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…
[The place names link to maps so that you can get a quick idea of the region.]
CHILE: The ICRC has been working with the Chilean Red Cross to bring medical supplies and communications to prison inmates affected by February’s earthquake, as well as helping tsunami victims get back in touch with their families.
HAITI: 20-year-old Hatian Nadia Grossaint became a Red Cross volunteer because of the earthquake. She has dubbed her team “the Haitian sensation” and is leading them into hard-to-reach areas to distrubte tents, tarps, sleeping mats, mosquito nets, blankets, kitchen sets, hygiene kits and other supplies.
BANGLADESH: The ICRC and the Bangladesh Red Crescent distributed aid, including: dhal, soybean oil, salt, cooking sets, hygiene items, tarps, jerrycans, mosquito nets and blankets to some 3,500 Bengali and indigenous people who were forced to flee their homes after violence broke out in February.
BOLIVIA: Throughout 2009, ICRC delegates visited detainees, helped promote international humanitarian law, and trained and equipped four emergency-response teams from the Bolivian Red Cross.
PHILIPPINES: With support from the ICRC, one determined warden tackled the overcrowding and health issues in her Antipolo City Jail.
GLOBAL SNAPSHOTS: The British Red Cross blog has begun a “global snapshots” series, featuring stories about how Red Cross and Red Crescent national societies work throughout the world.
GLOSSARY:
ICRC = International Committee of the Red Cross
IFRC = International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies