Celebrating International Red Cross Day by Changing Lives

written by Joanna Jordan, volunteer contributor

Through the work of the Measles Initiative, vaccinations have been distributed in over 80 countries worldwide.



This year’s International Red Cross Day is today, May 8. A notable focus of the Red Cross’ international relief efforts is the ongoing focus on extending lives, enabling people to live longer, by improving their health.


At the American Red Cross, we extend our work across the globe through our Measles Initiative. We don’t worry anymore about measles in our country; our children don’t die at astounding rates from a disease that can be controlled. But they do in other countries.

A partnership between the Red Cross, the United Nations Foundation, UNICEF, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, the Measles Initiative aims to reduce measles deaths globally by providing financial and technical assistance to governments and communities for vaccination campaigns worldwide.

The Red Cross vaccinates 290,000 children a day against measles. That’s 290,000 lives saved by the hand of the Red Cross every 24 hours!

One shot at a time, the measles epidemic can end, leaving more children to grow into healthy adults and prosper in their communities. One life saved affects an entire community’s ability to sustain itself.

This year on International Red Cross Day, why not make a difference for generations of humanity yet to come? You can change lives around the world by partnering with the Red Cross’ Measles Initiative. Find out more about the Measles Initiative, or donate today. The cost to vaccinate a child is about $1.50. Texting PREVENT to 90999 makes a $10 donation to the American Red Cross.

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Malaria No More

Written by Catherine Carlton, volunteer contributor

The American Red Cross is working to eliminate malaria, one mosquito at a time.
This month we recognize World Malaria Day on April 25. This is a day of unified commemoration of the global effort to provide effective control of malaria around the world.
It is a day to not only acknowledge the successes of the global malaria community in delivering effective and affordable protection and treatment, but also to raise awareness of all the work that is left to do to eradicate this preventable disease.
In partnership with organizations such as the World Health Organization, the Red Cross works in high-risk areas across the globe through community-level health education sessions, household visits, educational materials, community sign boards and radio campaigns.
At night in many regions of the world, mosquitoes carrying the malaria parasite bite unprotected victims and infect them with the virus. There is no vaccine for malaria -- the only proven way to prevent the disease is to not get bitten. The most effective preventative tool is to sleep under an insecticide-treated bed net.
The role of the American Red Cross in this partnership is to work with our partners to distribute free bed nets and educate owners on how to effectively use them through our "Hang Up Keep Up Campaigns." We support bed net distributions during measles vaccination campaigns supported by the Measles Initiative, as well as after disasters, such as floods and cyclones.
The Red Cross trains volunteers who have educated more than one million people about how to properly use their nets in Haiti, Indonesia, Madagascar and Mozambique. For more information, go to the World Malaria Day website and download the American Red Cross Malaria Fact Sheet.

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Two Years Later: Red Cross Remains in Haiti

By Catherine Carlton, volunteer, American Red Cross North Texas

Darline and her daughter work with the Red Cross to rebuild their lives after the Haiti earthquake.

Thanks to its donors and volunteers, the American Red Cross has helped more than 3.2 million people affected by the Haiti Earthquake. January 13, 2012 marks the two-year anniversary of the devastating earthquake that left millions homeless, injured and struggling.

With this milestone come many stories of success and many challenges still being faced to restore the country’s livelihood.

Disasters like the Haiti Earthquake receive a lot of attention in the immediate aftermath, but the work to restore communities – and a country like Haiti – will take years. The Red Cross is committed to Haiti with the help of donors like you.

The majority of Red Cross donations is spent on housing, food, water and health care; the very basics that communities need to survive.

Darline Duverger is one example of the types of families you are helping with your donation. Her home in Port au Prince was destroyed during the earthquake. She and her two kids lived in temporary housing for more than year. They received priority for new housing due to her 7-year-old son’s disability. Now Darline operates a small store in front of her home selling items such as eggs, sugar and onions to support her family.

In the coming year, the Red Cross will help hundreds like Darline as they construct and repair homes in communities, provide a safe water supply, ensure sanitation, treat illness and educate the communities about disaster preparedness.

The American Red Cross would like to thank the many individuals, corporations, foundations and government agencies that so generously supported our work in Haiti. Your contributions are making a difference in the lives of people in Haiti, and we are committed to spending your donations wisely to help Haiti recover from this tragedy. For more information on our work in Haiti, please visit redcross.org/haiti.

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Haiti Earthquake: Relief Update #3

As of January 15, a joint American and Haitian Red Cross team has been providing food, water and other supplies to people in emerging camps in Port-au-Prince. The team is also administering basic first aid with supplies provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross and helping transport those with serious injuries to nearby health facilities.

Two planes with Red Cross humanitarian assistance are scheduled to land in Port-au-Prince this afternoon, and three planes with additional supplies have landed in Santo Domingo. The Red Cross is now preparing to send additional relief supplies from the warehouse in Panama.

The Red Cross has now established a land bridge to effectively deliver relief supplies from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic to Port-au-Prince. A Red Cross base camp has been set up near the airport in Port-au-Prince, and a second logistics Emergency Response Unit (ERU) has been established to receive and forward on supplies from Santo Domingo. The American Red Cross Relief ERU in Port-au-Prince is preparing to receive and distribute the supplies as they arrive in Haiti. The first distribution is scheduled for January 17.

Two additional American Red Cross delegates are en route to provide surge capacity in logistics: one specialist will support the Logistics ERU in Port-au-Prince and a second will support forward shipment of relief supplies from the Red Cross warehouse in Panama.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (International Federation) has released a Revised Emergency Appeal for US $103.3 million to help meet the immediate needs of 300,000 people over the next three years. The American Red Cross has committed an initial US $5 million in support of this appeal.

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Our Global Impact

In 2009, our humanitarian network helped 126 million people in need throughout more than 60 countries. By supporting the Red Cross, you’ve been there to help people around the world recover from devastating storms and floods, and you’ve also taken important steps to protect their communities from future disasters. And on top of that you’ve given millions of families vaccines, mosquito nets and information to guard their children against deadly diseases.

To learn more about the international humanitarian work you have supported, watch our short video:

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