International Aid Work (Page 8)

In Mali, most infant deaths are associated with diseases that can be treated with medication. What kills babies, among other things, is that these diseases are often detected too late. Why? There are a number of reasons, but in Koulikoro, in the villages where the Red Cross team is working, one of the biggest reasons seems to have to do with tradition.

Since August 25, 2017, more than 700,000 people have fled violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State for Bangladesh. Dealing with a protracted crisis such as this is a complex operation, one that involves a host of different organizations. Effective coordination in the response is essential to ensure that supporting those most in need of humanitarian assistance remains the number one objective.

Conflict has forced roughly 2.4 million people to flee their homes in communities across Ethiopia in 2018 alone. The Canadian Red Cross, along with the Swiss and Danish Red Cross, is supporting the Ethiopian Red Cross to distribute food and household items to families affected by the conflict.
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With the year winding to an end, we took a look back at some of our most engaging blog posts from 2018. With natural disasters and emergencies occurring across Canada and the world, these blogs reflect the willingness of people to help and some inspiring stories of people wanting to make a difference. Here are the top 10 blogs from 2018.

Visiting Deir es Zor, as the second largest of the 14 governorates in Syria, was memorable for a number of reasons. It is not unlike other locations we have visited, particularly Douma in Eastern Ghouta, but shocking just the same. This is a first opportunity for the Canadian Red Cross to visit the city since it was besieged.

More than 30 years ago, Dr. Praphan Phanuphak diagnosed the first three cases of HIV in Thailand. It was February of 1985, and he was 35-years-old at the time. He was working at a hospital run by Thai Red Cross at. Four years after those first few cases, he co-founded the Thai Red Cross AIDS Research Centre, where he stills works today as its director. 

In Mali, every year between July and September, heavy rains fall across the country. Some regions, such as Sikasso, are hit harder than others and the damage goes far beyond material goods. Families are left homeless, flooded areas quickly become breeding grounds for diseases such as malaria, which is a leading cause of death in children under five. One of the essential roles of Red Cross volunteers is to support people affected by disasters.

Hurricane Florence made landfall in North Carolina on Friday, bringing with it significant amounts of rain that could threaten lives. It’s anticipated that the rain will cause serious flooding in North Carolina, South Carolina and surrounding states. With evacuation orders issued to more than a million people, it is estimated that as many as 100,000 may need emergency shelter. The American Red Cross is launching a massive emergency response.