Emergency (Page 39)

Aziq, his wife, his two school-aged children and his 6-month old baby travelled overland from Syria to Germany in search of protection and safety.  They were among the first-recorded refugees to arrive in what the German Red Cross has established as a “buffer camp”, where refugees register and apply for asylum if intending to stay in Germany. After they have taken these steps, they may make their own way elsewhere in Germany, or go on to one of 300 smaller camps throughout the country. 

Here are some of the ways we’re helping respond to the refugee crisis and why it’s part of our mission to help protect humanity in times of crisis.

The Canadian Red Cross is shipping 20,000 relief items (cots and blankets) to support the German Red Cross response to the refugee crisis.

It may seem contradictory that Canadian Red Cross aid worker Nicolas Verdy first got a degree in anthropology, and then went on to study computer technology, but for this Montreal native, it is proving to be an ideal basis for his humanitarian career.

It was a great surprise at our Burnaby, B.C. office as six-year-old Zeyan Walji dropped off a whopping $881 to support the Canadian Red Cross Nepal Region Earthquake Fund. Zeyan asked his friends and family for cash donations to help people in Nepal, in lieu of other gifts for his birthday.

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

​Heavy rains started in the nation of Myanmar in Southeast Asia in mid-July and continued in many areas of the country, resulting in the flooding of villages and towns, as well as thousands of acres of farmland.  According to the government’s figures as of August 15, more than a million people are affected, with close to 100 deaths.  Floods have caused 12 of 14 the country’s regions to be in difficulty.

The message read “Today, August 4, we transported our dear Mr. Smiley and his brother to Dhulikhel Spinal Cord Injury”. It was sent by Red Cross nurse Kirsty Robertson of Toronto who is part of the current Canadian Red Cross team working at the field hospital in rural Dhunche, Nepal. She was eager to share Mr. Smiley’s happy outcome, as it has been a team effort.