The Round-up offers a weekly sample of what our sister Red Cross Societies are working on around the world.
NIGER: For many families in Niger, the gap between harvests has become stretched out by the drought that has been
experienced all over the Sahel region. The Red Cross Society of Niger aims to help them bridge that gap with a support program that includes both money and seed distribution. They Society is providing families with seeds in preparation for the next harvest, and is also helping villagers plant 20-25,000 rubber trees.
PAKISTAN: For the third year running, swathes of Pakistan have been engulfed by floods resulting from heavy monsoon rains. More than 375 people have died and around 4.4 million have been directly affected. Two weeks ago the Pakistan Red Crescent began a localized response to the floods in the north, distributing relief items and emergency shelter to families in Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot and Bagh Districts. In the weeks ahead the Red Crescent aims to assist a total of 7,500 families with further relief, shelter and emergency healthcare in some of the worst affected districts of Sindh and Balochistan provinces.
SYRIA: The humanitarian situation in Syria deteriorated rapidly during September amid continuing violence. Aleppo, Damascus, Homs, Deir Ez-Zor and Rural Damascus are worst hit. Fighting has displaced tens of thousands, and many who had already left home have had to move again. The ICRC and Syrian Arab Red Crescent have distributed food and other aid to over 200,000 people.
GLOSSARY:
ICRC = International Committee of the Red Cross