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50 years: Measles Vaccine Protects Multiple Millions

In this age of next-generation smartphones and tablets, how many 50-year old inventions are still relevant? The measles vaccine was licensed half a century ago in the United States. Today it’s used in every single country of the world, and about 110 million babies receive their first dose by the time they turn one. Tens of [...]

Beyond the Line of Duty: Syrian Arab Red Crescent President Visits American Red Cross

Suppressed giggles filled the room as an image of school children playing with characters like Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob Squarepants flashed on the screen. An emotional support program for children. It was a break in the tension, but not for long. The other images had been of bullet riddled ambulances; portraits of the 17 [...]

Story-telling after Disasters: The Other Side of Recovery

Last Wednesday, February 27, marked the third anniversary of an 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck off the central coast of Chile, triggering a massive tsunami that destroyed homes, businesses, and lives. A week before the anniversary, I traveled to one of the most hard-hit areas, where the Red Cross is working with communities to not only [...]

Nelson Mandela, on the Red Cross

On this date in 1990, Nelson Mandela was released from prison after 27 years in captivity. He was regularly visited by the ICRC during his long years of detention. In 2003, a week before his 85th birthday, Mr. Mandela spoke about the work of the ICRC and the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement in London, saying [...]

Surfing Report

    A few Red Cross and mission related links we’ve found while surfing the web. The People vs Winter and How to win if you’re the people See the Good (a story about digital volunteers) Humanity in the midst of war Volcano Quartet erupts. How to win at volcano eruptions.  

Pascaline Mavugo: A Harrowing Story of Survival with Glimmers of Hope

By Anita Foster, American Red Cross North Texas Region After becoming separated from her siblings while escaping violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Pascaline Maguvo turned to the Red Cross to help locate and reconnect her family. To view the original, extended version of this post, please visit the American Red Cross Dallas Fort [...]

I Know Where I’m Going

A couple weeks ago, our colleagues at the International Committee of the Red Cross shared a powerful short film, featuring a man who worked in South Yemen named Hussein Saleh. Through Mr. Saleh’s words, we learn about life in the conflict area and how the ICRC networks with the government and other parties. As a [...]

“Get down! Get down! You are now Prisoners of War!”

By Jillian Kaplan, Central New York Region IHL Team Mentor Two Americorps volunteers, Heather Powell and Kaelyn Madden, burst into the room covered in camouflage, holding neon water guns and with masked faces. Our Red Cross leaders went to the back table, where they pretended to be International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) representatives. [...]

Opening Our Eyes

Natreka Wallace is a peer educator for the Bahamas Red Cross HIV programs, working with her colleagues to increase disease and prevention awareness in their communities. Many national stakeholders have requested their assistance at various activities, including national HIV testing events, World AIDS Day activities, community health fairs and condom blitzing campaigns, including the Condomize! [...]

International Focus: Growing Concerns in Gaza and Israel

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) posted a piece on their blog about the conflict in Gaza and Israel that is worth a read. The ICRC is an independent society that helps all around the world in cases of armed conflict. They provide critical humanitarian services to people affected by armed conflict, while [...]