The Round-up offers a weekly sample of what our sister Red Cross Societies are working on around the world.
GAMBIA: With the lack of rain in the 2011 season, it wasn’t possible for thousands of agro-pastoralists families in the
Sahel region to produce seeds and now all the reserves are gone. In order to help Gambian families replant their crops, Gambia Red Cross, with support from the IFRC, has distributed food items, seeds and fertilizers to more than 500 communities in the North Bank and Lower River Regions of Lower Baddibou and Jarra East.
DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA: Nearly 120 people in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea have lost their lives, and tens of thousands are now homeless, from severe floods that have ravaged large parts of the region. Red Cross volunteers activated the early warning systems that are part of their pre-storm community disaster preparedness programs. Red Cross has given kits to 6,610 families, totaling 29,950 persons.
SYRIA: As the armed conflict in Syria escalates and takes a heavy toll on civilians, the ICRC is more determined than ever to carry on with its work in order to meet growing humanitarian needs. The organization is appealing to all parties to the conflict to fully respect the rules and principles of international humanitarian law, which is commonly known as the laws of war. Since the beginning of the year, the ICRC, in cooperation with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, has provided aid in several parts of the country for over half a million displaced people and others affected by the violence. Despite the difficult and dangerous conditions, the ICRC and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent are committed to doing their utmost to meet the most urgent needs.
GLOSSARY:
IFRC = International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
ICRC = International Committee of the Red Cross