This International Women’s Day, the Canadian Red Cross celebrates the contributions of all female staff, volunteers and aid workers who work locally in their communities and travel to other parts of the world to provide assistance to those who need it most. We are proud of the work of our teams who help to make significant improvements in the lives of people around the world. Here are a few examples of the extraordinary Ontarian women that are a part of the Red Cross Movement.
Jenna Atchison
After Tropical Cyclone Idai wreaked havoc in Mozambique nearly a year ago, Jenna, a registered nurse from Ottawa, Ontario, was sent with the Canadian Red Cross emergency field hospital to provide critical assistance to a local hospital that had suffered extensive damage. Once there, she led the design of a specialized Cholera treatment centre, ensuring that it was fully equipped to handle any situation. The space included a fully equipped birthing area for pregnant women and private changing spaces for females, making the environment as comfortable for women as possible. The Centre helped many people recover from Cholera, including a young child who arrived at the centre with severe dehydration. The doctors and nurses onsite worked urgently to provide fluids to the young girl. They saved her life. Jenna worked with many outstanding female nurses and staff members who were able to learn and grow from the work in the centre. She is extremely proud of her team for providing necessary care and for saving lives. She is also pleased knowing that they left behind a group of fully trained local staff who would be able to continue providing care to those in need.
Tanya Grygaski
Tanya is an engineer from Toronto, Ontario who has worked as a Canadian Red Cross rapid response manager for just over two years. She has responded to several emergencies, both at home and abroad, including; the Parliament Street apartment fire in Toronto, Hurricane Florence in the Carolinas, and projects in Bangladesh and South Sudan. During her time in South Sudan, Tanya was responsible for evaluating the water, sanitization and hygiene infrastructure in local schools and finding ways to make improvements that would ensure girls have the facilities they need to attend and remain in school. She feels a great sense of pride knowing that she was able to work on a project that prolonged the education of girls in several communities, putting them on a path to a brighter future.
Norah Eggleston
Norah is an aid worker with the Canadian Red Cross and currently lives in Ottawa, Ontario. She has responded to many international emergencies, most recently joining the Red Cross team in Nhamatanda, Mozambique, following Tropical Cyclone Idai. While in Mozambique, she worked as a lead administrator in the emergency field hospital, helping to support and hire local staff into a variety of roles. During her time in Nhamatanda, Norah was able to not only support Red Cross volunteers but also help to provide employment opportunities to males and females from the community, giving women in particular the opportunity to learn new skills and excel professionally. She was amazed to see the strength, positivity and desire of the local community to help others while also dealing with the impact of the Cyclone on their own lives.
This International Women’s Day, we celebrate the contributions of women volunteers, aid workers and staff to provide assistance to individuals who are in need both here at home, and around the world. We also recognize the resilience and strength of women who have been impacted by a disaster. In times of emergencies, women and girls are often disproportionately affected. And yet, even in the direst of circumstances, we see time and time again that women can find opportunities to thrive.
The Canadian Red Cross is always looking for dedicated individuals to help support the work of the Society. You can learn more about our volunteer roles at
redcross.ca/volunteer.