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…

MYANMAR:  Myanmar Red Cross Society volunteers are providing emergency aid to people injured in unrest, as well as supporting displaced individuals contact their families.  Since June 8th, at least 29 people have been killed and 38 injured as tension between Muslim and Buddhist communities have reached crisis point.  Volunteers have been providing first aid and the Red Cross ambulance service has been used to evacuate more serious cases to healthcare facilities.

SENEGAL:  The ICRC is distributing food to 34,000 people affected by serious shortages and by the ongoing armed conflict in Senegal.  As with the entire Sahel region, Senegal has been hard hit by drought and poor harvests.  Rations are being distributed to 128 villages and consist mainly of rice, peas, lentils, cooking oil, salt and seeds.

AFGHANISTAN:  A wheelchair basketball tournament in Afghanistan recently brought together players from Mazar-i Sharif, Kabul, Herat and Maimana, representing their first national wheelchair basketball tournament.  The ICRC organized the event, in close collaboration with the Afghan Para-Olympic Committee.  This tournament is part of the ICRC’s long-running effort to promote the social reintegration of people with disabilities.

SINGAPORE:  In conjunction with the IFRC annual theme ‘Youth on the Move’, the Singapore Red Cross launched an innovative location-based mobile application, ‘Rapid Rescue’.  The mobile application enables an injured person to send out an SOS to trained volunteers within a 2 km radius.  It also maps the fastest route for certified first aiders to reach the victim, enabling them to provide first aid assistance before the ambulance arrives.

GLOSSARY:

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

PHOTO:
Myanmar Red Cross response. (Htein Win/REUTERS)