strengthening the connection with his home nation Gareth arranged for Save the Children aid workers from around the globe to do some training at a hill farm near Aberystwyth.
Advanced field training is carried out from a farm just outside Ponterwyd owned by Dafydd Jones and his mother Delyth.
“The lads from east Africa had never seen sheepdogs before going there,” laughs Gareth.
“They were amazed we use them as shepherds to bring sheep back down from the hills.”
Over the years Wales has been a place to return to for recuperation too. And over the years Gareth has needed respite, starting with returning from his very first posting to one of the world’s most notorious trouble spots – Mogadishu.