The Round-up offers a weekly sample of what our sister Red Cross Societies are working on around the world.
PHILIPPINES: It has been two years since twin typhoons brought a record amount of rainfall and flooding that killed almost 1,000 people, and rendered thousands more homeless. Through a recovery operation supported by the IFRC, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) has ensured that more than 3,500 families that were displaced by the September 2009 typhoons now have homes. Other PRC recovery efforts include installing 21 communal water supply points, and constructing or rehabilitating water and sanitation facilities for 30 schools that were affected by the typhoons.
CANADA: Yves Daccord, Director General of the ICRC, recently made a visit to Canada to meet with the Canadian Red Cross. During his visit he travelled to Ontario and Quebec where he met with staff, donors and media and shared information on world conflicts which the Red Cross responds to.
The ICRC works worldwide to provide humanitarian help for people affected by conflict and armed violence and to promote the laws that protect victims of war. An independent and neutral organization, its mandate stems essentially from the Geneva Conventions of 1949.
HUNGARY: Two hundred representatives from 65 Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies, civil society organizations, academia, governments and the private sector came together in Budapest, Hungary, for the Global Volunteers Conference. In addition to discussions about the concept of paying some volunteers for their service, the conference also heard compelling stories from volunteers involved in the Red Cross response to the tragedy that occurred on 22 July in Norway.
KENYA: Nutrition projects are helping to propel communities to a healthier future. The Kenya Red Cross Society is focusing on children under five, pregnant or breast-feeding mothers, and the elderly to provide a range of nutritional interventions. Health centers are serving up to 20,000 people, with each patient’s nutritional status assessed when they arrive and monitored as the treatment progresses.
GLOSSARY:
ICRC = International Committee of the Red Cross
IFRC = International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies