The Round-up offers a weekly sample of what our sister Red Cross Societies are working on around the world.
SOUTH AFRICA: South Africa has one of the highest rates of TB in the world; 389,000 people contract the disease each year. TB is treatable, but a lack of awareness at the community level combined with challenges to completing treatment, has seen the disease spread rapidly. South African Red Cross Society branches in the Eastern Cape provide care and support to TB patients in what is one of the poorest regions in the country. Putting stickers in local minibuses has been one activity in a month-long TB awareness campaign run by the organization across the Eastern Cape. In rural areas where access is a barrier to receiving treatment, the Red Cross visits communities to educate them about TB symptoms and the importance of early and continued treatment. The campaign also held an inter-high school debate to highlight issues and misconceptions of TB among students.
VIETNAM: Taking a break for a drink of water is one way that many students like to escape the classroom. But for students at Kim Hai Secondary School and Kim Hai Kindergarten in Ninh Binh province, Viet Nam, this was not an option – until a few months ago. Following a needs assessment by the Viet Nam Red Cross, in partnership with the Japanese Red Cross, the National Society recently constructed large water tanks at both the secondary school and kindergarten. These facilities allow hundreds of young children to have safe drinking water each day.
QATAR: Among its humanitarian activities for refugees since the beginning of the crisis in Syria, the Qatar Red Crescent Society has launched a psychosocial support centre in cooperation with the Jordan National Red Crescent Society. The centre will provide support for refugees in the Zaatari camp to help them adapt to new life conditions away from their homes. The importance of this centre was emphasized through the camp residents who mentioned the strong need for psychosocial activities, and their willingness to invest time and effort in engaging with them. The Centre, located next to the populated areas in Zaatari camp, is the second to be opened by the joint efforts of the two National Societies.