The
Round-up offers a weekly sample of what our sister Red Cross Societies are working on around the world.
SOUTH SUDAN: Armed clashes in Juba since December 15 have left hundreds in urgent need of medical
care. Thousands of civilians, including women and children, have fled their homes in search of safety, taking very little with them. The ICRC is providing the city's two major hospitals with support so that they can cope with the heavy influx of patients.
ZIMBABWE: Communities are facing one of the worst periods of
food insecurity in years. According to a recent Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee assessment, 2.2 million people will need food assistance from January to March next year. The IFRC and the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society have launched an emergency appeal to support 10,500 of the most vulnerable people in Gwanda, a district in southern Zimbabwe, with immediate food assistance. The operation will target people living with HIV/AIDS, pregnant women, child-headed houses and the unemployed. The response will be implemented over seven months and will also support people with longer term activities, such as learning improved farming techniques, so they can better prepare and adapt to future disasters.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Since
clashes erupted in Bangui on December 5, the population has been seized with fear. The ICRC is calling for the work of medical and humanitarian personnel to be facilitated to enable them to meet the most urgent needs. Since December 7, the ICRC has provided maize, beans, cooking oil, salt, rice and kitchen utensils for 35,000 displaced people in the city. In addition, it has installed tap stands to distribute water and built latrines at the monastery and for 40,000 people at the airport displacement site.
GLOSSARY:
IFRC =
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
ICRC =
International Committee of the Red Cross