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Since August 25, more than 500,000 people have crossed into Bangladesh, fleeing violence in the northern areas of Rakhine State, Myanmar. They are now living in large camps and makeshift settlements in Cox’s Bazar and are in desperate need of basic necessities. The Red Cross and Red Crescent movement is providing food, water, health care, sanitation and shelter, in support of the work by the Bangladesh Red Crescent.

On March 7, the Canadian Red Cross in partnership with Dalhousie University’s Global Health Office hosted a panel discussion in Halifax on the challenges and successes in strengthening the lives of women and children in conflict and fragile settings.

Last week, I had the privilege of emceeing and providing a youth perspective at the 2016 Canadian Partnership for Women & Children’s Health (CanWaCH) Conference. The conference, held in partnership with McGill University’s Public Policy and Population Health Observatory and Institute for Health and Social Policy (IHSP), drew an audience that was as diverse as it was passionate.

Infections from injuries sustained in the hurricane aren’t the only health concern Haiti is facing. Cholera cases are on the rise, although there is currently no testing being done to confirm cases, making this challenging to quantify.

The Round-up offers a weekly sample of what our sister Red Cross Societies are working on around the world. Here is an update on Red Cross response to disasters in Syria, Niger and Korea.

It’s that time again: the summer Olympics are here! Known for bringing both triumph and tears for athletes around the world, the location of the 2016 Games is also raising concerns about the Zika. While the World Health Organization (WHO) has said the Rio Olympics will not alter the international spread of Zika, efforts to limit the virus’s effects across the region remain as important as ever.

The community of Coaque is about a 15-minute drive along the highway from where the Canadian Red Cross field hospital is based in Pedernales, Ecuador. The field hospital has been supporting a local health facility damaged by the April earthquake. Doctor Patricia Connick has been going out on mobile clinics like this nearly every day of her one-month mission.

In times of disaster and emergencies, the work done by humanitarians at home and abroad is essential. Over the last two years, Canadian Red Cross aid workers have assisted with earthquakes in Nepal and Ecuador, at Syrian refugee camps and with Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu, among many others. Disasters, both natural and manmade, are increasingly common. This is why the work of the Canadian Red Cross focuses not only on sending aid workers to emergencies, but also training and educating the next generation.