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​Since arriving in Haiti, the Canadian Red Cross mobile clinic has treated more than 1,500 people in the Grand’Anse region in the south of the country. Aid worker France Hurtubise captured this photo of a young boy in Gabriel. His infectious smile motivated the team to continue working hard to provide health care to people who haven’t received health services since the hurricane hit.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is an impartial, neutral and independent organization whose mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence, and to provide them with assistance. There are over 14,500 ICRC aid workers assisting the most vulnerable in 80 countries affected by conflict. These aid workers risk their own lives operating in conflict zones such as in Somalia, Yemen and Malaysia while caring for others. So how does the international community ensure their protection?

Monday, Nov 7th marked one year since the end of Ebola in Sierra Leone. In commemoration of this milestone, and in recognition of the 3,956 people who died here, the public across the country were encouraged to wear yellow ribbons or yellow clothing and observe three minutes of silence at 11:00 in the morning. Flags flew at  half-mast.

“Every day I see children suffering from the after-effects of having lost their homes or close family members,” said Emilie Gauthier-Paré. Psychosocial delegate with the Canadian Red Cross in Haiti, Émilie is a member of the mobile health clinic team making daily visits to remote villages of Grande Anse in the southwest of the country that was devastated by Hurricane Matthew.

Knowing basic first aid can help save lives. But if you’re more comfortable learning in a language other than English, it may be more challenging to find a first aid course. More than 50 per cent of the population in B.C.’s Lower Mainland speaks a language other than English at home. Luckily, Choi, who had to administer first aid on her infant daughter, was able to take first aid and disaster preparedness lessons in Chinese last year. 

We met many of our American Red Cross friends this past May when they joined us to help during the Alberta wildfires in Canada, and we jumped at the opportunity to head south of the border to assist residents of North Carolina, following devastating flooding from Hurricane Matthew.

The Canadian Red Cross mobile health clinic has now been set up and operating out of Jeremie in the Grand Anse region. These photos are from when the mobile clinic was in Mouline, a remote community in the mountains which was badly affected by Hurricane Matthew. This is the first time the community is receiving health services nearly one month after the hurricane.

When you live in Northern Alberta, the threat of forest fires is something you get used to. 
“I didn’t initially realize how severe it was,” said 29-year-old Jessica Masse, a resident of Fort McMurray. “Earlier that day, I was playing outside with my daughter and my mother-in-law. The skies were blue,” Jessica recalled. But in just hours the blue skies had disappeared – and were replaced with smoke.