The Round-up offers a weekly sample of what our sister Red Cross Societies are working on around the world.
PHILIPPINES: Typhoon Bopha made landfall on December 4 in Baganga, Davao Oriental province, on the east coast of
the Philippine island of Mindanao. According to the Philippines’ authorities, 53,000 people are currently sheltering in 94 temporary evacuation centres. The Philippine Red Cross has mobilized stocks of sleeping mats, blankets, jerry cans, mosquito nets and hygiene kits to meet the needs of up to 20,000 displaced families. 9,000 tents for emergency shelter are also available, should the need arise. A state of emergency has been declared for the next ten days. The storm damaged or destroyed 140 homes and damaged water, power and communication systems. The Red Cross is partnering with the government to provide temporary shelter and relief assistance. The Canadian Red Cross is currently accepting donations to support relief operations in the Philippines – click here to make a donation.
AZERBAIJAN:The Azerbaijan Red Crescent holds a monthly football competition to provide teenagers with an opportunity to increase their interest in sport, learn first aid skills and knowledge and – vitally – raise awareness the risks of mines and unexploded ordnance. This competition is a continuation of a project launched in 2005 that provides social support to families who have lost the head of family due to landmines, as well as collects information on mine victims and hands these over to the relevant government agency.
VIETNAM: For nearly 16 years, the Japanese Red Cross Society has been funding a mangrove reforestation project run by the Viet Nam Red Cross. The project, which aims to reduce the vulnerability of communities to disasters, has been carried out in six coastal provinces and successfully resulted in more than 1,600 hectares of mangroves. Mangrove forests help balance the ecosystem. They protect river mouths and coastlines from erosion control, provide sea dyke protection, and prevent the accumulation and decomposition of pollutants and expansion of mud flats towards the sea. Mangrove forests, a rich source of crabs and shrimp, also provide poor families with additional means of livelihoods through aquaculture and honey production.
GLOSSARY:
IFRC = International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies