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.]
NIGER/MALI: The ICRC is helping thousands of people in the northern parts of the two countries who are facing afood crisis after years of drought and outbreaks of violence.
COLOMBIA: Over the past year, ICRC delegates have recorded some 800 alleged violations of international humanitarian law. To address the most pressing needs, the ICRC focuses on around 20 areas of the country particularly affected by the armed conflict, where government bodies and other relief organizations have little presence.
SOMALIA: The ICRC is working with the Somali Red Crescent Society to improve health care, nutrition, water supply and crop productivity in regions affected by drought and ongoing fighting.
UKRAINE: More than two decades after the disaster, the IFRC continues to offer psychosocial assistance and screen 90,000 people a year for thyroid cancer through its Chernobyl Humanitarian Assistance and Rehabilitation Programme.
AFGHANISTAN: The Afghan Red Crescent Society has been trekking into mountain communities with tents, blankets, kitchen sets, plastic sheets, tarpaulins and jerry cans and other aid for residents affected by a 5.3 magnitude earthquake.
WEST AFRICA: Thousands of volunteers have mobilized to launch a final assault on polio.
GLOSSARY:
ICRC = International Committee of the Red Cross
IFRC = International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
ICRC = International Committee of the Red Cross
IFRC = International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies