I’m not sure how many people know that I am a Personal Disaster Assistance volunteer with the Red Cross in Ottawa, but I wanted to take a minute to talk about the amazing work I get to do, and how you can support a very worthy cause.
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Since Typhoon Hagupit made landfall in the Philippines earlier this month, the Philippine Red Cross has been busy providing emergency relief and assessing damage in the hard-hit area of Samar Island.
The Red Cross has set up a basic health care unit in Dolores, Eastern Samar Province to provide services until health care facilities in the area can resume normal activities, with technical support for this clinic being provided by the Canadian Red Cross.
The days are flying by, a blur of highs and lows. We move from gut-wrenching tragedy to clapping, dancing celebration in the three steps it takes to cross between patients. Three steps more, back to tragedy again.
Yesterday, we had a six-year-old girl arrive in an ambulance full of suspected Ebola cases. She came with no contact information. We weren’t even sure of her name. Today, she died with one of our team, dressed in full protective gear, holding her hand.
Looking around Azraq refugee camp, in Jordan’s north-eastern desert, life seems peaceful, if rudimentary. Children run and play in the camp’s streets, parents shop at the central supermarket, and social and religious activities are growing as refugee families re-establish connections with neighbours. Some Syrian residents can be seen with crutches or other medical equipment, recovering from lingering wounds or long-untreated chronic illnesses.
Many of us have heard the term Meals on Wheels and understand the gist of what it entails, but the Canadian Red Cross program offers more than you might expect.
Despite contracting Ebola, many patients in West Africa are recovering from the virus and returning to their lives with joy and a bit of fear due to stigmatization.
Mamadou and Patricia share their journey to recovery and reintegration into their community.
Patrice Gordon, a British Columbia nurse practitioner and Red Cross delegate, is currently working at the Red Cross Ebola treatment centre in Kenema, Sierra Leone. She writes:
If you’re still looking for some great and meaningful gift ideas to show someone you truly care, here are some of our suggestions: