Welcome to the Weekly Worldwide 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…

YEMEN: In recent weeks there has been an increase in violence in
southern Yemen. Clashes in Lawdar have left hundreds of casualties, and a new wave of displacement in the wake of the fighting. After lengthy negotiations with all parties, ICRC teams re-entered the area in mid-April to distribute food and other items to 36,000 people. In addition to enduring the hardship caused by fighting, Yemen has been lashed by widespread heavy rain in the north. In response to the flooding, the ICRC has provided around 1,000 relief kits, food to more than 2,100, treated more than 60,000 animals, and donated 500,000 measles vaccines.

GAMBIA: Young people from the Gambia Red Cross Society have put together a 15-person “Humanity Band” aimed at developing the musical talents of young volunteers while fundraising for Red Cross programs and increasing public awareness of disease control and prevention. An estimated 500,000 people have been reached through the music and proactive health messages.

PHILIPPINES: In an effort to raise environmental awareness among youth, the Philippine Red Cross developed the “Run, Plant and Care for the Mangroves and our Environment” project to help better prepare for adverse climate change effects. In response to the decline of mangrove forests, the planting of mangrove trees is needed to help protect fishpond dikes and homes from sea surges and storm damage.

LEBANON: In collaboration with the Belgian Red Cross, the Lebanese Red Cross youth department has been pursuing the “Dissemination of Humanitarian Norms” project. The project encourages young people to think carefully about the consequences of conflicts, embrace humanitarian behaviors, and become responsible citizens that act according to Red Cross Red Crescent principles. Since 2009, the project has successfully reached 101,000 young people and mobilized 750 volunteers across the country.

 
GLOSSARY:

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

PHOTO:
The ICRC providing support for the internally displaced persons camp at Al-Jabanah, Yemen. (C. Martin-Chicco, ICRC)