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For International Women’s Day today, we want to highlight stories of women who have gone above and beyond to provide care and assistance. Throughout history, women have played an important role in the Red Cross movement here in Canada and abroad.  Today, we’re celebrating Canadian women who are making a difference in the world with the humanitarian work they do whether it’s responding to disasters, providing lifesaving assistance in challenging situations or helping improve the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable people.

The signs of hope, strength and recovery are everywhere now when I visit Fort McMurray and the surrounding region in northern Alberta. It’s been slightly more than nine months since wildfires wiped out so much for so many there, and when I talk with people in Wood Buffalo, I still hear their struggles. But increasingly, I also hear more optimism.

Mary Teresa Shalala, or Teri to her friends, has been a Walmart associate in Vaudreuil-Dorion for eight years. While the mother of four works evenings and nights taking inventory, her 33-year-old son Élie Langevin is often busy helping people affected by disasters. Despite their differing realities, they share something beyond a family bond: a passion for helping disaster victims. Teri does so through her employer, which has supported the Canadian Red Cross for 14 years, and Élie volunteers for the organization in Quebec.

Have you ever been curious about the doctors, nurses, social workers and technicians the Red Cross sends overseas when a disaster strikes? Who are they? What inspires them to do humanitarian aid work? On February 9, eight Canadian Red Cross aid workers answered questions like these, submitted by Canadians from across the country,

The worst drought in decades threatens to leave tens of millions of people in the region of eastern and southern Africa without enough food. Canadian Red Cross CEO Conrad Sauvé and other Canadian Red Cross representatives were in Ethiopia this week to meet with the Ethiopian Red Cross. 

On January 25, 2017, an ice storm hit New Brunswick, at its height leaving 133,000 people without electricity. When I arrived Feb. 2 in the hardest hit area, the Acadian Peninsula, some 3,500 still were without power.

Everything the International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement does is guided by our seven fundamental principles; Humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality. We’re taking a closer look at exactly what these principles mean, and how they govern our actions – today we’re looking at fundamental principle #2: Impartiality.

The Canadian Red Cross is helping people hard-hit by an ice storm that struck New Brunswick last week and left thousands of people without power. The Canadian Red Cross is working closely with the New Brunswick Department of Public Safety, municipalities and other partners.