Red Cross Red Crescent TB Behind Bars Issue 1
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“I’m alive” Restoring family links after natural disasters A new battlefield The Movement takes on the challenge of urban violence Red Cross Red Crescent TB behind bars IssuE 1 . 2010 redcross.int Getting sick in prison doesn’t have to be a death sentence Haiti Emerging from the ruins T h E M a G a z I n E o f T h E I n ter n a ti o n a l R e d cr o s s a n d R e d cr e s C e n T M o v eme n T The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is made up of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the National Societies. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies ICRC The International Committee of the Red The International Federation of Red Cross national Red Cross and Red Crescent Cross is an impartial, neutral and independent and Red Crescent societies works on the basis societies embody the work and principles of organ ization whose exclusively humanitarian of the fundamental Principles of the International the International Red Cross and Red Crescent mission is to protect the lives and dignity of Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to inspire, Move ment in more than 186 countries. national victims of war and internal violence and to provide facilitate and promote all humanitarian activities societies act as auxiliaries to the public authorities them with assistance. It directs and coordinates carried out by its member national societies to of their own countries in the humanitarian field the inter national relief activities conducted by improve the situation of the most vulnerable and provide a range of services including disaster the Movement in situations of conflict. It also en - people. founded in 1919, the IfRC directs and relief, health and social programmes. during d eavours to prevent suffering by promoting and coordinates international assistance of the wartime, national societies assist the affected strengthening humanitarian law and universal Movement to victims of natural and tech nological civilian population and support the army medical humanitarian principles. Established in 1863, the disasters, to refugees and in health emergencies. services where appropriate. ICRC is at the origin of the International Red Cross It acts as the official representative of its member and Red Crescent Movement. societies in the international field. It promotes cooperation between national societies and works to strengthen their capacity to carry out effective disaster preparedness, health and social programmes. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is guided by seven fundamental principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality. all Red Cross and Red Crescent activities have one central purpose: to help without discrimination those who suffer and thus contribute to peace in the world. editorial Moving mountains Recognizing the courage and determination of haiti’s national society volunteers t is in times of greatest loss that we from the american, Canadian, french, german “It is in the deepest realize what is most important to our hearts and spanish red Cross societies — along with adversity that we and minds. it is in the deepest adversity that colleagues from the iCrC and the ifrC — have Iwe discover who we really are. in Haiti we have lost been working sidebyside with us for many years. discover who we so much. But we have learned a great deal about When the earthquake struck, national society really are. In Haiti who we are as a nation, as a national society and as volunteers from around the world poured into Haiti individual volunteers. without a moment’s hesitation, willing to offer their we have lost so energy, dedication, skills and love. i would like to much. But we have even as we grieve our loved ones, our colleagues, thank all of these everyday heroes — as well as learned a great our brothers and sisters, we can still find reasons to all those who gave their time and money to help be thankful. those who have survived, even those Haiti recover and rebuild. these people are the deal about who we who have lost everything, find comfort in being very essence of the movement that Henry Dunant are as a nation, as able to help others in need. dreamed of. a National Society We are above all proud and grateful in the know We have a saying in Haiti that “behind every and as individual ledge that we belong to a worldwide humanitarian mountain, there lies another mountain”. nothing volunteers.” movement based on humanity’s highest ideals. could be truer for us today. not only must we help this bond we have with our brothers and sisters people with their immediate survival, we must around the world is something no act of nature can make it through the next big hurdle — the rains and take away. hurricanes — to begin looking at Haiti’s longterm survival. Wè jodi-a, men sonje denmen, as we say in in recent months, i have heard the volunteers of Creole. live today, but think about tomorrow. n the Haitian national red Cross society described as heroes. We will leave this to others to judge, but i Michaèle Amédée Gédéon K Michaèle Gédéon, president of the certainly consider the word apt when i think about President, Haitian National Red Cross Society Haitian National Red Cross Society, during a recent visit to Léogâne. my colleagues’ courageous actions. Photo: alex Wynter/IfRC their heroism did not start on 12 January. it began the day they joined as red Cross volunteers. it was the preparation of these volunteers — those who survived and those who did not — that helped us respond to this terrible catastrophe. it was their presence — day in and day out — that afforded the Haitian national red Cross society the respect and cooperation of communities that have suffered so greatly. often in danger, always determined, these volunteers have braved hurricanes and floods. they have helped people rebuild their homes and find new livelihoods since the hurricanes of 2008 and 2009. Just last year, they helped train more than 15,000 people in first aid, promoted good hygiene and blood donation, and worked towards the prevention of HiV/aiDs and malaria, highly prevalent diseases in Haiti. they did not do all this alone, however. Delegations IssuE 1 . 2010 | REd CRoss REd CrescenT | 1 In brief... Powerful quake rocks Chile the Chilean red Cross continues to work with the national emergency office in response to the powerful earthquake — measuring 8.8 on the richter scale — that rocked Chile on 27 february. more than 528 people have been confirmed killed by the quake.m ost died when a tsunami, caused by the tremor, struck a coastal strip of 500 kilometres. the Chilean red Cross has been active in the hardesthit areas, providing temporary shelter, REUTERS/Mariana Bazo, courtesy www.alertnet.org courtesy Bazo, REUTERS/Mariana sanitation and health services. teams REUTERS/Mariana Bazo, courtesy www.alertnet.org courtesy Bazo, REUTERS/Mariana World Red Cross Red Crescent day have also helped survivors reconnect the growth of cities and the rise of campaign with a joint IFRC–iCrC with loved ones. the IFRC has urban violence are among the key statement on the links between announced an appeal of 13 million A decade for road safety themes highlighted during this year’s urbanization and issues of food swiss francs to provide relief support the United nations general assembly marking of red Cross red Crescent security, poverty, healthcare, social over the next year. declared 2011–2020 the Decade of Day on 8 may. a day celebrating services, violence, shelter, water and action for road safety. the road safety the commitment of movement sanitation and internally displaced crisis, which claims 1.3 million lives volunteers, this year’s event builds people, among other issues. Food crisis in Zimbabwe annually, is “entirely manmade, and on the “our world. Your move.” With Zimbabwe’s 2010 harvest all the more shocking for being so,” failing, the IFRC has renewed its plea said matthias schmale, IFRC under Movement cheers release Families need answers for funds to help an estimated 2.17 secretary general for develop ment, million people in need of food aid. “in who addressed the general assembly of two delegates the iCrC has called on the some parts of the country, the food before the vote. “What makes the government of guatemala to do the red Cross red Crescent movement situation is as bad as many of our road crash crisis particularly horrific more to help families find out what celebrated the release of two iCrC volunteers and staff have ever seen is that these deaths and injuries are happened to their loved ones during workers kidnapped in central africa in it,” said emma Kundishora, secretary preventable.” the country’s years of civil strife. “the late 2009. in february, iCrC agronomist general of the Zimbabwe red Cross relatives of those who went missing laurent maurice was released 89 days society. increased desert ification during the armed conflict are still in after he was kid napped in eastern and other issues have also worsened new homes in Myanmar great distress; the story is not over yet,” Chad. then, on 18 march, gauthier existing shortages in niger, sudan almost two years after Cyclone said Christine Beerli, vicepresident of lefèvre, the iCrC head of the al and somalia. nargis, the ayeyarwady delta is the iCrC, who visited guatemala in Jeneina subdelegation was finally showing some signs of recovery.