The Round-up offers a weekly sample of what our sister Red Cross Societies are working on around the world.
Myanmar: One month has passed since heavy monsoon rains and Cyclone Komen caused severe floods in Myanmar. Around the region of Kayaung Gone, 82 evacuation camps were set up. Red Cross volunteers are supporting people in some of the camps by cooking meals and distributing food and other personal hygiene items. While emergency relief is still needed in the southwest of Myanmar, the Red Cross has already started to plan for the long-term recovery of affected communities in other parts of the country where the floods have receded and people have returned to their villages.
Sahel: Despite early warnings issued several months ago, the food insecurity situation in the Sahel region has not yet caught the attention of the international community. The lean season has started and malnutrition is widespread, with children being the most greatly affected. Urgent support is needed to bring lifesaving assistance to these vulnerable people while also investing in long term resilience-building solutions.
Greece: More than 180,000 vulnerable migrants have arrived in Greece this year. At the Elaiones Reception Center for migrants outside of Athens, three times a day, volunteers from the Hellenic Red Cross prepare and deliver food. At the end of August, 528 people arrived in the reception center, mostly families from Afghanistan who have spent the last couple of months on the run. The Elaiones Reception Centre, which opened at the beginning of August, is quite new. It has room for 740 people and is the only reception centre in Athens. Organizing activities for children is an important part of the volunteer work at the reception centre. Even though most of the children do not know English or Greek, they enjoy playing with the Red Cross volunteers.