How I became an international aid worker: Sharon Reader

Red Cross volunteer speaks to community members about cholera prevention

Red Cross volunteer speaks to community members about cholera prevention
© IFRC

Sharon Reader talks us through her role as a beneficiary communications delegate for the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) after returning from nine months in Sierra Leone.

1. What does your job involve?

My job is to improve the way the Red Cross communicates with people before, during and after an emergency. This has ranged from running a radio show on cholera prevention, to setting up an emergency text message system to reach people with warnings of hurricanes, fires or floods.

In the chaos of a major disaster, information on what’s happening and where to go for help can be just as important as handing out food and water. As human beings we want to know what’s going on – especially during a crisis. More

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Investing in peace: the Red Cross supports communities in Kenya

 

Signatures on the Choose Peace campaign

Signatures on the Choose Peace campaign
©Kenya Red Cross

The recent elections in Kenya saw millions of people queuing for long hours to vote, highlighting their commitment to influence social and political change.

Sadly, this ballot paper has often come at a cost. Election campaigns in the past decade have seen violence, loss of life and thousands of people forced to leave their homes.

Recently the Kenya Red Cross, funded by the Department for International Development (DfID), the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) and other donors, has been working with communities to encourage a peaceful election and to prepare for potential unrest and violence, which has featured so frequently in the past. More

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Red Cross illustrated: photos and video of live drawing in Bristol

 

Red-themed illustrations at the event

©BRC

Last Thursday, a group of local illustrators held a live drawing event, exhibition and auction in Bristol. Artists produced pieces on the theme of ‘red’ to raise funds and awareness during Red Cross Week.

At the event, five of the artists – Dave Bain, Liv Bargman, Katy Christianson, Paul Roberts and Loch Ness – illustrated sections of a huge two-metre by three-metre canvas. Their challenge was to respond to the British Red Cross’ campaign strapline – ‘refusing to ignore people in crisis.’ More

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Syria conflict: displacement on an almost unimaginable scale

Volunteers play with displaced children in Homs

©SARC – Homs

The UN now estimates that almost a quarter of Syria’s population – 4.25 million people – have fled their homes within Syria. Of these people, four out of five are living with host families. The rest are renting, or sheltering in vacant buildings, collective centres, parks, barns or caves.

Now try to imagine what would happen if more than four million people in the UK had to find somewhere new to live. That’s the equivalent of everyone living in Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cardiff, Bristol, Belfast and Sheffield leaving their homes and not going back. More

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Turning the spotlight on self-harm

With young people desperate to know how to help friends who have self-harmed, the British Red Cross has developed new first aid advice about the issue.

The organisation’s Life Live it campaign has top tips on its Facebook page, such as what do if someone has cut or burned themselves. While a new video from YouTube star SprinkleofGlitter tackles the issue of self-harm by self-poisoning. More

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Top five destinations of an international writer

Mother with two children on her lap

I’ve taken many journeys to report on the international work of the British Red Cross; from the jungles of Sierra Leone, through Kyrgyzstan’s Tian Shan mountains and into the slums of Haiti to name a few.

I’ve often been asked which country I’ve most enjoyed visiting. Like being asked what your favourite all time song or film is – I find this almost impossible to answer.

The scenery is usually stunning, but as a humanitarian writer it is the people who interest me most. I’ve had the privilege of listening to many people who’ve given me the gift of their story. They are stories about overwhelming struggles with poverty, adversity and disaster. But mostly they are stories about the triumph of the human spirit.

This is my last day as international writer at the British Red Cross and so I’d like to share some of my favourite photos and stories from the past five years. More

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The Red Cross reflects on a changing humanitarian landscape as it reaches its 150th anniversary

Red Cross volunteers carrying boxes of aid

Red Cross volunteers carrying boxes of aid
©IFRC

On World Red Cross Red Crescent Day, the world’s largest humanitarian network celebrates 150 years of humanitarian action and a continued commitment to serve the vulnerable in today’s changing world.

Widely recognised for its neutrality, and with 188 National Societies worldwide, the Red Cross reaches millions of people each year through programmes in disaster management, health and social care.

Since its founding, the nature of crisis and war has continuously evolved, with the number of natural disasters increasing by 400 per cent in the past 40 years and conflicts making humanitarian access difficult in places.

More

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