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A state of emergency has been declared in Ecuador following a powerful, 7.8 earthquake that hit the coastal province of Esmeraldas on April 17. Hundreds of people have lost their lives, or have been injured – and thousands have been impacted by the disaster. The earthquake struck 173km from Ecuador’s capital Quito, and caused serious damage to buildings, infrastructure, the electricity supply, and highways that are needed to deliver assistance. 

For Ted Itani, volunteering has been a “marvelous opportunity to give back to society what society has given me over my lifetime...”  Ted was recently appointed to the Order of Canada in recognition of his dedication to humanitarian and peacekeeping work around the world. 

Here at the Red Cross, we can’t do what we do without volunteers! We get a lot of questions from people wondering how they can volunteer with the Red Cross as an international aid worker. Here's what we look for in an international aid worker. 

Participants crouch down in groups on the ground of a hotel in Ottawa with dried spaghetti sticks and marshmallows. The aim of the team-building exercise is to work together to come up with a way to create the highest structure topped by a marshmallow. The exercise is part of a training of future Red Cross Operations Managers.

The Round-up offers a weekly sample of what our sister Red Cross Societies are working on around the world.

It was an emotional evening as 10 people from Alberta and British Columbia were recognized for their heroic efforts in two life-changing events and given Canadian Red Cross Rescuer Awards at a ceremony in Calgary.

This week (April 10-16) is National Volunteer Week, so we’re honouring our incredible volunteers by sharing a few of their stories as well as heartfelt gratitude. At the Canadian Red Cross, we have around 20,000 volunteers who give their time and skills in helping others.

Operation Med School is a one-day conference that brings together 198 high school and university students from Southern Alberta to inspire and educate them to follow their medical dreams.

At this year's conference, the Canadian Red Cross hosted a panel discussion that included three medical aid workers who collectively have been on 15 international deployments. These aid workers gave students a first-hand account of the medical contributions Canadians have been making overseas following some of the most devastating emergencies.