Internal Audit Report: Pakistan Country Office, 2017

Assurance review of our Pakistan Country Office, 2017.

Internal Audit Report: Bangladesh Country Office, 2017

Internal Audit Report: Americas Regional Office, 2017

Internal Audit Report: Beijing CCST, 2017

Assurance review of the Beijing Country Cluster Support Team, 2017.

Internal Audit Report: Dubai Logistics Office, 2017

Uganda: Epidemic preparedness and response

A country two-pager from the IFRC'sCommunity Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness Programme (CP3), funded by USAID, about activities in Uganda.

Europe Youth Poster

A poster providing information about the Red Cross Red Crescent European Youth Network. Poster available in English, French and Spanish below and in Russian here.

Iran: Running for peace

Mojtaba Yadegari, a youth member of the Iran Red Crescent Society, has been running for peace since he was nine years old. Lately he ran for 17 consecutive days, throughout Iran’s 31 governorates, covering an amazing 310km. “I really enjoy running and I enjoy it more when I do it for a purpose such as advocating for universal peace and friendship,” said Mojtaba, from the Red Crescent’s Markazi Provincial Branch. “So far, I have done 27 sport activities totaling about 3,000km,” he said. “My objective is to follow the principles of Henry Dunant, the founder of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. I want to use my efforts to strive for global peace and friendship and to serve as an ambassador for the Iranian Red Crescent.” Through his sporting achievements, Mojtaba hopes to promote a culture of non-violence and peace, familiarize the public with the work and objectives of the Red Crescent, and encourage other young people to become volunteers. The 17 days of running were not easy, and the weather was sometimes a problem. However, “Each time I felt weak, I told myself I shall continue until I reach my objective no matter how hard it might be. I kept telling myself the finish line is not so far. I've come all the way! So, I can do the rest,” he said. The people in the villages and cities that Mojtaba ran through have been a constant source of encouragement. “Each time I arrived in a new city, people cheered for me and even accompanied me in my run as a gesture of solidarity and friendship.” After crossing all Iran’s governorates, Mojtaba now plans to run for peace outside Iran. “My motto is to advocate for peace around the world. I do this in my own country, but I dream of doing it elsewhere as well. My dream is to go to Geneva, Switzerland and run 10km for peace there.” On his arrival at the Iranian Red Crescent Headquarters in Tehran, Mojtaba was welcomed and honored by Secretary General of the Red Crescent Society, its Head of Youth Organization, the Managing Director of the Tehran Provincial branch, senior directors, and many youth members and volunteers.

Placing communities at the centre of the Ebola response

In many Ebola-affected areas, years of conflict has eroded basic services and created mistrust in the community. Many communities feel that the response is not addressing their broader humanitarian needs.On some occasions, this mistrust has led to confrontations. DRC Red Cross teams have faced incidents of violence and aggression from communities resisting safe and dignified burial protocols since the start of the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu. It is clear that some vulnerable communities do not trust Ebola responders, which stops them from accessing health care. There may be many more potential cases in communities that we are unaware of, who are not accessing lifesaving care and may be further transmitting the virus within their communities. Communities hold the key to responding to the Ebola outbreak. Without communities, Ebola cannot be eliminated. We need to listen to community concerns and fears, plan together with them and adapt our response in order to create trust and acceptance by humanitarian actors. Red Cross volunteers are playing a vital role in maintaining a strong dialogue with communities, ensuring questions, misbelieves and rumours are discussed and addressed regularly. In partnership with the US Centre of Disease Control, Red Cross volunteers are collecting rumours, suspicions and concerns into a first-of-its-kind feedback and tracking system that has coded over 394,000 feedback points.This is shared with the rest of the humanitarian community to help address fears and misinformation as well as adapt and change operational approaches, based on the needs of the community. Working with Ebola survivors to help tackle myths and rumours To help tackle the fear and mistrust associated with Ebola, Red Cross is also working with survivors. People like 25-year-old carpenter, Machozi, has an incredible story to tell — and an important message for his community. “This illness is real and it kills,” says Machozi, who just a few months earlier had contracted this lethal disease and survived. But he is now living proof that you can also survive. Machozi is one of many in the response efforts. Every day, volunteers are knocking on doors in the community, providing information on how to prevent, detect and respond to Ebola. They are hosting radio talk shows, setting up mobile cinemas andgoing house-to-house, sensitizing vulnerable communities, including people with disabilities, children and women’s groups. “We have to unite and work together to fight against Ebola,” he says. “Take me as living testimony. It is possible to save the community and survive Ebola if everyone, our young people above all, engage in sensitizing our communities to the idea that Ebola is not aconsidered a punishment or an invented disease. If everyone is involved, we can end this disease.” Engaging communities pays off We are seeing huge success when we address core community concerns. The success rate of Red Cross safe and dignified burials has remained consistently high at 80 per cent, while negative feedback has dropped over time as a result of quality community engagement work and changes in the Red Cross approaches based on feedback data. In addition, as a result of our community engagement, community resistance for safe and dignified burials have drastically declined from 79 per cent in the first two months of the operation to 8 per cent now. -- Special thanks to our generous donors: American Red Cross, Austrian Red Cross, Belgian Red Cross, British Red Cross, China Red Cross, Danish Red Cross, Finnish Red Cross, Icelandic Red Cross, Japanese Red Cross, Kuwait Red Crescent, Norwegian Red Cross, Monaco Red Cross, SpanishRed Cross, Swiss Red Cross, Canadian Red Cross, Netherlands Red Cross, Turkish Red Crescent, Government of Austria, Government of United Kingdom (DFID), European Commission (DG ECHO), Italian Government Bilateral Emergency Fund, Government of Norway, Paul G Allen Family Foundation, Government of Spain, Government of Switzerland, Government of Canada, The Dutch Government, USAID, Western Union Foundation and WHO.

Refugees support new arrivals with British Red Cross Life Skills course

By Nora Peter, IFRC For people who are seeking asylum in the UK, Life Skills courses are designed and delivered by peer educators who have themselves experienced the asylum process, as well as the ups-and-downs of adjusting to life in a new country. “I’m happy to assist the newcomers because I didn’t get that kind of support when I arrived. When I came, there was no one to help me,” says Maria, a peer educator living in Cardiff. So far Maria and the team of eight peer educators have delivered the course four times, helping welcome 58 asylum seekers to Newport and supporting them to adjust to their new lives. As well as going in-depth into the asylum process, sessions also cover practical topics like healthcare and wellbeing, education, volunteering, state law and local orientation. English language classes are also available. The courses provide a safe environment for asylum seekers to ask questions, engage in group discussions and collect important information and listen to migration and asylum experts. “When planning the sessions, the Peer Educators ask each other: what information do you wish you had known when you first moved to the UK? After that, we do online research on the topic, and engage with subject matter experts such as police officers and nurses,” explains Fiona Harvey, Project Manager at the British Red Cross, “and check information with local service providers to make sure it’s accurate. The group then meet again to come up with themes and activities to embed the learning.” And this approach of drawing on advice from the real experts – people who have experienced the realities of being a refugee in the UK at first hand – seems to be paying off. “We have had positive feedback both from peer educators and from participants,” Fiona adds. Rose, a peer educator from Cardiff, understands only too well the importance of the role she and her colleagues have to play. “People leaving their home countries to come to the UK know that their lives are going to change forever,” she says. “They need us to encourage them, to give them hope and guidance, so that they can find their peace of mind and start following the processes.” The Life Skills courses are supported through the AVAIL (Amplifying the Voices of Asylum seekers and refugees for Integration and Life skills) project, part of a broader initiative involving Red Cross societies in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy and Latvia, funded by the European Union.

Marmara earthquake: 20 years on

On Saturday 17 August, Turkey marks the anniversary of the 7.4-magnitude quake that hit Izmit—around 100 kilometres east of Istanbul— killing 17,479 people, including 1,000 in Istanbul, the economic capital of the country. The quake hit at 3:02 am on 17 August 1999, killing thousands as they slept. In Istanbul, several hundred people were killed when buildings collapsed. Since then, fears remain high with constant warnings from scientists that Istanbul, Turkey’s most populated city and economic hub, will be at the epicenter of the next "big one". Turkey is among the world's most seismically active countries as it is situated on a number of active fault lines. Every day, there are approximately 100 minor earthquakes and aftershocks. In the last big earthquake in October 2011, more than 600 people died in the eastern province of Van after 7.2 magnitude quake. 20 years after the Marmara disaster, Turkey has seen an overhaul in measures to prevent damage from earthquakes, such as compulsory earthquake insurance and campaigns to raise awareness and inform the public about earthquake preparedness. The Turkish Red Crescent (Türk Kızılay) has played a pioneering role by reconstructing the disaster management model from top to bottom. A more effective, sustainable, applicable disaster management model was developed. Disaster preparedness, response, recovery and reconstruction activities were redesigned. Today, Kızılay has the capacity to meet the urgent housing needs of 271,485 people in a possible disaster with its ten regional and 23 local Disaster Management Centers. Türk Kızılay is also stepping up its efforts to build a resilient society through a community-based disaster management model and to make disaster preparedness a lifestyle for every citizen. The Safe Living Culture which is being developed in tandem with the Ministry of National Education aims to raise awareness, provide knowledge and skills and ensure active participation in disaster response processes.

Genoa bridge collapse: one year on

By Nora Peter, IFRC This time last year Paola Vicini was keeping vigil at the base of the collapsed Ponte Morandi in Genoa, anxiously waiting for any news of her missing son, Mirko. For five long days, she did not budge from the site, sleeping in a campervan provided by the Italian Red Cross, and being supported by its volunteers. “Mirko was working at a company close to the bridge. As soon as I heard about the disaster, I rushed to the red zone. Even though I knew it was impossible for him to survive under that debris, I did not give up hope,” she remembers. During those days of uncertainty and anguish, Paola was supported by Federica, an Italian Red Cross volunteer, and the two of them formed a strong bond. Federica was holding Paola’s hand when Mirko’s body was retrieved from under the ruins. “I don’t remember much from those days, but I can still recall Federica’s smile. She was my fortress.” On 14 August 2018, a 200-metre section of the four-lane bridge in Genoa, Italy, collapsed. Vehicles plunged 90 metres onto railway tracks, and buildings below, killing 43 people and injuring 29. 600 people have been displaced. Together with the military and state authorities, Italian Red Cross search and rescue teams searched for survivors for 26 hours. Two Red Cross nurses helped identify bodies at the Genoa morgue, while 15 other volunteers provided psychosocial support to the families of the victims. Altogether 500 Italian Red Cross volunteers took part in the operation that lasted for 35 days. Antonio Cecala was another who was helped by the Red Cross volunteers. “My brother and his family had left for a holiday. When I heard the news about the accident, I tried to call him, but he wouldn’t answer his phone. I got anxious and started making calls to the police and the local hospitals, but nobody had any information. So, I decided to go to Genoa to find out what happened to them,” remembers Antonio. Amid the chaos, he found support and comfort among the Red Cross volunteers who helped him in the search for his missing relatives. Days later his brother’s car was found under the ruins. Antonio was so moved by the work of the volunteers that he decided to become one of them. “Since the Red Cross gave me so much, I wanted to give something back to those in need,” he explains. A video tribute to the rescuers and volunteers, “Ponte Morandi: a year on” can be viewed here.

Typhoon Lekima: Millions affected across six Chinese provinces

Volunteers and staff from the Red Cross Society of China are supporting communities in the aftermath of Typhoon Lekima, which has now affected more than 6.51 million people in the provinces of Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong and Fujian. The typhoon brought torrential rain and heavy winds that knocked out electricity, caused flooding and landslides. As of 11 August, more than 1.45 million people were relocated to safer areas, 3,500 houses have collapsed, and a further 35,000 have been damaged. Some 265,500 hectares of crops have been affected by the disaster. Before Lekima hit, the Red Cross went door-to-door passing on official warnings to help people stay safe. More than 1,100 volunteers were deployed to help deliver thousands of raincoats, bedding and other emergency supplies to people in need.

Typhoon Lekima heads for China after hitting the Philippines

Volunteers and staff of the Red Cross Society of China are helping communities get ready for the arrival of Typhoon Lekima, a Category 3 hurricane that has already damaged many communities in the Philippines. The typhoon is currently located in the North West Pacific Ocean and has maximum sustained winds of 194 km/h, and wind gusts up to 241 km/h. It is expected to make landfall near Zhejiang (Eastern China). A red alert has been issued andfFlood warnings are in place for eastern sections of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River until 14 August. The provinces of Jiangsu and Shandong are also on alert. The Red Cross Society of China’s Zhejiang Branch issued an early warning of yesterday and has provided the public with information on basic measures to prepare for the typhoon. The Red Cross is monitoring the situation. The storm affected more than 17,000 households in the Philippines and caused flooding in more than 400 areas of the country. Philippine Red Cross volunteers distributed 1,200 hot meals to people in Ilolio, Zamabales and Davao; distributed hygiene kits to 16 families in Paranaque, and mobilised its volunteers to support welfare desks at evacuation centres in Guimaras, Zambales and Davao.

Women are the agents of change for climate change in southern Africa

By: Dr Michael Charles Today South Africa marks Women’s Day. Much like the women being commemorated for the march to the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956, women in southern Africa today may well hold the same flint that lights a “new movement” – climate change. Southern Africa is one of the regions projected to experience the most serious consequences of global warming and the El Niño effect. In 2019, we experienced one of the worst disasters the region has ever seen - Cyclone Idai ravaged communities in Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe and continue to rebuild their lives. Urgent action is needed to increase the region’s preparedness for natural disasters. It is only a matter of time until the next disaster strikes. Being female often automatically means that personal susceptibility to sexual and domestic violence, rape and assault in emergency situations is significantly heightened. Women experience additional difficulties because they are typically responsible for sourcing water and preparing food; caring for children, the injured, sick and elderly; and maintaining family and community cohesion. Tackling climate change is, undoubtedly, women’s business. They have a vested interest in avoiding and mitigating the impacts of climate change. It is time that humanitarian actors and policy and decision-makers mainstream gender in policy and practice. It is not a “nice to do”; it is crucial to making real and sustainable differences in the lives of affected people. In 1956, 200,000 South African women declared that enough was enough and acted to defend themselves and the unity and integrity of their families from restrictive laws that required them to carry a pass to reside and move freely in urban areas. Wathint'Abafazi Wathint'imbokodo! Now you have touched the women, you have struck a rock! was the rallying cry of that day, used to signify the women’s unshakeable and unbreakable resolve in the face of adversity as they marched to the Union Building in Pretoria, and sparked change in the course of South Africa’s history. As countries in southern Africa ramp up their disaster risk management and humanitarian organisations work to strengthen community recovery and resilience, women in southern Africa should not just be considered victims and survivors who need special protection and assistance. They are forces for change who can be relied on to represent themselves within their communities and at the highest decision-making levels. I am always inspired by the women I meet responding in disasters, most recently in Cyclone Idai. Women like, Sonia, a volunteer who was working long hours to support women in a shelter, displaced by Cyclone Idai or Flora, who was affected herself by flooding but was dedicated to helping her neighbours rebuild their homes and their lives. Happy Women’s Day, South Africa. May the flame that was lit in 1956 and the fire of women’s empowerment and participation that was built over the decades rage on.