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On March 8^th, for International Women’s Day, we wanted to share a couple stories of inspiring women who have made a difference in their Malian communities and, with the help of Red Cross programs, have helped save lives and improve livelihoods.

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

In Gambia, one of Africa's smallest countries, rain-fed subsistence agriculture is the main livelihood for the majority of its population of just under two million people.  An especially poor rainfall in 2011-12 resulted in the majority of the Gambian population not having enough to eat. The Red Cross responded to this emergency with the support of the Government of Canada. A “twin-track approach” was used which ensures people have the food for immediate survival, as well as a supply of good quality seed and fertilizer to meet future needs.

Like the rest of Haiti, the Jacmel community was left reeling after the January 12, 2010 earthquake devastated the country. This community of 40,000, capital of the Sud-Est department of Haiti, suffered significant damage to many buildings, including an estimated 70% of homes and the county hospital Saint Michel a Jacmel. Given that a strong and functional major health care facility is vitally important to both short-term and long-term recovery efforts, the reconstruction of Saint Michel Hospital was considered an essential task.

A former Iranian solider and long-time volunteer, Mahmood Jafari, now calls the Canadian Red Cross his family.

After leaving friends and relatives behind in 1997 to migrate to Calgary, his lonely transition was made easier after he met two former Red Cross staffers, Peter Worsley and Vince Bodnar, who encouraged him to volunteer. Although Mahmood suffered a serious injury in Iraq that left him in a wheelchair, he agreed Red Cross would be a good way to help others.

How do some countries and regions escape relatively unscathed from major disasters, while others struggle to recover from these events? Many factors are at play, and while it’s impossible to compare one disaster with another, it’s clear that the level of preparedness and the local capacity to respond quickly to the disaster can significantly improve the outcomes.

Calling all youth to snap selfies and share on social media for a chance to win an iTunes gift card!
Post a photo of what a healthy relationship means to you to participate in the #RedCrossRespect challenge.

Catherine Mitchell calls herself the bionic woman. She jokes, but it’s partly true...she does have a bionic leg at least. A bad fall left Catherine with a shattered femur that required two months in hospital and three months at a nursing home before being able to return home. Once she did, she realized she needed additional support in place to live independently.