Everything the International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement does is guided by our seven fundamental principles; Humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality. We’re taking a closer look at exactly what these principles mean, and how they govern our actions – today we’re looking at fundamental principle #2: Impartiality.

The wildfires that ravaged many areas of the northern Alberta community last May were an extremely stressful experience for many people. In the first weeks after the evacuation, besides responding to the basic needs of Fort McMurray evacuees, the Red Cross also deployed a Safety and Well Being Team with expertise in Psychological First Aid.
 

Did you know that the Red Cross is governed by seven Fundamental Principles? The first principle is humanity, which can feel a little vague - we're all part of humanity, right? Here's what we mean, and why it is important to the International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement. 

Last spring the Canadian Red Cross welcomed three communications delegates from other Red Cross societies. Degsew Amanu from Ethiopia Red Cross, Marial Mayom Riak from South Sudan Red Cross, and Carlos Romero from Honduras Red Cross, joined staff and volunteers from across Canada to participate in an Emergency Response Unit (ERU) training and learn valuable skills that they could take home with them.

Okay, so I am that person. The one who really can’t handle the gross stuff, the one who covers their eyes during movies until people tell me it’s okay to look again. So naturally the world of first aid is one that gets me a little nervous because it might be icky. And then I had a moment that I realized just how important first aid is.

There’s no doubt 2016 was a challenging year for many people who experienced disasters such as the Alberta fires and Hurricane Matthew, or who fled their home as a result of armed conflict.

​We want to cap off the year by sharing some of the most inspiring and heartwarming Red Cross stories from 2016 to show humanity at its best. What inspired you this year?

For the past week, more than 100 personnel from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and the ICRC have been facilitating the evacuation of people from Eastern Aleppo. As of yesterday, tens of thousands of civilians had been successfully evacuated in this complex operation.

Pretty much all of us have found ourselves scrambling last minute to buy a gift. In fact, a recent Ipsos poll found that three out of 10 gifts purchased by Canadians are done within a day of giving the gift. We’ve all been there! Plus, after buying last minute, a lot of us worry that the recipient will be disappointed with what we got them. The same poll found that 64% of those asked agreed that they would prefer to receive a charitable gift that would help someone else.