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Red Cross Red Crescent
voluteers' activities around the world
| Fighting
exclusion
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Supporting
vulnerable people - Albanian Red Cross volunteers
After 50 years of isolation, Albania has experienced a decade
of turmoil, with civil unrest, economic difficulties, widespread
social change and the effects of instability in the Balkans.
In a bid to support the most vulnerable in Albanian society,
some 2,500 Albanian Red Cross volunteers are implementing social
welfare programmes to provide basic social services.
Following the Kosovo refugee crisis, the volunteers ran a 12-month
food distribution programme for 30,000 vulnerable, elderly Albanians.
They also distributed goods to institutions for the elderly,
children and people with disabilities. During the refugee crisis,
they were particularly active in border areas, at transit centres
and in managing the distribution of relief goods to refugees
in host families in Albania. |
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Visits
of hope - Bosnia and Herzegovina Red Cross volunteers
More than five years after the end of the war in former Yugoslavia,
many elderly refugees, returnees and displaced people are still
living in dreadful conditions. The most vulnerable are often
unable to obtain the support they need from local authorities.
Having identified the needs, Red Cross volunteers in Bosnia
and Herzegovina are assisting 15,000 elderly and housebound
people across the country, through a 'home care' programme.
Early in 2000, some 900 Red Cross home care volunteers carried
out around 50,000 visits and referred an average of 2,500 people
to medical services each month. |
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Helping newly arrived
refugees - British Red Cross volunteers
The average number of asylum seekers and refugees arriving in
the United Kingdom each year has risen to around 30,000 and
much of the burden of supporting these people has fallen on
voluntary and non-governmental organizations.
London is a difficult city for any newcomer, let alone a person
who has left their homeland in traumatic circumstances. British
Red Cross volunteers are running a 'refugee orientation' programme
in the London area, to enable each individual to become familiar
with the local services. Each refugee or asylum seeker is assigned
a volunteer who assists him or her to locate resources such
as schools, community health services and social security offices.
In each case, the assistance is tailored to the person's individual
needs. |
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| Fighting
disease and
promoting health
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Containing an Ebola
outbreak - Ugandan Red Cross volunteers
Of the 649 cases of Ebola reported in Uganda during the latest
outbreak of this deadly disease, 156 people are known to have
died. As panic gripped the local population, Ugandan Red Cross
volunteers risked their lives to prevent the spread of the Ebola
virus in the northern region of Gulu. During three weeks, some
50 specially-trained volunteers went from house to house, explaining
to more than 100,000 people how to recognize the symptoms of
Ebola and how to protect themselves. They also organized hospital
transfers for people suspected of having contracted the virus.
The practical advice offered by the volunteers helped save hundreds
of lives in the densely populated and conflict-affected communities
of northern Uganda. They also provided psychological support
to bereaved family members who were often shunned by their neighbours.
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Bikes against AIDS -
Burundi Red Cross volunteers
In war-torn Burundi, two million new cases of AIDS are reported
each year. In a desperate battle against this killer, a team
of nearly 300 volunteers from the Burundi Red Cross are using
bicycles to reach isolated communities so they can inform villagers
about the spread of HIV. After completing a training programme,
the volunteers hit the roads and dirt tracks in their region
to provide basic health information on immunization, sexually-transmitted
diseases, HIV/AIDS transmission, nutrition and diarrhoeal diseases.
The Burundi Red Cross programme is part of ARCHI 2010 (the Africa
Red Cross Red Crescent Societies Health Initiative), a major
public health effort supported by the 53 African Red Cross and
Red Crescent Societies. As the fight against AIDS will be won,
or lost, at the local level, the two million Red Cross and Red
Crescent volunteers across the continent are uniquely placed
to address the spread of HIV. |
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Clinics for communities
- Somali Red Crescent volunteers
Nine years of civil war has left Somalia with little infrastructure
and no central government. Despite deep divisions within the
country, the Somali Red Crescent has remained united and is
running 44 health clinics, providing a vital service for isolated
communities. In the absence of a national health service, these
clinics are the only source of medical assistance across much
of the country and people walk for days to reach them. The clinics
have improved the health of the local population and communities
have developed respect and confidence in clinic staff. The opening
of a new clinic is cause for celebration. |
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| Responding
to threats
on the environment
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Saving
lives with cyclone warnings - Bangladesh Red Crescent volunteers
Each year Bangladesh is struck by devastating floods and cyclones.
Poverty and the proliferation of shanty towns on marginal land
in urban and coastal areas where jobs are concentrated, exacerbate
the vulnerability of millions of people. Some 150,000 youth
volunteers and 32,000 field volunteers from the Bangladesh Red
Crescent are working to minimize the effect of these natural
disasters. As each storm approaches, coastal populations are
warned via a 115-radio station network. As the warnings are
broadcast, Red Crescent volunteers rush to villages most at
risk to assist the population seeking refuge in one of the 153
cyclone shelters, which can each house up to 800 people. |
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Braving
Hurricane George - Red Cross volunteers in the Caribbean
In 1998 Hurricane Georges cut a swath of destruction through
the islands of the Caribbean. In the wake of the worst hurricane
to hit in a decade, more than 12,000 volunteers from Red Cross
Societies throughout the region were immediately mobilized to
help their local communities.
Their local knowledge and training in disaster response proved
invaluable. The volunteers worked tirelessly to rescue those
trapped in rubble, administer first aid, transport the injured,
distribute relief items, conduct damage assessments and manage
shelters. Around 200,000 people were assisted by volunteers
across the region. |
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Masks against
the haze - Palang Merah Indonesia volunteers
The great fires that swept across Indonesia in 1997 created
a huge cloud of haze which engulfed much of South East Asia,
affecting tens of millions of people.
In the worst hit Indonesian regions of Kalimantan and Sumatra,
volunteers from the Palang Merah Indonesia distributed 450,000
face masks to the elderly and to children during a two-week
period. Simultaneously, volunteers were distributing rice in
Irian Jaya where an El Niño-induced drought caused a
severe food shortage, and in Sulawesi, volunteers were running
food kitchens and providing emergency first aid in response
to a major earthquake. |
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| Alleviating
the sufferings
of violence
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Across
barricades - Côte d'Ivoire Red Cross volunteers
Following a period of political unrest, violence flared in Côte
d'Ivoire after presidential elections in October 2000. Hundreds
of people were killed. Volunteers from the Red Cross Society
of Côte d'Ivoire were on the front line throughout the
period. During three days of fighting, 160 volunteers worked
around the clock in the capital, Abidjan, and another 29 mobile
teams, each comprising 20 volunteers, assisted the injured in
provincial areas. In all, the teams provided first aid to more
than 300 people and transported 127 people to hospital.
A previously-conducted, extensive information campaign to raise
awareness of the role of the Red Cross paid off during the fighting.
Barricades were lifted so first aid teams could reach the injured
and security forces allowed Red Cross volunteers access to those
in need. |
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Living
safely among landmines - Mozambique Red Cross youth volunteers
Landmines still injure and kill in Mozambique. To date, more
than 120,000 people have become victims of this legacy of Mozambique's
civil war. With an estimated two million mines still buried
around roads, bridges, water sources and villages, people are
at risk every day. Some 300 Mozambique Red Cross youth volunteers
have embarked on an ambitious project to inform 200,000 people
how to live as safely as possible in the worst-affected areas.
By distributing leaflets and posters and using theatre, reading
and discussion groups, the volunteers inform local people about
the dangers of mines. They also collect data on suspected mine
areas, provide first aid to victims and support to survivors,
and help erect billboards around mined land. |
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From first
aid to psychological assistance - Algerian Red Crescent volunteers
Since the outbreak of the violence in Algeria in the early nineties,
Algerian Red Crescent volunteers have gradually been extending
their activities to help traumatized women and children. Drawing
on their traditional first aid expertise and, with the support
of psychologists and educators, the volunteers have developed
a number of psychological support programmes.
A decade ago, the Algerian Red Crescent began a summer camp
programme for children who had either been traumatized by acts
of violence or who came from the poorer segments of society.
The success of these camps and the experience gained by the
volunteers prompted a group of them to embark on a psychological
rehabilitation project for women and children. Since 1999, volunteers
have been running a series of vocational workshops and discussion
groups throughout the country. |
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Violence-free
space for children - Uruguay Red Cross youth volunteers
Home to around 50 families, 2 de Enero is a poor neighbourhood
of Montevideo with a high rate of violence. Since 1998, Red
Cross youth volunteers have offered the local children a 'violence-free
recreational space'. Using recreational activities such as puppet
shows, dancing and games, the volunteers aim to show children
the values of non-violence.
Local community representatives and volunteers from other organizations
are also involved in the project and regularly attend the Saturday
morning activities and festive events. An evaluation of the
programme after 12 months found that relationships within the
community have been strengthened and that residents have found
it useful in finding solutions to their problems. Plans are
now being developed to widen the programme across all age groups. |
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| Building
bridges between
communities
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Perilous
conditions - The Magen David Adom and Palestine Red Crescent
Society volunteers
Throughout the recent clashes in the region, several hundred
volunteers and staff from the Palestine Red Crescent Society
and the Magen David Adom have been working tirelessly to alleviate
suffering and save lives, fulfilling their humanitarian mission
in extremely difficult conditions. Dozens of ambulances from
both organizations have been attacked and there have been many
occasions when respect for medical personnel has been largely
ignored.
In order to discuss the difficulties faced in rescue operations,
the presidents of both organizations met in Geneva in December,
at the invitation of the International Committee of the Red
Cross and in the presence of representatives of the International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. They decided
to step up their operational cooperation to improve access to
medical facilities and ensure freedom of movement for all medical
services. |
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Adios a
la violencia - Colombian Red Cross youth volunteers
The majority of the 30,000 people who die a violent death in
Colombia each year are civilians. Throughout the country, 76,000
young volunteers of the Colombian Red Cross are engaged in various
community development programmes which advocate for peace. Red
Cross volunteers are working together with young people in 25
neighbourhoods in Bogotá, Sucre, Cordoba and Antioquia,
on a project called ''Paz, Accion y Convivencia'' (Peace, Action
and Coexistence) which aims to strengthen social links.
In conflict zones where - according to recent surveys - 60 percent
of children have witnessed a violent death, volunteers are spreading
humanitarian principles and disseminating a message of tolerance
among young people through various innovative games and recreational
activities. |
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