Worldwide Wednesday Wrap-Up
Welcome to the Worldwide Wednesday Wrap-Up, in which we consolidate the international Red Cross and Red Crescent news into one list of bite-sized links for you. It’s a non-comprehensive sampling of the larger and/or more intriguing aspects of our global work…
[The place names link to maps so that you can get a quick idea of the region.]
BELGIUM: The ICRC and the College of Europe are bringing together experts from around the world to discuss new forms of violence and how they relate to international humanitarian law.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: The ICRC and Central African Red Cross Society are bringing aid to thousands of civilians displaced by violence – providing water sanitation, supplies for medical centers that have been looted, and reuniting children with their families.
IRAQ: In the four years before the closure of the American detention facility at Camp Bucca, around 30,000 detainees received 146,000 visits from their relatives with ICRC financial support.
SUDAN: Acting as a neutral intermediary, the ICRC transported two released hostages in Darfur last weekend.
INDONESIA: The Indonesian Red Cross Society (Palang Merah Indonesia) and the ICRC are working hand-in-hand to trace people separated from their families by earthquakes that killed more than 1,000 people, destroyed tens of thousands of houses and left hundreds unaccounted for.
AMERICAN SAMOA: In the wake of the tsunami, American Red Cross volunteers are working with grieving families and providing a “safe space” for children to laugh again.