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The people next door: An ongoing series about people helping others even as they face the very same strugglesLast month we shared the story of Amr Ali, a media officer for the Palestine Red Crescent who like thousands of others in Gaza had to flee their homes due to conflict. In that story, Amr shared his frustrations about wanting to help other people, but not knowing what to tell them.“They asked me ‘what should we do?” he recalled. “Where should we go and how can we protect our children?’ I couldn’t answer them because I have the same questions.”Amr had left northern Gaza with his family, temporarily moving to his brother’s house in Khan Yunis. When that city was evacuated, the Palestine Red Crescent lost touch with Amr. With much of Gaza’s infrastructure destroyed, blackouts made communication nearly impossible.But recently Amr was able to get back in touch and update his colleagues via text messages. Amr had joined thousands of others who moved south to find relative safety in a camp near the border town of Rafah. His journey and life in camp offer a glimpse into the fear, chaos and stuggles facing many thousands of people living in those camps.‘The worst time ever’Knowing they would need to cross a series of check points, Amr and his family left Khan Yunis early in the day on Jan. 27. There was bombing on the way and in the chaos and explosions, Amr was separated from his wife and children: 7-year-old Adam, and 3-year-old Maria.They couldn’t find each other in the crowds. There was no cell phone, wifi, or other signal.“This was the worst time ever,” Amr recalls. “For more than 12 hours I had no idea about my wife and my kids. I tried to ask hospitals if they got injured or killed.”Because the signal is so bad, Amr used friends and relatives in the West Bank as to relay messages. Just after 10 p.m. he got the call. Some relatives had spotted his family, and took them in. Everyone was okay.“It was very, very unsafe, but we managed to get to Rafah,” Amr said.‘Nothing set up here’As a media officer, Amr used to take pictures of Palestine Red Crescent staff and volunteers responding to the conflict unfolding around them: dispatch crews working in the dark because lights had gone out, food distributions and ambulance crews returning to the hospital.Now his photos reflect life in the camp with his son and his daughter, his attempt to keep a smile despite the tragedy and to reclaim some sense of normalcy and hope for his children.“It’s not easy at all to move from a well-equipped house to a very far place in a tent where is nothing set up.”Here, he says they make everything by hand, setting up a bathroom, kitchen, places to sleep and a system to store water. Access to food remains difficult, costs have jumped three and four times since the beginning of the conflict.Meat was $12USD before, now it’s more than $40 — if it’s available at all. Amr says his family cannot afford that, so they eat canned foods.The sound of bombsMeanwhile, Amr’s children are struggling. His son Adam lost his friend after an explosion across the street damaged the house he was staying in. Maria is confused as to why they have to keep moving.Amr says for a short time it was quiet in Rafah.“For a while we rarely heard the sound of bombs and shelling,” he said.But that can change in a moment. In February explosions and gunshots were heard across the city.“Living in a tent in such situations is very terrifying. You feel every bullet is directed to your body. We were terrified and each of us went to check on our children and loved ones. Living all this while in a tent made of fabric makes you feel like the weakest creature on earth.”Mostly, now Amr thinks about the future. “We keep talking about what happened earlier and where will we stay after the conflict ends. I believe that all of us will continue our life in tents and all this will last for a long time, maybe years,” he says.“I do not want my children to continue dreaming about the scene of soldiers, tanks, shooting and the terrifying sound of bombing.”Meanwhile, the Palestine Red Crescent Society staff and volunteers continue to provide medical care in hospitals and medical posts, ambulance services, public health messaging, and psychosocial support to people in Gaza.Teams are also coordinating the reception and distribution of life-saving aid, such as food, water, medicine, and other emergency items. They do this despite worrying for the suffering of their families and living in the difficult conditions themselves.
Access to safe water and sanitation is a human right. But right now, hundreds of millions of people around the world do not have access to safe water and billions cannot access the sanitation services they need. Discover how the IFRC is at the forefront of responding to global water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) needs.
Early warning and early action, also known as anticipatory action or forecast-based action, means taking steps to protect people before a disaster strikes based on early warning or forecasts. To be effective, it must involve meaningful engagement with at-risk communities.
Gladis Gómez wears a purple Huipil, a traditional outfit worn by people from the mountainous, western part of Guatemala. The colour represents mourning, as she sadly lost a distant relative a few days earlier.
Despite this, a smile lights up her face—a smile that so many people in her community recognise.
Gladis is the President of a local health committee in her small village of Xecaracoj. The committee brings together a dozen rural women who have been trained in key health issues by the Guatemalan Red Cross so they can help promote healthy practices in their community.
Together, the women go door to door around their village, sharing knowledge on how people can prevent common diseases and deaths, especially among children.
This work is vital. Guatemala has one of the highest rates of child malnutrition in the world, and more than half the population live below the poverty line. The COVID-19 pandemic also took a heavy toll on the country – with 20,000 people dying from the disease within 3 years.
‘’We have spread the new knowledge given to us by the Guatemalan Red Cross to inform men, boys and girls about things as simple as hand washing, cleaning our homes and our streets, and the importance of breastfeeding and nutrition.”
“We now know that healthy habits make the difference between having a strong and healthy community or continuing to take our babies to the hospital,'' says Gladis.
Juan Poyón, Epidemic and Pandemic Control Technician for the Guatemalan Red Cross, says he’s learned a lot from the health committees, like the one run by Gladis, and has used the women’s local knowledge to guide and improve their support.
“We identified key issues, for example, that their priorities were the prevention of COVID-19 or malnutrition. Today, with the committees already trained, we identified that the women wanted to reach more people, in fact, they prioritised radio, information kiosks or messages via WhatsApp as the best channels to share their knowledge more widely,” explains Juan.
To share these valuable community insights even further, the Guatemalan Red Cross connected the women-led health committees with the country's Ministry of Health—which has proved to be an eye opener for the national authorities. They’re now working together to improve community health across the country.
Ana Gómez, Epidemiologist at the Guatemalan Ministry of Health, explained:
“We have worked with the Guatemalan Red Cross to identify people’s needs, respecting the diversity of the population. We learned about, and welcomed, women's points of view to strengthen community health, and along the way we confirmed that their role is key.”
“Women are the main users of health services. They also play a fundamental role in the education of the next generation who will be in charge of the country. Involving women ensures positive behavioural change in families and communities, and therefore contributes to improving Guatemala's health,” says Ana.
Spending time with Gladis, it’s clear to see that she takes a lot of pride in her work, and that she and her fellow health committee members are happy their voices are being heard.
As she sits and weaves herself a new corte – a traditional Mayan skirt – she points to the yellow stripes that represent hope.
“Tomorrow I will wear a yellow Huipil to represent the colour of life, the rays of the sun, and corn,” says Gladis.
“The women of this community are special, very special, because today we have the knowledge to protect life.”
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The promotion of these local health committees in Guatemala is part of the epidemic and pandemic preparedness pillar of our Programmatic Partnership with the European Union.
So far, 1250 families in the rural area of Quetzaltenango, western Guatemala, have received valuable and trusted health advice provided by the local health committees.
Implemented by 24 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies around the world, including in Panama, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Ecuador in the Americas, the Programmatic Partnership helps communities to reduce their risks and be better prepared for disasters and health emergencies.
The IFRC will continue to strengthen the capacities of communities in Guatemala to prevent pandemics and epidemics; and to encourage more women to take leadership positions so they can have a profound, positive impact on the future of their communities.
The IFRC is a recognized provider of global humanitarian supply chain services—both to members of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, but also to humanitarian organizations and governments around the world.
An interview with Juan Bazo, climate scientist with the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, by Susana Arroyo Barrantes, IFRC Americas Regional Communications ManagerSusana Arroyo:In October 2023, Hurricane Otis caused a lot of astonishment after it went from a tropical storm to a category 5 hurricane in just 12 hours. According to the U.S. National Hurricane Center, it was the most powerful hurricane ever recorded on the Mexican Pacific coast. Did El Niño have something to do with the rapid intensification of Otis?Juan Bazos: It was a combination of warm oceans, along with El Niño. In addition, the entire Pacific coastline of Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, and the coasts of Costa Rica, have been very warm. This has allowed the formation of cyclones and storms. Some of these storms have even passed from the Atlantic to the Pacific.Regarding the intensification, this has happened before, Hurricane Patricia in 2015, also had this very rapid intensification in less than 12 hours off the Pacific coast of Mexico, but the impact was not in a very populated area.For a scientific point of view, it is increasingly difficult to forecast this type of intensification. Most, if not all, of the models failed in the short-term forecast, which is one of the most reliable forecasts we have in meteorology. This is due to several factors: the rapid intensification, very local atmospheric conditions, and the temperature of the ocean water in this part of the Mexican coast.Increasingly, intensification is not only occurring in the Pacific and Atlantic of our region, but also in the Indian Ocean. In The Philippines, this has happened many times. That is a challenge, both for the climate services and for the humanitarian response.SA: One thing we depend on to make life-saving decisions is rigorous, accurate, effective forecasts. If we are moving towards an era of greater uncertainty, then we must also look at how we anticipate on other fronts. What can we expect for this year?JB: In the following months, we would normally be entering a neutral period and quickly passing to La Niña phenomenon. And this will also bring its consequences, changing the whole panorama. It could be that this year we will have to prepare for a hurricane season that may be higher than normal. So, we must keep monitoring, considering the climate crisis and the Atlantic Ocean that is still very warm.SA: The IFRC has tried to make more alliances with meteorological institutions dedicated to researching, monitoring, and understanding the climate. Is that one of the paths to the future, to strengthen this alliance? JB: Increasingly, the IFRC has scientific technical entities as its main allies, to make reliable decisions, and I think that is the way we must continue to work. Scientific information will bring us information for our programs and operations at different time scales, in the short, medium, and long term.We must not ignore climate projections but plan how we can adapt knowing that the climate is going to change. This is part of our work, from our policies to our interventions and I think the Red Cross and Red Crescent network does this very well. However, we need to empower ourselves more, get closer to the technical scientific entities, the academia, which are our allies. They can bring us much more information — much richer, much more localized. And this is the next step we must take.SA: Many changes are also coming in the field of meteorology. Now, using artificial intelligence (AI) and increasingly large amounts of data, there will be changes and likely improvements in forecasting. Could we therefore get more reliable forecasts in terms of rapid intensification?JB: Artificial Intelligence opens a lot of room for innovation. Meteorology is not 100 per cent accurate. There is always that degree of uncertainty and there are going to be failures. It is part of our planet's atmospheric chaos, of its complexity and the many variables that play a role in weather forecasting. In that sense, AI will be a great added value for the improvement of forecasts.This brings to the table the need for 1) greater investment in forecast-based early action systems, 2) early warning systems that are more agile, flexible, and capable of informing and mobilizing the population in record time, and 3) humanitarian aid that is pre-positioned to respond to disasters as they occur.IFRC is a lead in the Early Warnings For All Initiative, which will provide early warnings to people across the globe by 2027. Learn more.
8 April 2024, Port Sudan/Nairobi/Geneva - One year of conflict in Sudan is taking a devastating human toll. Over 8 million people have been displaced, and tens of thousands have been killed or wounded. The acute shortages of essential resources such as food, water and fuel, along with a seriously degraded healthcare system, are just some of the terrible consequences of the fighting.The Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS) is at the forefront of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (RCRC) Movement’s efforts to ensure that Sudanese civilians receive the humanitarian protection and assistance they desperately need.“We have mobilized 4,000 volunteers from across the country to provide first aid and help evacuate the wounded. Our staff and volunteers distribute food and essential items, provide psychological support, and search for the missing,” says Aida Al-Sayed Abdullah, Secretary-General of the SRCS. “We urge the international community to increase their support to help us meet the urgent needs of the communities trapped in the conflict. We cannot let Sudan become another forgotten crisis.”The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and nine participating national societies (Danish Red Cross, German Red Cross, Netherlands Red Cross, Norwegian Red Cross, Qatar Red Crescent, Spanish Red Cross, Swedish Red Cross, Swiss Red Cross, and Turkish Red Crescent) have been supporting and working alongside SRCS to protect and support people affected by the ongoing conflict and natural disasters across the country.SRCS, with its partners, has been pivotal in delivering essential medical aid to hospitals, offering relief to displaced people and their host communities, and reuniting families separated by turmoil—facilitating crucial phone conversations among separated family members. Through its key access across the country, SRCS has been able to provide the most needed support to thousands affected.Beyond immediate assistance, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement contribution to the response extends to financial andmaterial support to SRCS, alongside providing technical advice and strengthening capacity- building.The IFRC launched a Federation-wide Emergency Appeal seeking 60 million Swiss Francs to support the SRCS business continuity as well as to scale up its life-saving humanitarian response in the country. The IFRC has also launched a Regional Population Movement seeking 42 million Swiss Francs to support humanitarian responses and activities of the National Societies in the neighboring countries of Egypt, Chad, South Sudan, Central African Republic (CAR), Ethiopia and Libya.The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement calls on all state and non-state armed carriers involved in the conflict to follow their obligations under international humanitarian law, which is designed to protect ordinary people and those who can no longer fight. When homes, hospitals, and schools are damaged, and people who are not part of the fight are hurt, it not only causes immediate harm but also makes it much harder for communities to heal and come together after the conflict.The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is committed to providing protection and life-saving relief to the people suffering the horrors of the ongoing conflict. It urges, however, that more funding is needed to sustain the SRCS operations in the year ahead.For more information, please contact:Nawal Hassan, SRCS, Tel: +249 91 265 6872 [email protected] Nzisa Mbalu, IFRC Africa Regional Office, Tel: +254 733 827 654, [email protected] Hezam, ICRC Sudan, Tel: +249 100 999 477 , [email protected]
Baindu Momoh is a mother from Gbaigibu in Kailahun district, eastern Sierra Leone. Her village is so small and remote it doesn’t show up on most maps—but that doesn’t stop the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society from looking out for the health of her community.In October 2023, Baindu came rushing to her local Red Cross volunteer, Joseph. Something was deeply wrong. Her baby boy, Senesie, had a fever, was sweating and vomiting, and had a puffy face and eyes. Baindu feared for his life.Thankfully, Joseph is part of the Community Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness Programme (CP3) and is trained in how to detect, report, and respond to disease threats—meaning he knew exactly what to do.“I have established strong relationships with both the health facility and the community. When the child’s mother reached out to me in distress, I immediately recognized the urgency of the situation,” explains Joseph.In the absence of timely local ambulance services, Joseph rushed Baindu and her baby on his motorbike to the nearest Community Health Post in Woroma, where Senesie was diagnosed with severe malaria and anaemia. Baindu was told that, to survive, Senesie needed an urgent blood transfusion—only available at the Kailahun Government Hospital, some 30 miles away.Without hesitation, Joseph offered to help, explaining:“As a trained volunteer with a humanitarian organization, my community is my responsibility.”But in this part of the world, getting to the hospital is easier said than done.On his motorbike, with Baindu and Senesie on the back, Joseph embarked on the long, bumpy road to Kailahun—carefully navigating the treacherous terrain and crossing rivers along the way. Thankfully, they arrived safely and Senesie was quickly treated by hospital staff. “Since I could help, I couldn’t let him die. So I made the decision to pay for the treatment because the parents couldn’t afford the cost,” explains Joseph.Thanks to Joseph’s quick action and support, Senesie made a full recovery from malaria. After a week in hospital, Baindu and Senesie returned to their home in Gbaigibu. Joseph continues to check in on them to make sure they’re doing well.“Joseph risked his life to save my son’s. Upon reaching the Kailahun Government Hospital, he paid for a blood transfusion that the medical practitioners had recommended. To me, Joseph is a true lifesaver who helped us in our time of need,” says Baindu.Baindu isn’t the only person in Gbaigibu to be supported by Joseph. He regularly engages people in his community on how to prevent, detect, and respond to diseases—such as malaria, measles, and yellow fever—so they can stay healthy and safe.Fomba Lamin, head of the Woroma Community Health Post, feels Joseph plays an invaluable role in encouraging village members to seek health support.“We thank the CP3 programme, it is improving our referral rate. Community members we refer in the past did not go to Kailahun for obvious reasons: the means of transportation. But with people such as Joseph, who encourage our people to seek health care in Kailahun, we see the reduction of death in our community,” says Fomba.Although malaria is preventable and treatable, the death toll from the disease remains high for children under 5 and pregnant women, particularly in remote and hard-to-reach communities. Key challenges to controlling malaria include a lack of reliable access to health services and prevention supplies, a decrease in global funding for malaria, and a widespread and increasing rise in insecticide resistance in malaria-endemic countries. Recent innovations, such as the approval from WHO of new insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) to address insecticide resistance and two new malaria vaccines for children, are positive steps to tackling the disease. Through programmes like CP3, the IFRC is supporting Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies worldwide to plan and deliver high-quality malaria prevention activities, such as:Supporting ministries of health and their partners to plan and implement distribution of insecticide-treated bed nets through mass campaigns or continuous distribution channels. Administering preventive treatment to children as part of seasonal malaria chemoprevention campaigns.Promoting individual preventive practices through social and behaviour change activities to encourage people to sleep under a bed net every night of the year, seek prompt and early healthcare in case of fever or malaria-related symptoms, and attend antenatal care for malaria prevention.This story from Sierra Leone is a great example of how National Societies are supporting communities to prevent and seek treatment for malaria, encouraging them to implement practices that will protect them from the disease, and improving their access to health care—even in remote and isolated communities.The IFRC also houses and chairs the Alliance for Malaria Prevention, a global partnership that supports ministries of health and their financial and implementing partners with the planning and implementation of ITN distribution, primarily through mass campaigns. ITNs remain the most effective tool to protect at-risk communities from malaria. --Joseph, the volunteer mentioned in this article, is part of the Community Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness Programme (CP3). Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the programme supports communities, National Societies, and other partners in seven countries to prepare for, prevent, detect and respond to disease threats. If you enjoyed this story and would like to learn more:Visit the malaria page on IFRC.orgVisit the Alliance for Malaria Prevention websiteSign up to the IFRC’s Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness NewsletterFollow the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society on X, Facebook and LinkedIn
Muhammad Taher, a 40-year-old farmer and his family of eight children, is among the many families who have received life-saving immunization and medical care from Afghan Red Crescent Society mobile health teams.Getting any sort of healthcare in Muhammad Taher’s district, Nahr Seraj of Helmand province, has been a tremendous challenge for decades. Nahr Seraj is four-hour drive from the nearest city, Lashkar Gah, southwestern Afghanistan.For more than two decades now, public health care services in Afghanistan have relied on international financing while the last mile is delivered by various local humanitarian actors.As the IFRC marks World Immunization Week 2024, which this year has a theme of Humanly Possible, the Afghan Red Crescent’s efforts to bring healthcare and immunization to remote rural areas is a impressive example of what can be achieved through consistent, dedicated local presence.Following the historic events that took place in August 2021, a major strain was put on the public health system as donors reorganized their financing models. The transition stretched the system significantly, but a total collapse was prevented through solutions which have enabled continuation of primary and secondary health services.The Afghan Red Crescent Society is one of the local actors engaged in the delivery of primary and secondary health services in the country.The National Society’s network of more than 200 health facilities includes 97 mobile health teams, 46 fixed basic health clinics, 28 sub health clinics, one comprehensive health clinic, and a district hospital. There are also more than 40 health camps supporting routine immunization efforts in various provinces.Life-saving pre-natal care, medication and vaccinationThe ongoing economic hardship means that Taher, and countless others, are unable to pay medical bills or even reach the health facilities located in Afghan cities."My pregnant wife and three of my little girls fell ill recently and needed urgent healthcare but I couldn't afford to take them to the city hospital,” said Taher.“I approached my relatives and neighbours to lend me some money for [the trip], but none were able to help because they too were undergoing tremendous economic hardship.“Finally, one of my relatives mentioned that an Afghan Red Crescent Society mobile health team was operating in our village and suggested that I take my sick family members there.“Without wasting any time, I rushed back home and took my wife and children to where the teams were located. Thankfully my wife was able to get her prenatal checkup done by a midwife, my sick daughters were examined by a doctor and received free medication, and my other children got vaccinated,” he explained in relief.Vital support from partnersAfghan Red Crescent Society health facilities are supported by several partners, including the IFRC. For instance, in 2022 the IFRC provided funding for 47 mobile health teams which delivered primary healthcare and immunization services at least 500,000 people, among them women and children, in rural and remote areas of Afghanistan such as Taher’s district.The 47 mobile health teams have so far operated in many remote provinces including Nangarhar, Kunar, Nooristan, Kandahar, Helmand, Urozgan, Parwan, Sar-e Pol, Bamyan, Paktika, Wardak, Nimrooz, Herat, Badghis, and Jawzjan in the past years.Taher is certain that his family is now much safer after their visit to the Afghan Red Crescent mobile health unit.“My wife and my children are precious to me, and I can't imagine my life without them,” he said. “When they get sick, I get so worried since I have previously lost a close family member because we were unable to reach a doctor in time.“I can't express how grateful I am to the Afghan Red Crescent Society for sending a mobile health team to our village. They are providing life-saving help to people like us in remote rural areas where access to healthcare facilities is so constrained or totally non-existent."In 2023, the IFRC supported the Afghan Red Cresent in administering more than 390,000 doses of vaccines to children under 59 months of age.This included vaccinating more than 5,000 children in their second year of life (12 to 23 months of age) with measles vaccines as part of catch-up efforts, and giving some 46,000 oral polio vaccine doses to children aged between 24 to 59 months as part of intensive efforts to halt wild poliovirus transmission.IFRC’s support to the Afghan Red Crescent is part of its commitment, expressed in the IFRC Health and Care Framework 2023, to support National Societies in reaching “more than six million zero dose children globally and to reinforce both polio eradication efforts and routine immunization strengthening in multiple countries”.National Societies and the IFRC work together to expand routine immunizations to children through integrated service delivery and community engagement approaches. Trusted local healthcare volunteers work within at-risk communities to ensure children receive life-saving vaccinations for preventable diseases such as polio, measles and cholera.Words by Mir Abdul Tawab Razavy | Editing by Rachel Punitha
Three kilometres from the Changal village school in Tajikistan lies a minefield.As the summer holidays approach, chemistry teacher Saida Meliboeva and other Tajikistan Red Crescent volunteers warn children to stay away from the danger zone in the border area between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.However, cattle are moving into the minefield and children and herding animals are in danger.No one knows exactly where the mines are, as they are not marked on the map. Frequent mudslides and floods move the mines to unpredictable locations.Information shared by the Tajikistan Red Crescent has helped keep children safe and it has been 15 years without any mine accidents.This is just one of the many critical activities supported by a three-yearpartnership between IFRC and the EU issupporting local communities in Tajikistan to effectively anticipate, respond, and recover from the impact of multiple shocks and hazards.Schoolchildren also learn how to act during an earthquake and other disasters and everyday accidents. In a preparedness exercise organised by the Tajikistan Red Crescent, students learned how to leave classrooms quickly and give first aid to the injured."Our teacher told us what to do in case of a mudslide or an earthquake, or what to do if someone breaks a bone or you need to give first aid," says Manija, a student from Panjakent in Tajikistan."If there is an earthquake, we find a place where there are no houses and sit there. We have to staybrave and calm and go out without rushing."Tajikistan Red Crescent volunteer Azambek Dusyorov still remembers what the mudslide approaching his home in Panjakent, looked like. Spotting the mass of earth falling from the mountains, Azambek told his friends and family of the danger and ran for safety up the hill. Fortunately, the house remained standing.Since then, Azambek and other Red Crescent volunteers have planted trees in the yard, the roots of which help keep the earth masses in place. A wide track has been cut into the hillside, allowing the mudslides to descend into the valley without destroying homes and crops.When clashes intensified along the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgystan, Red Crescent volunteerAbdurahmon Sultanbegan visiting homes in the region to make sure people know how to take care of themselves and their neighbors in case of an injury.One of the homes he visited was that ofMashkhura Hamroboeva, in Khistevarz jamoat at Khujand.Since then, meetings have continued, and discussions have revolved around everyday topics."We meet 2–3 times a month. We talk about everything from how to prevent frostbite in winter to how to avoid infectious diseases," says 17-year-old Abdurahmon.It didn’t take long for Abdurahmon's advice to come in handy. When Mashkhura's three-year-old son accidentally spilled a hot cup of tea on himself, Mashkhura remembered what Abdurahmon had told her.Traditionally, a burn had been treated with a cut potato, but this time Mashkhura dipped the child'shand in cool water.There are just some of the Tajikistan Red Crescent actions (supported by the Programmatic Partnership) that help people and communities prevent future catastrophies and take care of themselves during crises they weren’t able to prevent.TheProgrammatic Partnership between the IFRC network and the European Union, provides strategic, flexible, long-term and predictable funding, so that National Societies can act before an emergency occurs. It is being implemented in 24 countries around the world.
No one likes being poked with a needle. Especially kids who may be having some shots for the first time. Like many National Society efforts around the world, the Red Crescent Society of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan (RCSK) tries its best to make taking a shot a little bit easier.Their approach often takes on a colorful, lively and even fun dimension as volunteers do their best to entertain potentially reluctant children. Given the potentially deadly consequences of being unvaccinated in the face of recent measles outbreaks, this approach is having a very serious and positive impact on increasing immunization rates.“When I heard about the hundreds of children getting sick with measles every week, as a mother of two young children, I knew I had to act”, says RCSK volunteer Kyzy Minagul.“When we were assigned by our branch to work at the local vaccination center to help with the crowd management, the centers were full of crying and screaming children who received their shots. I thought ‘it’s no wonder that parents are avoiding having their children to go to vaccination centers’.“I talked with other fellow volunteers about how we can make the vaccination experience less stressful. We dressed up as popular cartoon characters and greeted children and parents as they come to vaccination centers. While we can’t take away the shot in the arm part, we tried to make the environment more child friendly”.At the forefrontThe RCSK has been at the forefront of the national response to the measles epidemic in the country throughout the last year and this year. With the support of the IFRC’s Disaster Response Emergency Fund (IFRC-DREF), the National Society has been actively responding to the current epidemic between August 2023 and March 2024. In total, IFRC-DREF has allocated CHF 187,979 to bolster the RCSK’s efforts in curbing the outbreak, aiming to reach 120,000 people across the most affected regions and cities.Some 325 volunteers have been mobilized across the country tosupport the measles and rubella immunization campaign. RCSK places a strong focus on zero–dose and under-immunized children in these activities.One of those people reached is Nurgul, ayoung mother of three who lives in Kara-Balta town, a small town about a one-and-a-half hour drive from Bishkek, the capital city.Nurgul had chosen not to vaccinate any of her children. When she was approached by Red Crescent volunteers, she was skeptical about vaccination at first, having heard so many stories and rumours about the safety of vaccines.Volunteers met withNurgul and thoroughly discussed the benefits of vaccination, backing up their arguments with data on the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. After a series of conversations and her own research,Nurgul decided to go and vaccinate her children against measles.“Volunteers played an indispensable role in educating the parents about measles and rubella vaccination during this outbreak”, said Dr. Gulbara Ishenapysova, director of the Republican Center for Immunoprophylaxis, the main technical agency responsible for the national immunization programme under the Ministry of Health.“It takes organizations like the RCSK, which has a large network across the country, to swiftly mobilize such a large number of trained volunteers and increase the trust of communities in the vaccination campaigns organized by us, the health workers.”Despite the vaccination campaigns in main cities and most affected regions, the epidemic continues to this day and the RCSK plans to support the next measles immunization campaign planned for May 2024.
In the outskirts of Bongor, a town on the western border of Chad, volunteers from the local Red Cross and the French Red Cross are hard at work.In a residential area teeming with children and animals — and under daily scorching heat — the volunteers are organising activities with the community aimed at helping prevent and control the spread of infectious disease.The community here lacks the infrastructure needed to deliver safe water or discharge their wastewater. And because public fountains used for gathering water are not maintained rigorously, the risk of infection here is high.Lack of sanitation systems means that other risky practices, such as open defecation, pose significant hygienic and epidemiological risks.For this reason, the volunteers are raising public awareness about ways people can protect themselves from infection, such as proper cleaning and sanitation of water sources as well as practices to avoid.“The activities raised real awareness among community members,” says Catherine, a 26-year-old volunteer for the Chad Red Cross and local resident. “We notice in particular that the vaccination centre is much busier.”A pharmacy technician, Catherine has been volunteering with the Chad Red Cross for more than a year. She is responsible for raising awareness of the dangers of open defecation.Red Cross volunteers and community members are mobilised three times a week to clean areas most at risk and raise awareness of good practices.“The project will continue to live on its own on the principle of the community transmitting [this information] to the community,” Catherine adds.Catherine is passionate about her work to build knowledge and resilience in her community, and stop diseases from spreading. “The objective,” she explains, “is to fight measles, yellow fever, poliomyelitis, Guinea worm and COVID-19”.The Red Cross volunteers use community disease surveillance methods to keep people safe – recording health-related data about specific issues or incidence of illness affecting the community, and encouraging people to report suspected cases.For Marie-Claire, a state-certified nurse and resident of Bongor who manages a women-led health centre in the city, the Red Cross efforts are effective because they have built trust with people in the community."The Red Cross serves as a trusted intermediary between residents and the health centre,” she says. “The Red Crossconducts disease surveillance and sends pregnant women or those suspected of illnesses for consultations [with the health centre]."The volunteers’ disease-prevention work in various neighbourhoods of Bongor is supported by the Programmatic Partnership between the IFRC network and the European Union. The partnership provides strategic, flexible, long-term and predictable funding, so that National Societies can act before a crisis or health emergency occurs. It is being implemented in 24 countries around the world.