Int. Federation Red Cross Red Crescent Societies

Planting coconut palms in Indonesia

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:12:12 GMT

By Megan Rowling, British Red Cross in Indonesia. Pasi Janeng, a coastal village on the island of Pulo Nasi, off the northern tip of Indonesia�s Aceh province, looks picture-perfect. There is a long white beach, waves lapping gently at the shore, red and blue fishing boats dotted along the shore. But there�s something missing: coconut palms. Most of the trees and vegetation that protected this quiet settlement of 99 households from winds and high tides were swept away by the 2004 tsunami, in which 43 villagers died. In recent months, exposure to the elements has allowed strong winds to rip the roofs of two new houses built by humanitarian organizations. But local people are working hard to prevent hazards like strong winds, storms, high tides and tsunamis causing so much damage in the future. With a 13,346 Swiss franc grant provided by the British Red Cross, villagers have replanted a 2km strip of land behind the beach with coconut palms, casuarina and siron (hibiscus trees) � replacing the trees that were uprooted by the giant waves. Protecting Kamarudin, 52, is chairman of the village development forum � an organization set up to work with the Red Cross in implementing projects. Surveying the neat, well-tended saplings, which are fenced off to keep out foraging pigs, he says that the plantation will bring financial benefits as well as protection � if not for him, then for his grandchildren. �Coconut palms provide income too � they are multi-purpose � it�s only the root you can�t use. We�ve planted the same trees that were here before the tsunami, but we wouldn�t have had enough money to buy them without the grant,� he explains. For four months, beginning in December 2007, villagers took it in turns to work on the plantation � clearing the land, planting trees and putting in place the wooden fencing and concrete tubing that protects the saplings. While much of the hard graft is over, it will be several years before the trees are large enough to provide decent protection and the plantation needs to be maintained. Understanding Kamarudin and his team will make sure that happens. The forum, made up of seven men and two women, developed the proposal for the community grant, with the help of Red Cross volunteers, and will see the project through to its completion. �The team now has a better understanding of how to prepare for disasters,� says Kamarudin. �People in this community also learn a lot from nature.�

IFRC plans for 2009 to focus on prevention and assist more than 150 million people in need

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:12:12 GMT

While the world is facing a major financial crisis that may have serious repercussions on humanitarian aid budgets, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has brought global attention back to the most vulnerable. Today, the organization announced its ambitious plans for 2009 and 2010.

Red Cross of the Democratic Republic of Congo: �We need to prepare�

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 12:12:12 GMT

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is bringing relief to thousands of recently displaced people in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The operation is taking place in the province of North Kivu, where conflict between rebels and government forces intensified at the end of October. According to its mandate to help victims of conflicts and of internal violence, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) leads the response of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in DRC in close consultation and cooperation with the Red Cross of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The International Federation, whose mandate is to support member National Societies, provides additional support when needed, especially in terms of capacity-building for the National Society. We asked the DR Congo Red Cross president, Dominique Lutula Kitoko, and secretary general, Jacques Katshitshi, as well as the head of the International Federation�s West and Central Africa zone office, Alasan Senghore, to share their views on the current humanitarian operation. Q: What is the humanitarian situation like in North Kivu? A (Jacques Katshitshi): More than 250,000 Congolese have had to leave their homes with practically nothing when fleeing fighting and searching for a secure place. Displaced people are living in extremely difficult conditions in several camps in North Kivu province. They shelter in churches, schools or wherever they can find a place to sleep. Additional temporary shelter is needed because people have to vacate the schools to facilitate the resumption of school lessons. There is a lack of food and water, and the hygiene conditions are terrible. Cases of malnutrition have been discovered in some of the camps. There might just be enough water to drink, but not enough for washing. This, combined with a lack of sanitation such as latrines, is putting people�s health at risk. Some people have lost children and family members. People are scared because the fighting still continues. Due to the fragile security situation, it�s impossible to reach some areas to take more help to those in need. Q: How is the Red Cross of the Democratic Republic of Congo helping people in need? A (Dominique Lutula Kitoko): Since the escalation of the conflict, Red Cross volunteers have given first aid and helped evacuate the wounded to hospitals, when the security situation has allowed. They have also buried corpses and cleaned the surrounding areas. The Red Cross is working mainly in a camp in Kibati, about 10km from Goma, which hosts 65,000 displaced people. Our volunteers contribute actively to the relief operation launched by the ICRC. They are involved in the daily distribution of 70,000 litres of drinking water y and food packages that last for ten days. They carry out hygiene promotion, help build latrines and assist in the identification of unaccompanied children. Fortunately, we have a countrywide network 100,000 volunteers, around 60 of whom are currently working in Kibati. Q: What kind of support does the Red Cross need in the operation? A (Jacques Katshitshi): Displaced people are in need of more food and water, and other essentials like kitchen sets, soap, mats and tarpaulins. We also need to protect our volunteers and provide them with additional first aid equipment such as rubber boots, stretchers, masks, gloves, soap and chlorine tablets for water purification. Q: What role does the International Federation play in the operation? A (Alasan Senghore): The International Federation will continue to support the capacity-building of the Red Cross. The International Federation is also looking at possibilities to support the National Society by providing material and equipment for contingency planning for areas outside the conflict zone. Q: What do you see as the main humanitarian challenges in North Kivu during the coming weeks and months? A (Jacques Katshitshi): The Red Cross of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with the support of the ICRC, has to be prepared in case the conflict spreads to the surrounding provinces, such as South Kivu, Maniema, Oriental Province, or even to North Katanga. We need to train volunteers who belong to the provincial Red Cross committees in those regions. Volunteers also need additional first-aid training and briefings on working in conflict zones. Warning systems will also have to be developed to quickly mobilize volunteers when they are needed. A (Dominique Lutula Kitoko): I am most worried about displaced people and their coping mechanisms. People are living in constant fear and in a situation of not knowing what will happen next. How long the conflict is going to last, do they have to flee again tomorrow and how can they feed their children? Many people from North Kivu have already experienced disasters in their lives: the consequences of previous conflicts, floods, earthquakes, epidemics or volcanic eruptions. The current food security crisis, with the increase of basic food prices, has made many families, especially children, very vulnerable. The Red Cross cannot put an end to the conflict, but we need to find ways to continue assisting vulnerable people. We have volunteers in every village, but in some areas they are unable to help because the security situation is too dangerous. However, we will continue to assist the affected communities because it is our mandate and our mission to be the first organization present in the field.

Viet Nam floods: repeated disasters bring desolation to northern and central provinces

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 12:12:12 GMT

Six days of torrential rainfall between 30 October and 4 November have devastated a number of the northern and central provinces of Viet Nam. According to government figures, at least 85 people are dead and 600,000 people have been severely affected by the flooding. Some 180,000 houses have been destroyed, as well as more than 200,000 hectares of rice and vegetable fields. In addition, thousands of livestock have drowned. The situation is particularly acute for people in northern regions which were hit by Cyclone Kammuri in August 2008 and by Cyclone Hagupit in September 2008. They were just starting to return to normality after flash floods and landslides caused heavy damage to homes and crops. Access to clean water primordial �Access to clean water is an absolutely primordial concern for us,� emphasizes Amy Gaver, head of the International Federation�s Asia Pacific disaster management unit, based in Kuala Lumpur. �Not only has the flooding polluted water sources, but in certain urban areas, slow drainage and the damage to sanitary facilities is increasing the concentration of pollution, not to mention the risks associated with floating rubbish. We have already received reports of acute diarrhoea and dengue fever in some areas, and the risk of water-borne disease is increasing every day.� In the capital city of Hanoi alone, some 78,000 families have been affected and many streets are still submerged under half a metre of water. Transportation of people and goods has been made extremely difficult and electricity has been cut in many regions. In northern provinces, the situation has been exacerbated by the breaching of dykes and mudslides. Red Cross volunteers first on the scene First on the scene to provide emergency help was the Red Cross of Viet Nam, working in close collaboration with the authorities. The National Society mobilized hundreds of volunteers to carry out search and rescue, evacuations and provide first aid. They are also distributing food, clothing, kitchen utensils, blankets, mosquito nets, water buckets and cash grants to the most destitute families. In mountainous provinces, such as Hoa Binh, the Red Cross has provided children with buoyant school backpacks to prevent drowning accidents as many children travel to school by boat. Other Red Cross branches are sending staff and volunteers to help people clean their homes. Emergency appeal launched The International Federation has launched an emergency appeal for 4.8 million Swiss francs (4 million US dollars/3.1 million euros) to support the Red Cross of Viet Nam emergency operation for nearly 300,000 people, or 70,000 households, over the next ten months. The funds will be used to finance the distribution of food, water filters and relief items, to rebuild or repair wells and sanitation services, and to provide psychosocial support to survivors. More than 30,000 of the most vulnerable families will also be provided with seeds, fertilizer and livestock to restore their livelihoods. With weather forecasts predicting more rain, especially in central and southern provinces, the authorities have prioritized the strengthening of dykes to avoid more breaches and more flooding.

Sri Lanka: Community credit boosts poorest families

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:12:12 GMT

By Patrick Fuller, International Federation in Sri Lanka. Many impoverished tsunami-affected families are now taking advantage of a micro-finance system arranged by the Red Cross Red Crescent. In the four years since the tsunami struck, most of the affected families along Sri Lanka�s coastline have received some form of help to rebuild their homes and restore their livelihoods. However, it is not uncommon to find that humanitarian assistance programmes have failed to bring lasting benefits to some of the poorest and most marginalized families. One of the key obstacles has been gaining access to loans and financial services via the commercial banking sector. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and Sri Lanka Red Cross Society have stepped in to help some of these families via a partnership with SANASA, a well respected Micro Finance Institution (MFI) cooperative, with more than 800,000 members and 25 years of experience in Sri Lanka. Poorest A four-year pilot project is beginning in the southern district of Matara where 750 of the poorest families in the district will be provided with access to SANASA�s micro-finance services. Backed by the Swedish and Belgian Red Cross societies, the project aims to strengthen, diversify and protect livelihoods in a way that is sustainable over the long term. As well as improving the socio-economic and political status of these households within their communities, the project will also serve to build social unity between the host communities and families that have been resettled. Most of the selected households are currently over-reliant on very unpredictable sources of income such as seasonal agriculture, fishing and daily labour. Rising costs of basic commodities and soaring inflation has meant their economic security has become increasingly precarious. �These families have fragile coping mechanisms and need better financial security. By reducing the barriers that prevent them accessing credit and financial services we are helping to reduce the risks they face in the future,� explains Tissa Abeywickrama, chairman of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement task force. Repayments Micro-finance institutions traditionally specialize in group-lending. When a group in the community takes out a loan, peer pressure between the members serves as encouragement to ensure that individual repayments are made on schedule. Quite often the poorest families are excluded as they are considered to be too high risk. The Red Cross Red Crescent negotiated a broad risk reduction package with SANASA. Social mobilizers will help each household to gain a better understanding of what SANASA membership means and what services are available. General awareness raising and training on basic finances such as savings, debt, and household cash flow will also be given. The project will provide six months� compulsory savings to each family, the purchase of SANASA shares and any admission fees. According to Kumari Madurangi, manager at a local branch of the SANASA community bank, people�s attitudes towards bank savings accounts are changing. Account �Earlier villagers who wouldn�t even deposit 100 Rupees (one Swiss franc) into an account are now saving money with the bank. If people are paid in cash there is always the temptation to spend everything but if payment is made into a bank account, they will always leave a little bit behind when they withdraw funds�. Each household will be supported with training from the SANASA Education Campus that is intended to strengthen either the main or a secondary income to the household and SANASA Development Bank loans will be offered with lower rates of interest (eight per cent per annum fixed for the first three years compared to average interest rates of around 20 per cent). Another safeguard against future disasters is the provision of a SANASA insurance bundle for a five year period that provides cover for loss or damage to household or livelihoods equipment, funeral expenses, accidental death and illness including medial costs relating to the head of the household. Motivation Each household has to prove their own motivation and commitment to the scheme by meeting the membership requirements of the cooperative. This means attending monthly meetings and maintaining compulsory savings. Only then can they access further services. �Teaming up on a project of this scope with an established micro finance institute is a new departure for the Red Cross Red Crescent. The project offers a truly holistic package that includes everything from training to credit and insurance�, explains Emma Delo, IFRC livelihoods coordinator. �By subsidizing the micro-finance services for the first few years, each of the households in the project will become stronger and more able to access other financial services under their own right�.

China: Volunteerism leads to long-term commitments and deep friendships

Thu, 12 Nov 2008 12:12:12 GMT

Tens of thousands of Red Cross volunteers gathered in China�s Sichuan Province, playing a key role in rescue and relief work after the massive earthquake on 12 May 2008. Here is the personal story of Li Zheng, one of those volunteers. In early October, I received a phone call from someone whose voice I could not immediately recognise. �You got married! Congratulations,� the voice on the other end of the line said. I could not place the caller until my mind finally flashed back to nearly six months ago. It was Han Xiujiang. It was mid-May when Han Xiujaing and I had first met. At that time, I was still planning to open a diving club and underwater photography studio on China�s tropical Hainan Island. Then, tragedy happened � the Sichaun earthquake. Suddenly, global attention was focused on a south-western China. That tragedy is what brought Han and me together. The Assignment I arrived in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province on May 18 and proceeded to the headquarters of the Sichuan Red Cross. The courtyard was packed with volunteers of all descriptions, from students, to Buddhist monks, and to Chinese returning from abroad to help with the relief effort. I was assigned to a team heading for An County, one of the severely affected areas close to the quake�s epicentre. As I began my work, it seemed to me that the word �volunteer� had finally acquired a concrete meaning in many people�s minds for the first time in several decades. It felt just like the legendary story of Lei Feng, except this time, we were part of the story that was being written. He became renowned for serving the people; we had heard his story a thousand times while we were still children. My fellow Red Cross volunteer, Han Xiujiang, had arrived in the township of Feishui two days earlier and travelled to Gaochuan township to help the military and rescue teams to evacuate survivors. The township was almost completely buried by landslides, with more than 400 people and 150 mine trucks having been lost. Since the main road to the township was buried too, it took one full day of travel over a huge mountain pass for anybody who wanted to get in or get out of there. When Han returned, we worked together to help the affected people we met in whatever way we could. We entered collapsed houses to salvage crops and belongings for villagers, carried the wounded from remote mountain villages to get medical treatment, purchased material and cooked hot food for a week for those who had lost their homes. After the mission, Han went back to his relatively modest rural family in Shandong Province and continued his life. Other volunteers either went back to their old lives or started a whole new one, inspired to provide further service by the volunteer experience. I started working as a member of the staff at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, initially helping with logistics and relief work and finally communications. �It has been a long time,� says Han, on the phone, adding �it feels as if not only the time, but the distance between us has been suddenly compressed.� Our experience during the early days after the earthquake will play an important role for all the volunteers for the rest of our lives. The spirit of the volunteers will last for ever.

Ethiopia�s rain-lashed Wolaita zone holds its breath for the harvest

Thu, 12 Nov 2008 12:12:12 GMT

Carefully targeted humanitarian food interventions, supported by the Finnish and Austrian Red Cross and the Federation and implemented by the Ethiopian Red Cross Society, have helped alleviate a food-security crisis in Wolaita in the SNNPR region. But those projects will soon be winding down, and all eyes there are on crucial harvests starting about now � of wheat, maize, barley and teff � which are almost certain to have been damaged in unseasonal heavy rain. �Our work pulled people back from the brink earlier this year, but we cannot afford to relax,� says Kassahun Habtemariam, ERCS team leader for disaster preparedness and prevention. �If the harvest is poor or fails altogether, then we could be back in an emergency situation very quickly,� according to Hannele Kankuri, the Addis Ababa-based Finnish Red Cross team leader, whose food-relief effort was funded by ECHO. The paradox of Ethiopia�s food crisis is that as the eastern and southern lowlands suffer an acute drought, which is forecast to worsen in 2009, parts of the central highlands � including the capital � have seen torrential downpours almost daily, causing lethal flash-floods in places. What both parts of the country have in common is that familiar weather patterns have gone haywire, making life especially difficult for subsistence farmers and pastoralists. Crop prospects A country bulletin from the UN�s Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs (OCHA) last week said harvests looked �promising� in the west. But crop prospects in the east, particularly in the lowlands, were �poor� due to inadequate rain. The food-aid requirement in Ethiopia countrywide remains huge, according to experienced aid workers in Addis Ababa, and the drought effect is going to be worse next year, they say. The main challenge for humanitarian response remains available resources, with competing priorities for donors from countries like Afghanistan and now Democratic Republic of the Congo. Emergency needs for the first half of 2009 are being worked out by an inter-agency assessment exercise that began earlier this month in Tigray and will be agreed with the government. Ethiopia, meanwhile, is the latest stop for an interdisciplinary team from the International Federation, helping Horn of Africa National Societies plan ways to scale up efforts to address what many observers continue to regard as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. The team, which includes experts in nutrition, agriculture, health, relief, water and sanitation, and livelihoods, visited Wolaita and confirmed the general impression that the food emergency there had abated. In June, more than 160 severely malnourished children a week were coming from surrounding villages for intensive feeding in the Damot Pulasa woreda (district), making it likely that up to 4,000 children across the district were suffering lower levels of malnutrition. Adult hunger was also clearly in evidence. Scorched lowlands But the situation in Wolaita remains precarious, like many other parts of the country. The two woredas chosen for the Red Cross projects were assessed by the Ethiopian Red Cross and the government to be among the worst affected in the zone: between them some 76,000 beneficiaries were assisted. A further 20,000 were included in the Ethiopian government�s national �safety net� programme in the Finnish-assisted woreda, Damot Gale. An attempt by the Federation team to get through to the parched lowlands to the east of Goba, in Bale zone, had to be abandoned when the road became completely impassable. In Ethiopia, a descent of much more than 5,000 feet can encompass almost the full range of conditions from saturated ground and dirt tracks made impassable by heavy rain to extreme drought that drives struggling pastoralists in the other direction. Over the past few years some small farmers in the mid-highland regions have been forced to commute to higher elevations, where the rain has been more plentiful to seek day-work after their own crops failed. Farmers like Abdulahi Adem, 35, married with six children, who grows teff, maize and wheat in Keku village, Bale zone. �Before when we planted in a normal period we produced plenty of everything,� he says. �But due to the rains failing this year we were able to collect only four bags [200kg]. �The weather has been changing. But this year it seems better because there was rainfall and it might help us to produce more. In the past two years all we planted was lost because of a shortage of rain.� At these elevations, at least, there are some alternatives. But down in the scorched lowlands, like Afar and the Somali region, pastoralists have little choice but to move further and further afield to find shrinking supplies of pasture and browse.

Yemen: Situation �critical� for flood-affected families

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:12:12 GMT

The Red Cross Red Crescent is helping thousands of people who are still suffering after flash flooding hit several districts. By Marie-Fran�oise Borel in Geneva Thousands of families remain in a critical situation after flash floods affected a third of Yemen in late October. Torrential rains devastated the south eastern and south western parts of the country, killing some 180 people, destroying more than 2,000 houses as well as roads and other infrastructure, and forcing the displacement of between 20,000 to 25,000 people. Authorities fear the death toll may continue to rise as many people are still reported missing and final assessments have not yet been completed. The number of displaced families may also increase. Emergency relief Hundreds of Yemen Red Crescent volunteers and staff continue to distribute emergency relief from their own pre-positioned stocks, including food, water, blankets and basic medicines to the homeless. The flood waters washed away much of the soil in certain areas and many fields are now unsuitable for cultivation. Thousands of livestock have died and damage to crops, palm groves and beehives is severe in a number of districts, such as Sah, Suna and Tarim in the Hadramaut valley. In some areas, 70 per cent of farmers were affected by flooding. For people temporarily housed in schools and mosques, the situation remains difficult. Although most have no home to return to, they will have to find shelter elsewhere since schools are due to reopen soon. Appeal launched The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has launched a preliminary emergency appeal of 1.7 million Swiss francs (1.5 million US dollars/1.2 million euro) to support the Yemen Red Crescent�s relief operation for the most vulnerable families. The funds will be used to provide nearly 5,000 people in the governorates of Hadramaut and Al-Mahara with food, blankets, bedding, water treatment products, hygiene articles, basic health care, shelter materials and psychosocial support over the coming 12 months. �Assessments are ongoing, and the results will allow us to further define the type and extent of help needed for displaced families in the mid and long term,� explains Tenna Mengistu, IFRC country representative in Yemen. Rebuilding lives �But it was important to launch an appeal quickly to mobilize more funds and bring substantial assistance to families whose situation remains precarious. As we receive more information, we will probably revise this appeal upwards to make sure people can begin rebuilding their lives in decent conditions.� The Yemen Red Crescent is working in close collaboration with the authorities and with many partners, including the IFRC, other Red Cross and Red Crescent societies which have rushed help to the area, and UN agencies including the WHO, UNHCR and UNICEF.

China: A healing touch for children

Sat, 10 Nov 2008 12:12:12 GMT

In a classroom about halfway down the row of prefabricated shelters, something a bit different seems to be going on from the standard pattern of lessons that are unfolding in the other rooms � psychosocial support. �We are really great,� shout the couple of dozen teenagers crowded into the room as they slap their hands into a self-embrace position, before a scraping of chairs heralds the lesson�s end. �What it is all about is self-affirmation and regaining confidence for these still emotionally fragile survivors of Sichuan�s massive May 12 earthquake,� says their teacher Luo Yumei. Disaster zone Like almost all the other staff in this junior high school in the heart of the disaster zone, Luo has received training in psychosocial support methods under a Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) programme named Sunshine In Your Heart. �This is an extremely important start, which is needed in a situation like this,� says Dr. Jeya Kulasingam, health and psychosocial support programme delegate with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Sichuan. On the typed sheet of paper the students have been working from, they have a list of tasks, such as �give the age difference between you and your dad.� Many are busy jotting down their responses until they reach the joker in the pack: �Do not write anything down!� Overcome fear �The games we were using immediately after the earthquake were completely different in character, designed to help the children overcome their fear,� says Luo. This exercise is aimed at training the children to read properly and strengthen their approach to their studies. Stepping out of the earthquake�s shadow, though, is a process that is still by no means completed, says school principal Li Zhihong. Besides care and positive reinforcement, part of the process is to keep the most troubled children busy. �We make more demands on them to study because they will get over their fears if they are kept active,� says Zhihong. Between 20 and 30 of the school�s roughly 1,200 children require individual psychosocial attention, in addition to the class sessions given by teachers, following their one-day trainings through Sunshine In Your Heart. It is not all work and no outlet for their energies. During a recent visit, visitors saw all the school�s classes pitted against each other in a group singing competition. Personal experience Liu Yujiang, 14, says that from the experience of the earthquake and the counseling which she has received, �I have really learned to treasure life and to be glad that I am alive.� Her friend, Xiao Li, also 14, agrees, even though she says: �I had a difficult time at first coming to terms with the death of my cousin, who was only a year older than me.� Fifteen-year-old Zhang Lamei, who lives with her parents and grandfather in a nearby village, says she too has gained strength from the psychosocial support, �but it will take a bit of time before I feel my old self again,� she says. Sitting outside the family�s temporary shelter, in front of their quake-damaged farm house, her mother, Liu Shuhui, agrees: �There is still quite a lot of fear and anxiety about what happens next.� �These feelings are normal in a post-disaster environment like this and they show the need for us to support the RCSC as it builds on this experience,� says Dr. Kulasingam. The programme also holds important lessons, beyond those being taught in the prefabricated classrooms, for the way in which the RCSC can respond to the emotional needs of survivors in potential future disasters.

Haiti: Red Cross Red Crescent responds to school tragedy

Sat, 10 Nov 2008 12:12:12 GMT

The Red Cross Red Crescent is in action following the devastating collapse of a school building near the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. Around 90 young people have been killed and scores more are missing. "The whole school collapsed on the kids," said Michaele G�d�on, president of the Haitian National Red Cross Society. Haitian officials have confirmed that more than 90 bodies have been recovered and at least 150 people have been evacuated with serious injuries. A well-coordinated early response by Red Cross Red Crescent partners enabled the evacuation of more than 20 people. Search and rescue efforts The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the Haitian National Red Cross Society, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), members of the UN Haiti peacekeeping force, and other humanitarian organizations took part in the search and rescue efforts, in support to the Haitian authorities. Many humanitarian organizations present in the country have been providing medical assistance and have been assisting in the search for survivors. "I would like to pay tribute to the Haitian Red Cross volunteers and staff, the ICRC personnel and National Societies delegates who operated together inside the collapsed building, aware of the danger of it, and risking their own life to save others" said Alex Claudon Federation Representative. Struggling to recover The disaster took place at a time when the country is struggling to recover from several major tropical storms and hurricanes that have affected thousands of people and destroyed more than half of their crops during the past few months. Since the onset of the disaster, the International Federation and the ICRC, which are present in the country, offered the Haitian National Red Cross Society all available resources, including vehicles and specialized personnel. The ICRC and the Haitian Red Cross have set up a temporary space to provide support to the victims� families and to facilitate information collection with regards to the identity and location of victims. The emergency is currently being handled by the Haitian Red Cross, and the International Federation will continue to provide support with logistical resources if needed.