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Without a doubt, stepping over the threshold to leave an Ebola treatment centre for the last time gives a patient a certain degree of euphoria; against many odds they have survived this highly contagious and deadly disease. However, the grim reality of day-to-day survival looms ahead as many have lost the breadwinner of the family, or their entire family, and their possessions have been destroyed, burned or disinfected with chlorine solution to avoid the further spread of the disease.

​Thanks to the generous support of Canadians and the government of Canada, the Red Cross has been making an impact in the fight against the Ebola outbreak. From preparedness and awareness activities to treating people with Ebola at Red Cross-run treatment centres, the response has been tremendous -- and is not yet over.

When Canadian Red Cross delegate Nicolas Verdy arrived in Vanuatu shortly after Severe Tropical Cyclone Pam, a category 5 storm, made landfall, he was amazed at the amount of destruction to buildings and vegetation but also at the resiliency of the people.

It’s hard to imagine what it’s like to work in an Ebola treatment centre. Most Canadian Red Cross aid workers try to anticipate what they will see and experience on a day-to-day basis but quickly realize that the experience is not what they thought it would be. Nikola Latinovic, an aid worker from Windsor, Ontario, found this to be the case during his four-week mission in Kono, Sierra Leone.

Hope, solidarity, dignity, knowledge, love, compassion. These words have been crucial in supporting the communities affected by the Ebola outbreak. And these words have inspired a new Red Cross Red Crescent campaign called Words Against Ebola.

How relevant is international humanitarian law in modern conflicts? This depends on whether the laws are applied and respected. It’s also important to remember that “laws of war” are constantly changing.

These are a few of the perspectives presented recently at the second annual International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Conference held at the University of Calgary. 

Thousands of people have been affected after Cyclone Pam, a category 5 storm, made landfall in Port Vila, Vanuatu, on Friday, March 13. This was the strongest tropical storm to make landfall since Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines in November 2013. 

Sara came to Turkey two years ago, fleeing conflict in her hometown. “Many of us saw very bad things happening,” she said. “We are adults but there are many children needing psychological support as they experienced a lot of trauma. They need to be able to express what they feel.”