The Round-up offers a weekly sample of what our sister Red Cross Societies are working on around the world. 
NAMIBIA: In northern Namibia water levels in the Zambezi river basin have reached record highs that are normally only seen in April. With more rain forecast upriver in Angola, it is likely that conditions will worsen downstream. The Namibia Red Cross Society has been working with the government to evacuate villages, moving people to camps on higher ground, and providing them with shelter and relief supplies. Of the 20,000 people affected, an estimated 12,000 are homeless, and many are now sharing tents with up to four other families. With access difficult due to flooded roads, people in the camps are totally reliant on outside aid. They are in urgent need of food, mosquito nets, blankets, and water purification tablets. To manage these risks, local Red Cross volunteers are promoting hygiene and sanitation practices in camps where water for washing is scarce.
IRAQ: Primary-health-care centres (PHCC) in Iraq are vitally important for delivering basic health services to people. The delivery of such services is hampered in many rural regions by uncertain security conditions. Since 2010, the ICRC has concentrated on assisting primary-health-care centres in violence-prone areas, while working with health authorities to strengthen this essential service.
MALI: In northern Mali – where cholera is endemic – maintaining the drinking-water supply to the cities of Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu is a major public-health issue. The lives of 115,000 people are at stake. This is no mean feat in an area that has been gripped by heavy fighting since the beginning of 2012. The ICRC was already working in Mali before the current crisis. The Sahel region has an endemic drought problem, which is a source of potential conflict in countries where livestock herding is a way of life and depends on water resources. The ICRC was already drilling boreholes, installing wells and laying pipelines to extend urban water networks. Today, in addition to their work for the people of Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu, they are repairing wells used by herders and installing hand pumps in rural areas. In addition, they are helping people displaced by the fighting, particularly those who have sought refuge in Tinzawatene, by building latrines and delivering drinking water to meet their needs until they can return home.
GLOSSARY:
IFRC = International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
ICRC = International Committee of the Red Cross