The Red Cross Round-up

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

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Eleven children from the Central African Republic, who had sought refuge in Chad over a year ago, were reunited with their families last week. The reunions were coordinated by the ICRC, working closely with the Red Cross of Chad and the Central African Red Cross Society.

COLOMBIA:  In Balsora, the route to school is contaminated by landmines, meaning that children were often too afraid to go, and they had to cross a river using a dilapidated old bridge, which also meant risking their safety. As well as causing children to drop out of school and generating fear among families, this restricted locals' access to their crops killed their livestock and adversely affected their income. When the ICRC rebuilt the bridge over the Caño Piñuña Negro, the pupils and teacher were able to return to their school building after two years away, and the 379 families from Balsora and 11 nearby villages now have a safe place to cross the river with their crops and livestock.

YEMEN: On April 10, urgently needed medical supplies were brought into Yemen by plane by the ICRC. The plane, carrying 16.4 tonnes of medicines, bandages, IV fluids and surgical equipment (enough to treat between 700 and 1,000 badly wounded people), landed in the capital Sana’a as reports emerged of medical facilities and staff coming under attack.  The plane landed two days after a five-member ICRC surgical team reached the southern port city of Aden, where casualties have been heaviest. They will help the local hospitals that are struggling to cope with the influx of the wounded from street fighting, shelling, tank fire and air strikes.