Canadian Red Cross

While there are so many difficult moments for the team working in the International Committee of the Red Cross - ICRC Field Hospital in Rafah, Gaza, there are also moments of joy. The birth of a baby brings some of those moments. Meet two of the more than 168 babies born at the field hospital. Nous was born at the field hospital in early September. Her parents Eman and Daif had their whole family coming to celebrate. Sara’s birth was a little trickier -- Aisha gave birth early in the morning, the same moment the generator that was providing much-needed light stopped due to scheduled maintenance. With the support of midwife Minna Vanhamäki from the Finnish Red Cross, Aisha delivered a healthy baby girl. The ongoing conflict in Gaza leaves people in need of access to vital medical care. Since the escalation in hostilities, the Red Cross team including local and international staff have been working at the field hospital to address the increasing needs. With funding from the Government of Canada Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada and the public, the Canadian Red Cross continues to support the ICRC Field Hospital with equipment, medicines, and personnel. Photo credit: Olav A. Saltbones / Norwegian Red Cross

The Canadian Red Cross has launched the Hurricanes Milton and Helene Appeal. Donations to the Canadian Red Cross will assist those affected by Hurricanes Milton and Helene. As Floridians struggle with the new damage from Milton, the American Red Cross is on the ground working around the clock in Florida, and the Carolinas, Georgia and Tennessee to provide shelter, food, water, relief supplies and comfort to those still coping with destruction left behind by Hurricane Helene. You can help by donating to the Canadian Red Cross Hurricanes Milton and Helene Appeal: https://brnw.ch/21wNEIR

It's #WorldMentalHealthDay❤️ Take time this week to take care of yourself with these 4 self-care tips: 1. Take breaks 📖 2. Reflect on experiences✏️ 3. Maintain healthy habits 🏃 4. Ask for help 📲 Learn how you can improve coping strategies and increase personal resilience by signing up for our Self-Care Psychological First Aid course: https://brnw.ch/21wNE20

Just announced: The Government of Canada Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada will match donations from individuals made to the Canadian Red Cross Lebanon Humanitarian Needs Appeal between September 24 and November 3, 2024. This means that every $1 donated will become $2 to help individuals in Lebanon affected by the ongoing humanitarian crises now and as the situation evolves. You can help by donating at https://brnw.ch/21wNC31

International humanitarian law (IHL) is a set of rules that seek to limit the effects of armed conflict. Also called the rules of war or the rules of armed conflict, IHL protects people who are not or are no longer participating in the hostilities and restricts the means and methods of warfare. IHL is not optional. All parties to a conflict have an obligation to follow the rules of war, everywhere and at all times.

For the past year, the Palestine Red Crescent Society has been working day and night to provide life-saving support in Gaza, including emergency medical services to more than 100,000 people. Hanadi, an emergency medical technician with the Palestine Red Crescent society explains what this year has been like for her. “When you see someone you helped and meet them later on the street, and they say to you ‘Do you remember that you helped me one day?’ That makes all the exhaustion you might be feeling disappear.” The Canadian Red Cross and the Government of Canada Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada have provided support to the Palestine Red Crescent Society as they deliver vital humanitarian support across Gaza and the West Bank. Video: Palestine Red Crescent society and British Red Cross

In the aftermath of the devastating attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, Magen David Adom (MDA) began implementing a project aimed at strengthening community resilience to help them respond to future emergencies. With support from the Canadian Red Cross and the Government of Canada Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada, these newly created community emergency response teams are trained and able to respond to an emergency at the community level, when the usual resources aren’t able to reach people quickly. The emergency could be a disaster, industrial accident, or conflict related. MDA volunteers, healthcare professionals and other community members receive basic training in trauma care and mass casualty management and are provided equipment including automated external defibrillators (AEDs), first aid kits, and stretchers. Over the last year, MDA, as Israel’s National Society and member of the international Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, has amplified its efforts to train more community emergency response teams by staging simulation exercises in many communities, including Kibbutz Yagur. To date, 450 community emergency response teams have received training. Staff and volunteers have also been providing emergency medical services to people impacted by the ongoing conflict, supporting patient transfers between hospitals, collecting and processing milk for newborns, and offering free, online “emergency situations” training for the general public, including first aid.

With the health care system in Gaza essentially decimated, the demand for service is immense. Access to health care professionals is limited, chronic illnesses are going untreated, and disease outbreaks are increasing. Maryse Dodard is a humanitarian aid worker with the Canadian Red Cross. Earlier this year, with support from the Government of Canada Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada, Maryse was deployed to Gaza where she spent seven weeks working as a head nurse at the European Gaza Hospital that was located in Khan Younis. She shares the story of a pregnant woman who was admitted to the hospital with severe burns after an explosion ripped through her family’s home, killing two of her children.

As hostilities escalate in Lebanon, many families are making the decision to seek safety in neighbouring Syria. Staff and more than 200 volunteers from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent have set up Humanitarian Service Points at key border crossings to provide critical support to tens of thousands of people from Lebanon and Syrian citizens returning home. This includes psychosocial support, emergency medical care, water, food, and access to bathroom facilities. The support comes as Syrians continue to endure a protracted crisis which is now into its 13th year, and are coping with the aftermath of earthquakes in February 2023. Photos: Syrian Arab Red Crescent

The escalating violence in Lebanon has had widespread impacts across the country. Thousands of people have been injured and more than a million people have been displaced as a result. The escalation is exacerbating an already dire socio-economic crisis, where nearly three-quarters of people in Lebanon live below the poverty line. Lebanon also hosts the most refugees per capita, including an estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees. The Lebanese Red Cross has been responding around the clock to the escalating violence, providing vital ambulance and search and rescue services, as well as emergency healthcare through mobile medical units and health-care centres. They are also distributing mattresses, blankets, food parcels and hygiene kits to people staying in shelters. Teams continue to respond despite facing immense challenges doing so in an active conflict zone. Under international humanitarian law, civilians and humanitarian workers are not targets and must be protected. Those wishing to help are encouraged to donate to Middle East Humanitarian Crisis Appeal at https://brnw.ch/21wNqXE or by calling 1-800-418-1111. Photos: Lebanese Red Cross