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As natural disasters increase in frequency and severity, so does the need for communities and individuals to be prepared. That's why Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies from around the world have launched the Disaster Resilience Journal project, sharing photos and stories of communities preparing for disasters with resilience in a changing world.

This year, as part of Toronto’s art event Scotiabank Nuit Blanche held on October 4, Northern Ontario First Nation communities will be occupying space in downtown Toronto’s media-saturated entertainment district - front and centre, in a dramatic display contrasting the city’s busy streetscape.

As communications staff at the Canadian Red Cross, we often get the opportunity to meet some of the many amazing individuals who contribute to our humanitarian work worldwide.

This week the Red Cross in Ontario hosted a bake sale to raise funds. The communications team was responsible for baking up some goodies to sell. We had a little help from our social media friends too. Here’s a (mouth-watering) glimpse of what we were up to. Happy Friday!

For parents, back to school means a lot of different things such as school supply shopping, back to work, extracurricular activities, homework and more work/life juggling. 

It also means the return of the sniffles.

The Round-up offers a weekly sample of what our sister Red Cross Societies are working on around the world.

This week, the Red Cross (IFRC) opened its first Ebola treatment centre in Kenema, Sierra Leone, a district hard-hit by the outbreak. The centre can house up to 60 patients when at full capacity. The centre has so far admitted 5 patients, including an 11-year-old girl. 

How many times did you touch someone today: a family member, a friend, a colleague, the person beside you on the bus? How many times did you rub your eyes, touch your lips, scratch your nose? A world without touch is strange thing, and a humanitarian mission where you’re not allowed to touch other people is both physically and mentally challenging.