The Round-up offers a weekly sample of what our sister Red Cross Societies are working on around the world.
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Did you know that in 140 characters or less or by posting on Facebook you can help the Canadian Red Cross carry out our mission during a disaster. Meet two members of the Social Team who love what they do.
Jane Belyk delicate fingers weave effortlessly between her needle and wool. Her scarf is nearly done – dancing colours of blue, green and a pale yellow fill her design. She is among a group of seven ladies sitting around a table at the Canadian Red Cross office in Calgary, like they do every Tuesday, knitting blankets and other material to local community groups, such as the Sheldon Kennedy Advocacy Centre and Raido Youth Transition House.
Not only has Canadian Red Cross volunteer Jennifer Duke Holmes been able to support the Red Cross as a disaster management volunteer, but she has also used her expertise in film production to capture the Red Cross on video.
Natural disasters like storms, earthquakes and floods make news around the world, but health emergencies are silently affecting hundreds of millions of lives every year. The recent Ebola outbreak in Guinea—which the Red Cross is working to help contain—is a rare example of public health emergencies becoming global news. One of the most silent, and rapidly growing, health emergencies in the spread of dengue fever, a disease spread by mosquitos.
Canadian Red Cross volunteer Angelo Hsu has always understood the importance of community, especially in times of need. When the ice storms hit Toronto in December 2013, Angelo spent approximately 380 hours over the course of the power outage helping others.
“Silent disasters” are emergencies that go unnoticed and unreported. They are also known as neglected crisis. You don’t hear about them because they don’t make headlines in most parts of the world. In fact, about 91 per cent of disasters worldwide are classified as silent.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper met with Red Crossers and visited a Red Cross warehouse facility in Mississauga yesterday. He was there to make an announcement about the government contribution to the Typhoon Haiyan relief fund for the Philippines. The Prime Minister welcomed the generosity of Canadians who contributed over $85 million in eligible donations that are being matched by the government.