'They know I will come': How a unique initiative – powered by local women – improved community health and left a lasting legacy of trust in central Zimbabwe

Hope flows back after the floods: Cash assistance from Viet Nam Red Cross and IFRC helps families recover their lives and livelihoods

Life beyond blackouts

The long road to recovery: Six months after the quake in Afghanistan's Kunar Province, the memories remain painfully vivid

Kenya Red Cross volunteer lost his life in the line of duty during rescue operation

Geneva/Nairobi, 06 March 2026 - The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is deeply saddened by the death of Samuel Wanyonyi Wangila, a dedicated aqua rescue volunteer who lost his life while responding to a rescue operation along the Mbagathi River in Nairobi on 3 March 2026.Samuel was responding to a distress call in the Highrise area when the incident occurred. He was part of an emergency rescue effort to assist a young boy who had reportedly drowned. Tragically, Samuel lost his life while attempting to save others.Samuel served as a volunteer with the Kenya Red Cross Society for more than 15 years, dedicating his time and skills to protecting at-risk communities. Known for his professionalism, courageand commitment, he was among the most experienced members of the National Society’s aqua rescue teams and had trained and mentored many volunteers across the country.In 2025, he received the Special Recognition Award at the Kenya Red Cross Volunteer Awards in acknowledgement of his outstanding service in water rescue operations nationwide.Humanitarian volunteers and staff often operate in extremely difficult and dangerous environments while trying to protect lives and support communities in crisis. Their commitment and service are the backbone of humanitarian response worldwide.Any loss of a humanitarian worker in the line of duty is a profound tragedy. Across the world, Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers risk their lives every day to assist people in emergencies. The safety and protection of humanitarian workers must always remain a priority. Globally, since the start of the year, four National Societies volunteers and staff have lost their lives while on duty.The IFRC extends its deepest condolences to Samuel’s wife, family, friends, and fellow volunteers during this incredibly difficult time.For more information or to request an interview, please contact: [email protected]    

Women supporting women: On International Women’s Day 2026, we tell the stories of women around the world helping shape a safer, more equal future for the next generation

'Mothers in survival mode' Standing together against Food Insecurity in Cameroon

Study: Record downpours that caused lethal landslides in Brazil will worsen with further warming

This is an adaptation by the Climate Centre of a press release issued by World Weather Attribution on 12 March 2026.The landslides that struck the state of Minas Gerais in south-east Brazil last month (pictured) have laid bare the vulnerability of the country’s cities and its coffee industry to an increasingly volatile climate, World Weather Attribution scientists said.The WWA team warn in a new study that this event is a preview of the heavier rainfall expected as global temperatures rise further.It was the wettest month on record in the worst-affected city of Juiz de Fora: 65 people were killed there and over 6,400 were forced from their homes after particularly intense rainfall fell between 22 and 24 February; seven other people more were killed in Uba.Minas Gerais is the heart of Brazil’s coffee industry and the leading producer of arabica beans. After years of extreme weather caused as much as a 20 per cent reduction in output and global spikes in prices, there were hopes for a better harvest this year, but the above-average rainfall is now fueling disease across plantations.While the scientists didn’t find definitive evidence that climate change increased the intensity of rainfall in this event, models do show the strength of these downpours worsening by an estimated 7 per cent as global temperatures rise, but the true number could be higher.Rapid urban growth on steep slopes and floodplains has seen natural vegetation replaced by paved surfaces, reducing water drainage and increasing runoff, they add.‘Early warning systems are thedecisive instrument for saving lives’Pedro Camarinha, Deputy Director at the Brazilian National Center for Monitoring and Early Warning of Natural Disasters, said: “This disaster made clear how extreme rainfall can trigger the consequences of risk that was already known, but insufficiently addressed through preventive public policies.”“Where land-use planning, risk reduction measures, and the protection of exposed communities remain inadequate, early warning systems become the decisive instrument for saving lives.”“Their effectiveness, however, depends on disaster risk being communicated clearly to the population through coordinated action among institutions and with society as a central actor in the system.”“Early warning systems must therefore be better valued and continuously improved, while risk awareness is strengthened among exposed communities and urgent action is taken to reduce exposure and vulnerability.”Regina R. Rodrigues, a professor at the Federal University of Santa Catarina in Florianopolis, added: “Looking to the future, there are clear implications for Brazil’s leaders to ensure people aren’t living in harm’s way as we see more of these events unfold.”“Minas Gerais is the heartbeat of Brazil’s coffee production and this rainfall is another example of the extreme weather it is having to deal with. It’s a reminder that our changing climate is already pushing up prices and disrupting supplies for products people around the world take for granted.”

'Now I've lost everything': Conflict in Sudan has forced millions to seek safety in neighbouring countries, where they face an uncertain future.

From vision to action: Promoting women’s leadership in the humanitarian sector in East Asia

From enhancing female representation at all levels to implementing family-friendly workplace policies, National Red Cross Societies in East Asiaare taking concrete action to fulfil the long-term vision of advancing gender equality and women’s leadership.To date, these efforts have yielded tangible progress across multiple areas.Increasing women's representation in leadershipThe East Asia National Societies are tracking data on women in leadership, working toward the goal of 50 per cent representation in governance and senior management positions.As of 2025,for example, women held more than 50 per cent of the seats on the governing board of the Mongolian Red Cross Society (MRCS). The MacauRed Cross (branchof the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC))has achieved50 per cent women in management positions.Implementing family-friendly practicesSeveral National Societies have introduced practices to support family responsibilities. For example, the Hong Kong Branch of the RCSC has implemented a work-from-home policy and flexible working arrangements. In 2025, the Republic of Korea National Red Cross (KNRC) received government certification for supporting work-life balance and gender equality.These practicesare applied to all employees, male and female, helping to transform traditional gender norms.Empowering women in the communitiesBeyond promoting gender equality in the workplace, engaging and empowering women in the community is another emphasis.The RCSC, jointly with Alibaba, initiated the “Model Mama” project, to provide skills training for disadvantaged women and support them in starting their own businessor getting employed. By the end of 2024, the project had trained more than 26,000people in 12 provinces across China.In 2025, the Hong Kong Branch of the RCSC launched the EmpowerHer Network, mobilizing women leaders from diverse backgrounds to join and contribute to the humanitarian cause.Fostering public advocacyPublic advocacy represents another focus.Two major events supported by the Japanese Red Cross Society (JRCS) in 2025 contributed to the efforts: a panel discussion hosted by GLOW Red (the global network for women leaders in the International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement) at the 2025 World Expo Women’s Pavilion in Osaka, and the GLOW Red Annual Meeting in Tokyo.Both events served as powerful platforms to strengthen networks, share insights, and advance collective action toward gender equality.Reviewing the progress, Olga Dzhumaeva, Head of the IFRC East Asia Delegation, commented that, “Leadership support plays a crucial role in dismantling barriers and forging pathways for gender diversity and equality across every level of their organisations”.Since 2022, a dedicated session on gender diversity and women’s leadership has been included in the annual East Asia Five Plus Leaders Forum, a primary platform for East Asia National Society leaders to discuss regional humanitarian priorities. Further strengthening the coordinating mechanism, the National Societies designated gender focal points in June 2025.“We will strengthen cooperation with other global efforts and contribute to further promoting women’s leadership in the humanitarian sector,” said Bonnie So, Secretary General of the Hong Kong Branch of the RCSC and Chair of the East Asia Red Cross gender focal point group.Driven by the IFRC network’s Protection, Gender and Inclusion Policy as the core framework, these advancements in East Asia are supported and built on a robust global and regional roadmap.Dedicated targets for women's leadership were established through the Hanoi Call for Action, a set of commitments endorsed at the IFRC’s 11th Asia-Pacific Regional Conference in 2023.According to the IFRC Everyone Counts Report 2024, progress toward gender balance in governance remains slow and uneven across regions, but the Asia-Pacific region as a whole has shown incremental improvement. As of 2025, women held 37 percent of governance and leadership positions, up from 34 percent in 2024.For Alexander Matheou, IFRC Asia Pacific Regional Director, an important part of the solution lies in male allyship and institutions taking responsibility for change.“Talented female leaders have not always felt comfortable positioning themselves for promotion in very male-dominated organisations and men themselves haven’t always created the pathways for them to occupy the top positions,” he said . “Male leaders have a responsibility to create opportunities and ensure that female leaders can show their full potential.”Learn more about gender and inclusion in humanitarian actionProtection, Gender and Inclusion at the IFRCProtection and gender and inclusion in emergencies

'We did not know how to respond to something like this': What the Lebanese Red Cross learned from the 2020 Beirut explosion

Statement: 'We are outraged that humanitarian workers continue to be killed across conflicts.' 

This statement is attributed to Kate Forbes, president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red CrossGeneva, 13 March 2026 - Since hostilities erupted across the Middle East, humanitarian and medical personnel are being caught in the line of fire, putting at risk the lifelines civilians depend on to survive. If this pattern continues, we fear we will soon be grieving more colleagues killed while trying to save lives.In less than two weeks, these fears are already becoming reality. A Lebanese Red Cross paramedic died from critical injuries sustained while trying to help wounded civilians, and others were injured. In Iran, Iranian Red Crescent Society staff and volunteers suffered casualties while helping civilians amidst hostilities.Despite the dangers, Red Cross and Red Crescent staff and volunteers, as well as those of Magen David Adom in Israel, continue to work across the region at great personal risk to support those in need.Humanitarian personnel are protected under international humanitarian law. One year ago this month, eight Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) paramedics were brutally killed while responding to casualties in Gaza, sparking a global outcry. Yet across conflicts, humanitarian and medical workers continue to be killed, injured, kidnapped or detained while trying to reach people in need.Just Wednesday, a UNICEF colleague was killed in a reported drone strike in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Already this year, Red Cross and Red Crescent staff and volunteers have been killed while on duty not only in Lebanon, but also in Sudan, Gaza and Iran.We have called for it before, and we call for it again: states and parties to conflict must take immediate concrete steps to protect those who risk everything to save lives. When humanitarian workers are protected, so is our shared humanity. The lives of our teams, and those they serve, depend on it.For more information, please contact: IFRC: [email protected] ICRC: [email protected] 

Water without fear: Special World Water Day reporting from South Sudan, where local Red Cross teams provide water that helps thousands stay safer and healthier in the midst of conflict and drought.

Under pressure: Special World Water Day reporting from camps in eastern Chad, where refugees are coping with extreme heat, water scarcity, and rising food prices.

The IFRC is saddened by the killing of another two members of Palestine Red Crescent Society

With deep sorrow, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) confirms the death of two Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) paramedics.Haitham Tubasi and Suhail Hassouna were both working on duty in a clearly marked PRCS ambulance when it was hit on 29 May. Both were killed at the scene in the Tal Al-Sultan area, west of Rafah.The IFRC sends its deepest condolences to their families, friends, and colleagues at the Palestine Red Crescent Society.Since the beginning of the conflict, the IFRC network has lost 24 members while on duty. 20 staff and volunteers of the Palestine Red Crescent Society have been killed and 4 from Magen David Adom in Israel.We are devastated at these losses. Protecting humanitarian workers is a legal and moral obligation.The level of human suffering in Rafah and overall in the Gaza Strip is unconscionable.More than one million people, including PRCS volunteers and staff, have fled multiple times in search of safety with no access to basic services.We call on all parties to take measures to protect humanitarian workers and end the human suffering.Visit our In memoriam page to homage their service and their sacrifice.