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…

INDIA: In the remotest areas of Chhattisgarh, India, the ICRC has been working with local health authorities and the Indian Red Cross Society to provide medical care where there is none. As part of this, a focus has been put on first-aid training/training of trainers workshops. The aim is not just to reduce deaths in the field, but also to ensure that health facilities are not swamped with minor injuries during emergencies.

CHINA: In southern China the Red Cross Society of China has been supporting a sanitation program that is taking an environmentally-friendly approach towards improving the health of the local population while also boosting food security in some of the poorest areas of the country. Ecological sanitation (EcoSan) toilets do not rely upon water, instead waste is stored and reused when free from microorganisms and the resulting compost is used to fertilize local crops. A city of 100,000 people would produce about a million pounds of potential eco fertilizer per year.

YEMEN: This week the ICRC began a two-day visit to 72 government soldiers detained by Ansar al-Sharia in Abyan governorate, Yemen. The soldiers were captured during fighting that erupted earlier this month and has left scores of people wounded or dead. The ICRC has already provided medical treatment for wounded soldiers and has been calling on all parties to give access to detainees.

HONDURAS: In the wake of the fire that broke out a month ago at the Comayagua prison in Honduras, in which more than 360 people died, the ICRC has been supporting victim identification and offering psychological support to families. Because there were so many victims, many of whose remains are unrecognizable, the identification process is very complicated and lengthy. The ICRC has donated essential items to deal with the remains of those killed in the fire, has been providing forensic advice to the Honduran government, and has two psychologists providing psychosocial support for relatives and for those responding to the disaster.

GLOSSARY:

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

PHOTO:
In Chhattisgarh, India, the ICRC Master Trainer explains how to use locally available material as a splint to immobilize a limb.