This Weekly Worldwide Wrap-Up is courtesy of Scott Waggoner, from Cross Blog: Award-winning Red Cross news and views from Oregon and beyond

Welcome to the Weekly Worldwide Wrap-Up, in which we consolidate the international Red Cross and Red Crescent news into one list of bite-sized links for you. It’s a non-comprehensive sampling of the larger and/or more intriguing aspects of our global work…

PAKISTAN: Following the brutal murder of Khalil Rasjed Dale, a health program manager working for the ICRC, the organization is reviewing its presence and activities in Pakistan. The ICRC has put on hold its activities carried out from offices in Peshawar and Karachi, with the operations in Balochistan already frozen in the aftermath of the incident. In the coming weeks, the ICRC will announce a decision on its future presence and set-up in Pakistan.

SOUTH SUDAN: Since the beginning of the year, the ICRC has stepped up its efforts to respond to mounting humanitarian needs in South Sudan. Needs increased further in early April when hostilities erupted along the border with Sudan. The ICRC, in cooperation with the newly recognized South Sudan Red Cross, is striving to help people affected by armed violence in South Sudan by supporting health-care system, visiting detainees, promoting humanitarian law, and assisting approximately 20,000 newly displaced individuals.

NEPAL: When the armed conflict in Nepal ended in 2006, around 17,000 people were dead and 3,100 reported to the ICRC as missing. While the fates of many are now known, there are still more than 1,400 people on the ICRC’s list of missing persons that continue to be investigated. In the places where the ICRC works, it has been seeking for decades to forestall disappearances, restore family links when they have been broken, and ascertain the whereabouts of missing people.

BURKINA FASO: In a remote rural Burkina Faso community, the Burkinabe Red Cross Society has set up two women’s groups with community gardens where they grow vegetables that provide a lifeline for families struggling with severe hunger. Up to 23 million people across the Sahel region are facing severe hunger due to frequent droughts. The Burkinabe Red Cross Society has been focused on food security for eight years with support from the Spanish Red Cross, training communities how to grow vegetables outside of the usual crop production season.

GLOSSARY:

ICRC = International Committee of the Red Cross
IFRC = International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

This Weekly Worldwide Wrap-Up is courtesy of Scott Waggoner, from Cross Blog: Award-winning Red Cross news and views from Oregon and beyond

Welcome to the Weekly Worldwide Wrap-Up, in which we consolidate the international Red Cross and Red Crescent news into one list of bite-sized links for you. It’s a non-comprehensive sampling of the larger and/or more intriguing aspects of our global work…

YEMEN: In recent weeks there has been an increase in violence in southern Yemen. Clashes in Lawdar have left hundreds of casualties, and a new wave of displacement in the wake of the fighting. After lengthy negotiations with all parties, ICRC teams re-entered the area in mid-April to distribute food and other items to 36,000 people. In addition to enduring the hardship caused by fighting, Yemen has been lashed by widespread heavy rain in the north. In response to the flooding, the ICRC has provided around 1,000 relief kits, food to more than 2,100, treated more than 60,000 animals, and donated 500,000 measles vaccines.

GAMBIA: Young people from the Gambia Red Cross Society have put together a 15-person “Humanity Band” aimed at developing the musical talents of young volunteers while fundraising for Red Cross programs and increasing public awareness of disease control and prevention. An estimated 500,000 people have been reached through the music and proactive health messages.

PHILIPPINES: In an effort to raise environmental awareness among youth, the Philippine Red Cross developed the “Run, Plant and Care for the Mangroves and our Environment” project to help better prepare for adverse climate change effects. In response to the decline of mangrove forests, the planting of mangrove trees is needed to help protect fishpond dikes and homes from sea surges and storm damage.

LEBANON: In collaboration with the Belgian Red Cross, the Lebanese Red Cross youth department has been pursuing the “Dissemination of Humanitarian Norms” project. The project encourages young people to think carefully about the consequences of conflicts, embrace humanitarian behaviors, and become responsible citizens that act according to Red Cross Red Crescent principles. Since 2009, the project has successfully reached 101,000 young people and mobilized 750 volunteers across the country.

GLOSSARY:

ICRC = International Committee of the Red Cross
IFRC = International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

PHOTO:

The ICRC providing support for the internally displaced persons camp at Al-Jabanah, Yemen. (C. Martin-Chicco, ICRC)

This Weekly Worldwide Wrap-Up is courtesy of Scott Waggoner, from Cross Blog: Award-winning Red Cross news and views from Oregon and beyond

Welcome to the Weekly Worldwide Wrap-Up, in which we consolidate the international Red Cross and Red Crescent news into one list of bite-sized links for you. It’s a non-comprehensive sampling of the larger and/or more intriguing aspects of our global work…

RWANDA: Recent heavy rain in Rwanda has led to flooding that has
affected water supplies and damaged roads, schools, clinics and over
700 homes. The Rwandan Red Cross Society is currently assisting displaced people in flood-affected areas of the country
by distributing relief items to 300 households, offering psychosocial
support, assisting communities to recover bodies, and tracing displaced
children.

PAKISTAN: This past weekend ICRC received confirmation that staff member Khalil Rasjed Dale, a 60-year-old health-program manager in Pakistan, was murdered almost four months after his kidnapping. He was abducted by unidentified armed men on January 5th. Khalil worked for the ICRC and the British Red Cross for many years, carrying out assignments in Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq.

UKRAINE: Last week marked the 22 year anniversary of the nuclear explosion near Chernobyl in northern Ukraine, which affected over 8 million people across Ukraine, Belarus and parts of Russia. Since 1990, the Red Cross Societies of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, in concert with the IFRC, have run the Chernobyl Humanitarian Assistance and Rehabilitation Program. The main focus of the project remains thyroid cancer screening for people who were under 40 years old at the time of the nuclear accident. In 2011 alone, 115,072 patients were screened as part of the program with diagnosis of thyroid cancer confirmed in 186 patients.

SAUDI ARABIA: This week the Saudi Red Crescent Authority donated
one million dollars as a contribution to the IFRC Digital Divide
initiative. The initiative is designed to build a technologically integrated Red Cross Red Crescent community
that better serves humanitarian needs. The Red Crescent is the primary
organization through which the Saudi government channels its
humanitarian assistance.

GLOSSARY:

ICRC = International Committee of the Red Cross
IFRC = International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

PHOTO:

The Rwandan Red Cross Society sending out volunteers to flood affected areas to help rescue and support thousands of people.

Welcome to the Weekly Worldwide Wrap-Up, in which we consolidate the international Red Cross and Red Crescent news into one list of bite-sized links for you. It’s a non-comprehensive sampling of the larger and/or more intriguing aspects of our global work…

SOUTH AMERICA: La Niña has brought heavy rain fall over the past four months that continues to cause severe flooding and landslides in Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru. The weather has damaged crops and roads across the region, leaving many communities isolated and seriously affecting the livelihoods of some 800,000 people.  Red Cross societies, in cooperation with local governments and with support from the IFRC, are providing disaster relief assistance by distributing food parcels, hygiene kits, and 56,000 mosquito nets.

HAITI: The ICRC, which has visited detainees in Haiti continually since 1994, is engaged in a huge effort to help authorities address the problems stemming from prison overcrowding and poor conditions. The ICRC is training prison medical workers in controlling the diseases that are most common in detention and in the management and use of medicine.

LIBERIA: After the post-electoral violence in Ivory Coast, thousands of Ivorians took refuge in Liberia.  Liberian authorities detained some of them, and the ICRC has been working to monitor detainee’s conditions and seek their release. Earlier this month 69 nationals were released from an internment camp and the ICRC transported them to a refugee camp near the Ivorian border.

VIETNAM: As cases of hand, foot and mouth disease continue to rise to record levels in Vietnam, the IFRC and Vietnam Red Cross are gearing up for a widespread public education campaign on how to prevent the disease through better hygiene. The campaign will be conducted with the support of almost 5,400 community volunteers trained by the Red Cross. They will target more than 752,255 people in 13 provinces.

GLOSSARY:

ICRC = International Committee of the Red Cross
IFRC = International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

PHOTO:

Relief efforts of the Ecuadorian Red Cross.

The Red Cross and Red Crescent are symbols recognized worldwide. Its presence—on the sides of medical ambulances, emergency response vehicles, t-shirts of volunteers—immediately instills hope and relief to the millions of people impacted by conflict and disaster. And while the American Red Cross is known for its work in both domestic and international disasters, there is another aspect of our work that is not as well known. But to one billion children in 80 different countries around the world, this work has literally saved their lives.

The Measles Initiative is a partnership—led by the American Red Cross, United Nations Foundation, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF and World Health Organization—committed to reducing measles deaths worldwide. And since the partnership in 2001, we’ve been doing just that.

As a result of the Initiative, more than 1 billion children in more than 80 countries have received a measles vaccination. To date, the partnership has invested $670 million in measles control activities, helping to save an estimated 4.3 million lives. We do this through technical and financial support to governments and communities conducting mass vaccination campaigns, improving routine immunization services, and establishing effective disease surveillance. This is critical because as much success as the Measles Initiative has had, if vaccine coverage doesn’t reach 95 percent of a population, the virus doesn’t go away.

One of the strengths of the Red Cross and Red Crescent network is the power of our millions of volunteers around the globe. Because of this strength, the American Red Cross focuses on social mobilization for the Measles Initiative. Volunteers use mass media, rallies, door-to-door visits and educational entertainment to reach families in distant villages and urban settlements who typically do not have access to routine health services. This personal outreach results in parents bringing their children in to be vaccinated, leading to increased participation in mass vaccination campaigns by as much as 10 percent. Greater participation means greater immunization coverage and greater chances of warding off outbreaks.

One day, we hope to eradicate “The Last Measle.”

This post was provided to us by Guest Blogger Niki Clark

Welcome to the Weekly Worldwide Wrap-Up, in which we consolidate the international Red Cross and Red Crescent news into one list of bite-sized links for you. It’s a non-comprehensive sampling of the larger and/or more intriguing aspects of our global work…

INDIAN OCEAN: The 8.6 earthquake that struck off the coast of the Indonesian Island of Sumatra last week brought fears that the region might see a repeat of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami which caused widespread devastation. Fortunately the tsunami never materialized, but it was clear that this time communities were significantly better prepared than in 2004. Sirens triggered by tsunami early warning systems alerted people in towns and villages along the coast in several nations, assisted in the evacuation process by Red Cross volunteers. Since 2004, regional Red Cross societies have been hard at work putting in place effective community-based early warning systems that include the training of volunteers, mock drills, construction of community centers in safer locations, installation of warning sirens and identification of evacuation routes.

MALI: Since mid-January Northern Mali has been in crisis, making it difficult for the population to obtain health care, water and food. At this stage, the ICRC’s priority is to establish dialogue with all parties in order to obtain guarantees for the safety of its staff and security for equipment and supplies needed to carry out humanitarian operations. With the support of ICRC staff, major efforts are under way to meet needs in Gao and Timbuktu. The ICRC is also hard at work in neighboring countries where tens of thousands of Malians have sought refuge, often in conditions of great hardship.

IRAQ: Many people in Iraq are still struggling to earn a living and support their families. In January and February, the ICRC enabled upgrades to 44 miles of irrigation canals and nearby agricultural land through cash-for-work programs that benefitted 1,800 people. The ICRC also has ongoing programs to visit detainees, assist health-care facilities, provide clean water and sanitation, clearing unexploded munitions, clarifying the fate of missing people, and promoting compliance with international humanitarian law.

AFGHANISTAN: Given the growing incidence of scabies in Afghanistan’s overcrowded jails, the ICRC has launched an eradication campaign in cooperation with prison authorities. Scabies is highly contagious and caused by egg laying mites, leading to severe itching and discomfort. The eradication team has already visited several jails in both the north and southern parts of the country, and is using a series of decontamination, treatments, and hygiene training for detainees and staff.

GLOSSARY:

ICRC = International Committee of the Red Cross
IFRC = International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

PHOTO:
Volunteers assisting in public warning, IFRC.

Welcome to the Weekly Worldwide Wrap-Up, in which we consolidate the international Red Cross and Red Crescent news into one list of bite-sized links for you. It’s a non-comprehensive sampling of the larger and/or more intriguing aspects of our global work…

INDIAN OCEAN: This morning the USGS detected a 8.6 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Indonesia’s Aceh province, followed by several strong aftershocks. Reports indicate that unlike the devastating 2004 earthquake and tsunami, the initial quake was located farther from land and was from horizontal plate motion (that create reduced tsunami activity), resulting in no significant tsunami or quake damage. IFRC staff in Indonesia report that the shaking lasted about three minutes, and the Palang Merah Indonesia (Indonesian Red Cross) is working to calm the public, monitor the situation, and is on standby for assistance.

JAPAN: 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the Empress Shoken Fund, which was created in 1912 by the Empress of Japan to support Red Cross and Red Crescent activities worldwide. Over the past century, the fund has grown substantially thanks to contributions from the Japanese government, the Japanese Red Cross Society, the Imperial Family and the Meiji Jingu shrine. Each year, the Fund supports a wide range of initiatives, from tuberculosis programs to first-aid training, from blood collection to community projects. Since the inception of the fund, more than 150 Red Cross or Red Crescent Societies have benefited from the philanthropic initiative.

SWITZERLAND: This week the IFRC, together with the United Nations World Food Program and World Vision, is hosting the 2012 Fleet Forum in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 2003, the Fleet Forum seeks to add value to transport effectiveness by providing leadership and support in the areas of road safety, environmental impact, and cost efficiency. This year’s conference will bring together over seventy stakeholders from aid and development, the commercial sector and academia to stimulate a sharing of best practices in humanitarian fleet management.

GLOSSARY:

IFRC = International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

PHOTO:
West Sumatra after the April 11th Earthquake, Palang Merah Indonesia Public Relations Staff

Welcome to the Weekly Worldwide Wrap-Up, in which we consolidate the international Red Cross and Red Crescent news into one list of bite-sized links for you. It’s a non-comprehensive sampling of the larger and/or more intriguing aspects of our global work…

BURKINA FASO: The Burkinabé Red Cross, with support from the ICRC, has provided emergency aid for over 18,000 people at five refugee centers in Burkina Faso. The refugees are escaping violence in Mali, and were given blankets, tarpaulins, kitchen items, soap and buckets. Burkina Faso is also currently facing a food crisis to a lack of rainfall and a poor harvest. In February, the Burkinabé Red Cross worked with the IFRC to distribute food vouchers to 5,500 people in Oudalan province. The Red Cross food vouchers enabled families to buy basic foods at local shops in their villages to meet immediate needs without having to sell off more assets.

COLOMBIA: This week the ICRC helped facilitate the release of 10 people (four soldiers and six police officers) held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP). Some of these people have been held for over 14 years. These handovers are possible thanks to confidential dialogue with all the parties with the ICRC acting as a neutral intermediary and facilitator.

FIJI: Torrential rain since March 29th has caused severe flooding for the second time this year in the western division of Fiji’s largest island of Viti Levu. Four people have died and over 8,000 people have been forced to seek safety in 91 evacuation centers following the floods. The Fiji Red Cross Society is providing support and care at the evacuation centers, and disseminating precautionary advice on maintaining good health and hygiene to safeguard against disease outbreaks.

SUDAN/ SOUTH SUDAN: Following recent clashes along the border between Sudan and South Sudan, the ICRC performed emergency surgery on nine wounded combatants in Bentiu Hospital in Unity state. An ICRC medical team based at the Malakal Teaching Hospital did the surgery, and has been in the area providing paediatric, trauma and emergency surgical care. The ICRC is also donating surgical supplies to local hospitals to help in the event of further casualties.

UNITED STATES: The president of the ICRC, Jakob Kellenberger, met with President Obama last week in Washington and held talks with senior government officials. A key topic of conversation was detention-related matters at Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere, in which the United States must strike a balance between security, military necessity and humanity. Ten years of intensive operational dialogue, including on humanitarian issues related to national security, have resulted in a frank relationship of trust between the ICRC and the United States.

GLOSSARY:

ICRC = International Committee of the Red Cross
IFRC = International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

PHOTO:
Mohamed Ingouda, 46, from Burkina Faso, receives a second round of food vouchers from the Burkinabé Red Cross.

In a bustling convention center amidst more than 4,100 independent school leaders, teachers, best-selling authors, exhibitors and even Bill Gates – there was me. I’m Kathryn Bluher, the AmeriCorps Communications Coordinator for the American Red Cross Chapter serving King and Kitsap Counties in Washington state.

As I walked into the Washington State Convention Center for the 2012 NAIS Annual Conference I was overwhelmed by the electricity in the air. Hundreds of individuals passed by my side as I stood frozen taking in the sights and sounds of educational inspiration. In a city well-known for its technological spirit and innovation, Seattle was an ideal host for a conference intended to celebrate educational ingenuity. It was also the perfect environment to highlight the American Red Cross Exploring Humanitarian Law curriculum.

In between workshops where educators were learning “Best Practices on Engaging Students in Social Change,” I watched as the Red Cross International Services Team challenged these same individuals to engage students in social change by exploring humanitarian law. It was their goal throughout the conference to raise awareness for the curriculum and to cultivate a passion for examining current global issues in the classroom. It was truly inspiring to watch the team work.

From apartheid in South Africa to the use of child soldiers in conflicts, the free curriculum explores these topics while fitting seamlessly into courses including social studies, history, law, literature and civics. The EHL toolkit of resources helps build students’ analytical skills by opening their minds to differing global perspectives and facilitating discussions that tackle current realities. Our world today is comprised of complex global issues and it is our duty to adapt and learn from these complexities. From World War II to the violence inDarfur, it is our job to help young people understand humanity, life and dignity. Through EHL we can make a difference; we can expand students’ understanding of conflict and its interconnectedness with the rights and protections of people.

“This is something everyone should know,” said EHL Master Educator Joanne Dufour.

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

“It lends itself to relevant authentic issues. It offers the students a different kind of buy-in. They draw parallels in their own lives,” continued Dufour.

By taking on these global issues in the classroom and by utilizing new age technology and adaptive lesson plans we can do more than teach; we can help young people unravel and understand events that are happening in our world today. Joanne summed up the conference perfectly with one quote, “you as an individual may not be able to make the change you want to see, but collectively we can do anything.”

It is a concept that continued to resonate in my mind throughout the conference and still resonates today. Help our youth gain respect for life and human dignity. Help us educate.

Learn more about Exploring Humanitarian Law and join us for the June 25-28 Summer Institute for Educators. The institute is a professional development opportunity for educators from across the country to come together and get immersed in the materials and to leave with a whole toolkit of educational resources to engage and inspire students.

Welcome to the Worldwide Wednesday Wrap-Up, in which we consolidate the international Red Cross and Red Crescent news into one list of bite-sized links for you. It’s a non-comprehensive sampling of the larger and/or more intriguing aspects of our global work…

INDIA: In the remotest areas of Chhattisgarh, India, the ICRC has been working with local health authorities and the Indian Red Cross Society to provide medical care where there is none. As part of this, a focus has been put on first-aid training/training of trainers workshops. The aim is not just to reduce deaths in the field, but also to ensure that health facilities are not swamped with minor injuries during emergencies.

CHINA: In southern China the Red Cross Society of China has been supporting a sanitation program that is taking an environmentally-friendly approach towards improving the health of the local population while also boosting food security in some of the poorest areas of the country. Ecological sanitation (EcoSan) toilets do not rely upon water, instead waste is stored and reused when free from microorganisms and the resulting compost is used to fertilize local crops. A city of 100,000 people would produce about a million pounds of potential eco fertilizer per year.

YEMEN: This week the ICRC began a two-day visit to 72 government soldiers detained by Ansar al-Sharia in Abyan governorate, Yemen. The soldiers were captured during fighting that erupted earlier this month and has left scores of people wounded or dead. The ICRC has already provided medical treatment for wounded soldiers and has been calling on all parties to give access to detainees.

HONDURAS: In the wake of the fire that broke out a month ago at the Comayagua prison in Honduras, in which more than 360 people died, the ICRC has been supporting victim identification and offering psychological support to families. Because there were so many victims, many of whose remains are unrecognizable, the identification process is very complicated and lengthy. The ICRC has donated essential items to deal with the remains of those killed in the fire, has been providing forensic advice to the Honduran government, and has two psychologists providing psychosocial support for relatives and for those responding to the disaster.

GLOSSARY:

ICRC = International Committee of the Red Cross
IFRC = International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

PHOTO:
In Chhattisgarh, India, the ICRC Master Trainer explains how to use locally available material as a splint to immobilize a limb.