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Ethiopia, Iraq, Kenya, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, all countries with varying degrees of instability; all countries in which travellers expose themselves to a certain amount of risk; and all countries in which Colleen Laginskie has worked.

"Ecstatic", "grateful", "still standing" - just a few of the thoughts that were shared with us as people returned home to 100 Mile House after being forced to evacuate due to wildfires in British Columbia. 

In the hot summer months, it is always a treat to enjoy the sun by a pool for refreshing dips in the water. As we welcome hot weather, remember to take some steps to ensure a safe environment poolside for all to enjoy. Make water safety mandatory in any pool adventure: learn to swim, secure your pool and always watch kids closely. Here are simple steps you can follow to secure your pool.

“Babies need diapers. People need houses,” says 8-year-old Kamloops resident Jenna Kansky. 
Jenna and her 7-year-old friend Isabella Sharp set-up a lemonade stand to raise funds to support the Canadian Red Cross BC Fires appeal.  

It was a slow journey as people evacuated from Williams Lake on Saturday evening, with many driving all night to get to Kamloops. For some, the experience was almost overwhelming. After they arrive, the Red Cross is there to help register them and provide assistance. 

Bashiir sits upright on his cot inside a crowded cholera ward. “It is the first time I am sitting like this in a long time,” says Bashiir. “With my illness, I could not sit, I could not stand. For three days and three nights, I was vomiting. My entire body was aching. Those were black days.”
 Bashiir is at a treatment centre in eastern Africa for acute watery diarrhea/cholera set up by the Canadian Red Cross, with support from the Government of Canada.

Canadian Red Cross volunteer David Wickingstad, who is currently fielding calls at the Kamloops HELP office, decided to help out because he knows what it’s like to be an evacuee. His community of 108 Mile in the Cariboo Region of BC has been under an evacuation order since Friday, July 7th due to the Gustafsen wildfire.

Gauthier is one of thousands of people pushed out of their homes due to a fast-moving wildfire that broke out Thursday, July 6 near the village of Ashcroft, BC.  The fire swept through her tiny community nearby called Boston Flats.