COVID-19 (Page 18)

Like many others, when Sunny Sun came to Canada from China, her elderly parents followed. They didn’t speak any English and were not familiar with the culture. It was understandably a difficult transition for them.

With the Red Cross for over a dozen years, I have been deployed to the scene of unimaginable emergencies many times, including the Lac-Mégantic railway tragedy, the Fort McMurray wildfire, the recent floods in Eastern Canada and to Montreal to welcome many Syrian refugees. Unfortunately, I understand too well the plight of people confronted with extraordinary situations.

When provincial officials first declared a state of emergency due to COVID-19, it was a bit of a blur for me. I had just lost my grandmother and was still working through my thoughts. I felt confused and scared. I had a dozen sleepless nights from being fixated on the news.

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadian Red Cross volunteers are working in local communities to assist the most vulnerable populations.
Volunteers such as Luc and Adele are administering door-to-door Safety and Wellness checks in Ottawa.

Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic around the world. As some countries have begun loosening public health restrictions, others have experienced a surge in cases. No matter what the context, we’re committed to ensuring that the most vulnerable are protected during this global crisis. Here are just some of the ways we’re doing that.

I saw many friends try their hand at painting, spruce up their gardens, and even build a homemade app to plan meals for isolation when constant trips to the market weren’t possible. We created something important to us, and we shared in the feeling of how much our mood and quality of life had improved while working on these “new-to-us” projects!

A former Syrian refugee in Canada is fighting COVID-19 the best way he knows how - with an ancient family soap recipe. Abdulfatah Sabouni of Calgary’s Aleppo Savon is donating 25 per cent of the proceeds of his new neem-oil soap to the Red Cross’ Covid-19 (Coronavirus) Global Appeal fund.

When the pandemic hit, Phyllis felt ready and prepared with a plan. As one of the main caregivers of her 87-year old father Peter, Phyllis rallied her siblings to ensure that their father was looked after, with plans for grocery and special deliveries even when the rest of family had to stay home. The family make a genuine effort to connect with Peter, and each other more often virtually than they typically did in person.