International 1

The Canadian Red Cross has a long and proud history of women involved in its humanitarian services, with more than 100 years of providing help and hope. Today, women still play a vital role in the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, in Canada and around the world. To commemorate International Women’s Day, we want to celebrate an example of two women working, learning, and leading together.  

Awni, his wife Tahrer, and their son Yehya are all members of the Palestine Red Crescent Society’s (PRCS) emergency medical response team. They begin each day not knowing whether it will be the last time they wish one another a safe shift. Since the escalation of hostilities in October 2023, their work has taken them into the heart of the destruction in Gaza, into the remains of what were once vibrant communities. 

Over the last year, many countries in Eastern and Southern Africa have navigated cholera outbreaks due to weather-related issues like heavy rains, floods, and landslides. The Comoro Islands (Comoros), a small country made up of three islands in the Indian Ocean off the coast of East Africa, was among the countries that faced a cholera outbreak. In Comoros,  a significant number of cholera cases affected children and youth.

France Hurtubise, a retired Communications delegate living in Montréal, looks back on her experience in the humanitarian sector and shares her story with us. Over the course of 25 years working abroad, France traveled to four continents and worked in countries heavily impacted by conflicts and disasters. In May 2022, she published “Grandeur et dénuement”, an account of her years with the Red Cross (ICRC, IFRC and CRC) and the UN.

As of early 2023, Haiti continues to experience a major security, social, economic, and public health crisis. Despite the deteriorating security situation, namely tied to armed violence, the Red Cross continues its essential work in support of the people of Haiti. One approach we have taken is providing direct financial assistance for the people who are still recovering from the 2021 Earthquake. To date, the Cash and Voucher Assistance program has enabled 1,400 households in the municipalities of Corail and Pestel, in Grande Anse, to meet their essential humanitarian needs and provides much needed relief during these difficult times.

Mondays are always the busiest day for the psychology team at Lviv Clinical Hospital of Emergency and Intensive Care in western Ukraine. Follow psychiatrist Dr. Oleh Berezyuk and his team around the hospital as they meet with new and existing patients across the rehabilitation, intensive care, surgery and internal medicine units.

What does it mean to live through a year of armed conflict? For some, it means having to leave behind everything they know for somewhere safer. For others, it means spending hours in bomb shelters, or hours without electricity. For too many it means being separated from family, struggling to access basic medical care and not knowing what will happen next. 

Guy Choquet, the Red Cross Director of Operations, Alberta Fire Recovery in Fort McMurray was one of thousands of people evacuated when flood waters came into the downtown area on April 26, 2020.
Choquet was also instrumental in supporting the Flood Collaborative, a group of local community organizations that formed to identify and address any gaps in services as residents began the recovery process.