The Round-up offers a weekly sample of what our sister Red Cross Societies are working on around the world.
SAHEL REGION: Although there is always a ‘hungry season’ between harvests in the Sahel, this year it has started
much earlier than normal. The IFRC has launched emergency appeals for several countries and is also increasing its response to help save lives and protect livelihoods in Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal. This means providing emergency food supplies where needed, supporting health centres to care for severely malnourished children, and helping communities maintain an income through establishing small businesses or improving irrigation and farming techniques. These efforts will help build community resilience and minimize the impact of future droughts.
SOMALIA: Thanks to the combined impact of humanitarian aid and an ample crop harvest, the severe food crisis that prevailed over the past year is slowly subsiding. Nevertheless, humanitarian needs remain acute. The ICRC assisted almost 2.5 million people in Somalia in 2011.
GLOSSARY:
ICRC = International Committee of the Red Cross
IFRC = International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies