Archive for the ‘British Red Cross’ Category

With the spotlight firmly on the World Cup in South Africa at the moment, behind the carnival atmosphere the British Red Cross are working hard to battle the daily struggle that many people are suffering through the AIDS epidemic. In a country where 20% of adults are HIV positive, Red Cross volunteers are on the front line in South Africa trying to get their message across to stop the spread of AIDS through drama, music and sports.

The British Red Cross is currently working in an area called KwaZulu Natal, where more than 37% of the people are living with HIV. This is one of the worst affected regions in the country, where one in five children have lost their mother, father or both parents to the deadly disease. Through a combination of care and treatment, the British Red Cross workers are having a big impact in the area through their prevention activities.

With the all the fun and games that the World Cup brings, please take the time to think about the other things that are happening behind the scenes in South Africa at the moment…

with your support the Red Cross is already making a difference, and hope to do even more.

> > Click here to make a donation to The British Red Cross

The British Red Cross Appeal Week starts this Sunday and will be running through until Saturday 8th May 2010. This annual event is a great way for people in the UK to help raise thousands of pounds by taking part in loads of fun events up and down the country. There are loads of interesting ways to support this great cause, including -

• Making a donation
• Dress down day at work
• Collections and raffles
• Cake sales
• Quizzes
• Donate unwanted clothes

> > Click here to sign up for a local event

Red Cross fundraisers across the country will be helping to raise money to provide life changing support to people in crisis across the globe. Thanks to your efforts, The British Red Cross can continue to offer hope to many people who’s circumstances give them none. Please give generously during this week and help those less fortunate than ourselves to a better life.

> > Click here to make a donation to The British Red Cross

The British Red Cross Humanitarian Citizen Awards are upon us, do you know a superhero that deserves a nomination? The annual award is to celebrate the valuable contribution young people make to the lives of others, recognising both individual and groups aged under 25 who have done something special.

Nominations need to be in by Friday 23rd July 2010, with 4 categories of outstanding achievement recognised -

• Volunteering
• First aid
• Fundraising
• Community action

British Red Cross youth development co ordinator, Robin Wells, said -

These awards recognise the amazing things that young people do to help others. They may not wear masks or a cape, but their selfless actions have a real impact and help to make the world a better place.

One of last year’s winners was Vikki George from Surrey, who set up a charity called Post Pals to send cards, gifts and letters to seriously ill children. A group from Norwich called Beat Ambassadors who help other young people with eating disorders were also recognised. Last year also showed the broad spectrum of ages that can be nominated, with a three year old girl who helps her mother who has epilepsy mentioned as a super young superhero!

The awards will take place in November and be judged by a panel of young people and previous winners. The Red Cross Humanitarian Citizen Awards are a great chance for you to reward young people who make a difference to other people’s lives. So if you know someone you think is a superhero, why not nominate them today and show them that their efforts are appreciated.

> > Click here to make a nomination

> > Click her to make a donation to the British Red Cross

World Water Day is held every on the 22nd March to focus the world’s attention on the importance of freshwater for everyone on the planet. The British Red Cross is currently distributing water to at least 320,000 people each day in Haiti to those that are living in the aftermath of the terrible destruction caused by the huge earthquake which rocked their country.

Clean water is one of the most urgent needs for people affected by the earthquake, with The Red Cross currently distributing water to at least 320,000 people each day. Thanks to their mass sanitation unit (MSU), which can provide sanitation facilities to 20,000 people for a maximum of four months, The British Red Cross are doing all they can to provide the people effected by the earthquake with clean, healthy water. Click on the link below to check out their photos taken in Haiti

> > Click here to view The British Red Cross pictures

When a major disaster strikes in the world, a 4 person Red Cross team is on call and ready to respond immediately. Featuring a sanitation engineer, a public health delegate, team leader and team administrator, they can act swiftly to help those people most effected and help to provide clean water for the injured and thirsty.

World Water Day has now been running for 17 years, ever since it was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). More than one billion people lack access to clean water worldwide, with over three billion not having adequate sanitation facilities, that’s half the worlds population. Now is the time to change, and you can do that by making a small donation to The British Red Cross and help their fight to provide clean water and sanitation not just to the people of Haiti, but also the sufferers of disaster across the glob.

> > Click here to donate to The British Red Cross

The British Red Cross are still working hard on the frontline in Haiti in the wake of the devastating earthquake that has destroyed millions of lives. Cathy Ayer is part of the team helping to improve sanitation for earthquake survivors. Whilst helping the people of Haiti, Cathy found the time to send back this interesting story about some of the more unusual ways they’ve found to make toilets fun!

Clowns. Funny guys that fall over a lot. Baggy pants. Little tricycles. Honking. More likely to be found in a circus than a camp for earthquake affected people. That was my experience of clowns until this morning when I attended a Red Cross hygiene promotion session in Automeca camp in Port Au Prince.

Automeca camp is currently home to approximately 10,000 people, densely populated in the centre of town with ramshshackle shelters squeezed tightly together. The British Red Cross sanitation team has been working in this camp for over 4 weeks for people made homeless by the earthquake. We have erected latrines and hand washing facilities so that people now have a safe and secure place to go to the loo. We have also undertaken a large hygiene promotion campaign with the residents of the camp. Hygiene promotion is all about delivering essential messages on how to maintain good hygiene to keep you and your family healthy, such as correct use of latrines, hand washing and storage of water. These things are absolutely vital…but is talking about going to the toilet sexy?

This is why hygiene promoters have to be extremely creative. They have to get the key messages out in such a way that it is interesting, engaging, clear, easily understood and makes people want to tell their friends and practice good hygiene. Today I saw Red Cross volunteers conducting a hygiene promotion session using glitter on people’s hands to demonstrate how harmful bacteria can be spread from person to person if they don’t wash their hands. They taught the people songs about why hygiene is good and everyone joined in singing and clapping their hands!

I then wandered over in to the centre of Automeca camp for the main attraction…the clowns! Liz, our hygiene promoter had found a group of local, professional performers, living in another camp in Port Au Prince, who have a clown act and she asked if they would join us to speak to the people in Automeca to promote hygiene. I was not sure what to expect…red noses? make up? Twirling bow ties? Instead I found something much more hilarious. A young guy dressed as an old man complete with white beard, an old man dressed as a baby (man size nappy included) and a scruffy clown with comedy breeches.

Hundreds of people gathered to see what was going to happen with these odd individuals. They had a loud speaker, and the girls in the group explained to the audience that they were here with the Red Cross to give them important information on health and hygiene, then the guys launched in to their fast paced comedy Creole routine. The “baby clown” spoke in a high pitched baby voice and had the crowd in hysterical laughter! The old man scolded the baby for not knowing how to use a latrine properly and instead invited the audience to contribute ideas on how it should be done properly. Members of the audience were pulled in to the act and everyone participated in agreeing what was good hygiene and what wasn’t.

Empowering people with the knowledge to keep themselves healthy in very difficult circumstances in these camps is very rewarding but what really touched me was the reaction of the kids to the clowns. Thousands of kids live in these camps across Haiti. Many will have lost parents and guardians, all are vulnerable and the trauma they experienced during the earthquake and since is hard to imagine. A group of hygiene promoting clowns is not going to take away all that trauma but if they can make them smile and laugh and perhaps forget their situation for a short time, it is a wonderful thing.

As you can see, it can take some interesting and innovative methods to get the the health and hygiene message across! The British Red Cross team have been on the ground in Haiti from the very start, and their sterling work is beginning to pay off as more and more people are treated with vaccines and given food and shelter during this difficult time. Thanks to your donations, people like Cathy Ayer can work and report from the frontline on what is really happening out there, giving hope to people when there could easily be none.

> > Click here to make a donation to the British Red Cross

* Photography by Cathy Ayer taken from British Red Cross website

UK band Coldplay added some much needed weight behind the British Red Cross‘ Chile Earthquake Appeal on the 2nd March 2010. In these days of fast technology, it’s become easier and easier to reach huge audiences with nothing more than a few words, and this is what they did when they sent a tweet out to their fans.

Coldplay currently have 2.5million people following them on Twitter, and within minutes of dropping their tweet, literally thousands of their fans flocked to British Red Cross website wanting to donate to the Chile Earthquake Appeal.

Coldplay tweeted -

Two million people have been affected by the earthquake in Chile – donate towards the Red Cross’s relief work at http://bit.ly/chilerc

This small nugget of information flew round the world so quickly that it led to a huge spike in traffic for the Earthquake Appeal, leading to a 400% increase in hits in just 15 minutes!

Coldplay, who are currently touring in South America and were recently performing in Sao Paulo, Brazil, said -

the band have been extremely saddened by reports of the terrible earthquake which hit the country on 27 February 2010.

As you can see, the power of twittering is a worldwide phenomenon that is an excellent way to reach millions of people at the touch of a button. Many of the charities we feature on D4C have Twitter feeds, (as do we) so if you’d like to find out more click on the links below to view our extensive charity Twitter list and also to follow our charity blog and keep up to date with all the latest news, reviews and views.

> > Click here to follow the D4C blog tweets

> > Click here for the D4C Twitter Directory

The British Red Cross has immediately transferred £50,000 from their Disaster Fund to their counterparts in Chile following the initial earthquake. This was no mere tremor, measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale with over 120 aftershocks. Aerial assessments of the overall damage are taking place, with public service announcements being provided on how to react to aftershocks and appealing to the public to donate blood.

If you would like to make a donation to the British Red Cross Chile Earthquake Appeal, please click on the link below.

> > Click here to make a donation to the Chile Earthquake Appeal

The British Red Cross charity is organising another Disaster Response Challenge, where people from across the country will take part in a hypothetical disaster that unfolds in real time to test calmness under pressure. The 2 day event will offer the unique opportunity to experience first hand the issues and decisions faced by the British Red Cross international emergency response unit (ERU).

The ERU’s role is to respond to any humanitarian disaster, anywhere in the world, at really short short notice. This challenge will show the competitors what it’s like to be in the immediate aftermath of a major disaster scene. The experience is organised by delegates with years of experience on the front line, something only a handful of people will get to see in a lifetime.

This event will take part on the weekend of 26-28th March 2010 with a registration fee of £50.If you would like to find out more about this event or are interested in working in this field, simply click on the link below for further information.

> > Click here for more information on the Disaster Response Challenge

> > Click here to make a donation to the British Red Cross

The British Red Cross is still holding it down on the frontline in Haiti as the dreaded rainy season begins to kick in across the country. A full month after the tragedy unfolded, more than 20 British Red Cross representatives are now in Haiti to helping deliver aid and provide much needed shelter, sanitation and other vital services during this difficult time. With more than 500 workers from 22 countries deployed by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the Haiti relief effort is in full swing but there is still so much to do.

Speaking from Haiti, British Red Cross representative, Sharon Reader, said -

One month on from the quake, the needs are still overwhelmingly real and urgent. We’re now in a race against time to prevent further damage from another potentially catastrophic problem: Haiti’s looming wet season. The rains normally hit the island in mid-February and last for three months. With hundreds of thousands still living in camps, the onset of rain may destroy the sanitation systems we’ve worked so hard to set up and would accelerate the spread of disease. This is a country still very much in crisis and we are going to have to continue to meet basic life-saving needs such as access to clean water and basic shelter for many, many more months to come.

The British Red Cross has equipped a mini digger and flat-pack latrines to help is provide sanitation to 20,000 people currently housed in two camps. As this work continues, the Red Cross is also working in the neighbouring Dominican Republic to help ensure a smooth flow of aid into the quake stricken country. By donating to the British Red Cross, the money raised will help those on the frontline to deal with the crisis as quickly and efficiently as possible.

> > Click here to donate to the British Red Cross Haiti appeal

The British Red Cross has teamed up with Hollywood starlet Lindsay Lohan to hold a fundraising event to raise money for those effected by the Haiti earthquake. The appeal will be held at the Millbank Tower in London on Tuesday 16th February 2010 in London, and will feature a special private screening of the BRIT Awards followed by an exclusive after show party including entertainment and a charity auction.

Guests who join Lindsay at Millbank Tower that evening will have a chance to win first class tickets to Los Angeles, a week at the Peninsula Hotel and a night out with Lindsay Lohan herself! All proceeds from the tickets for both the BRIT award screening and the aftershow party will be going to the British Red Cross, who’s tireless work on the frontline in Haiti is giving hope to the many people who’s lives have been destroyed.

Tickets for the BRIT award screening range from £50-70, whilst after show tickets cost between £75-100. If you would like to attend one of these worthwhile events, please click on the link below and help the British Red Cross raise much needed funds for the people of Haiti.

> > Click here to book tickets online

> > Click here to Donate to the British Red Cross Haiti appeal

British Red Cross campaign manager, Anna Payne, volunteered as a member of their emergency response unit in December 2008. Below is an intimate log of her personal experiences whilst working on the frontline for the British Red Cross response team in Zimbabwe during that Christmas.

As the Christmas party season stepped up a gear, I found myself cancelling my plans and packing my bags for Zimbabwe with a very different Christmas and New Year ahead of me. As I was on call that month for the emergency response unit (ERU) I’d been keeping a close eye on the escalating cholera crisis in Zimbabwe so I was both excited and nervous when we got the go ahead for the unit to deploy.

I was there for a month with three colleagues from the British Red Cross mass sanitation unit supporting our colleagues at the Zimbabwe Red Cross with their cholera response programme. The unit’s remit is essentially to prevent the spread of disease through practical techniques, such as latrine building, and promoting hygiene messages – with the capacity to help up to 20,000 people.

Over 30,000 cases had been reported prior to our arrival in Harare and deaths were on the increase. Due to the economic conditions in the country, sewage systems were falling to bits and the health service was struggling to cope. In fact the main thing I remember from my stay was people’s daily struggle to survive and provide for their families in a country where supermarket shelves were empty, water and electricity were in short supply. Soon after we arrived the printing of a $10 trillion Zim dollar note was announced. By the time we left this wouldn’t have bought a loaf of bread.

Units from Norway, Japan, France, Austria, Finland and Spain all arrived with us to support our Zimbabwe colleagues so once we got the Ministry of Health go-ahead the units divided up to make sure the Red Cross was covering all the affected areas in the country. My team headed south to the Midlands Province with the Norwegian team and set up a base in Gweru, a small city four hours from Harare. From there we made contact with our local Red Cross and Ministry of Health and began visiting the areas where outbreaks were most severe.

We travelled long distances to find remote hospitals or communities where the basic infrastructure had broken down and they could no longer treat cholera patients adequately. In these places we found just a few dedicated staff or community leaders working tirelessly – with no running water, limited medicines, frequently no electricity and often going without food themselves. We set about replacing the basic cholera treatment facilities they had – often little more than blankets laid out in a field with drips strung up to trees – with tents, beds and medicines. We also organised hygiene education – making sure people knew about hand washing and food preparation – and built latrines and washing points to support community health.

Since the fundraising target for the appeal remains far short of what is needed to help this desperate situation, it was more important than ever that we helped people in simple and effective ways. Christmas and New Year passed in a whirl of activity as we made sure we reached as many people as possible. By the time the next team came to relieve us in mid-January we had given out hundreds of tools, soap, disinfectant and other equipment and trained hundreds of people in good hygiene to avoid spreading disease.

Thanks to the amazing people we met I felt very sad to leave this beautiful, troubled country but hopeful that we were helping our Zimbabwe Red Cross colleagues towards better times.

> > Click here to make a donation to the British Red Cross Zimbabwe Appeal