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…

TURKEY: The Turkish Red Crescent (TRC) and IFRC are working to assist survivors and reach people trapped in the rubble following the 7.2 earthquake that hit the eastern Turkish province of Van on Sunday. At least 217 people have been killed and 1,090 people have been injured, with hundreds more missing.

CENTRAL AMERICA: Over the past week, heavy rains in Central America caused flooding and several major landslides. A landslide in La Libertad, El Salvador took five lives and another five were rescued from under the dirt by members of the Salvadorian Red Cross. In Guatemala, the Guatemalan Red Cross is delivering relief supplies to those affected by landslides. At least 100 have died in the region, which continues to receive heavy rains from Hurricane Rita.

AFGHANISTAN: Every year, as the weather turns cold, the ICRC runs a winter program for Afghan detainees. By the end of October, the ICRC will have distributed over 26,000 parcels, blankets and other supplies to 72 prisons all over Afghanistan.

MADAGASCAR: Last week was the final training seminar in a series of 10 at the national police academy in Ivato, Madagascar. The seminars, organized by the ICRC, gave 400 officers the opportunity to enhance their knowledge of the rules on the use of force under human rights law.

GLOSSARY:

ICRC = International Committee of the Red Cross
IFRC = International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies