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It’s hard to believe, but many parts of the developing world that are most vulnerable to humanitarian crises, like natural disasters, disease outbreaks, epidemics or conflict, are still not mapped digitally or on paper.  Without comprehensive maps, response times can drastically increase during natural disasters or disease outbreaks making it harder to reach people who need help.

At the Canadian Red Cross we know how important having an emergency kit is, and we were looking for a new way to get the word out. So we turned to BUNZ Trading Zone. 

Having reliable, practical and up-to-date information can make all the difference for refugees and migrants as they are making their way and transiting through Europe, a journey that is often fraught with peril.
That’s why the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) with the help of IBM recently designed and launched an online tool called Virtual Volunteer.

It wasn't so long ago that delivering aid in times of crisis, whether in Canada or elsewhere, inevitably took the form of distributing goods (blankets, food, water, and other essentials) and services (shelter, first aid, and so on). But in recent years, the Red Cross has also taken a new approach, one that utilizes the latest technology and empowers people who are affected by emergencies to access cash and purchase items most needed by their family.

Many of us use various smartphone apps that help make our days more social, more efficient and a lot more fun. But did you know there’s a new app to help refugees feel more at home in their new communities? 

From the moment the Ebola outbreak was first discovered earlier this year in West Africa, technology has been playing an important role in detecting its spread, initially in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Every 45 seconds, a child dies somewhere in the world from malaria and 3.3 billion people are still at risk from this deadly disease. It continues to kill nearly 700,000 people every year, primarily children under the age of five, despite the fact that there are options for treatment and prevention.

Their hands are small, but don’t let their size fool you. Kids save lives too, in some cases with the help of technology we use every day. 

Bentley Toone may be just barely out of diapers, but this two-year-olds swift action helped save his mother’s life.