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“Silent disasters” are emergencies that go unnoticed and unreported. They are also known as neglected crisis. You don’t hear about them because they don’t make headlines in most parts of the world. In fact, about 91 per cent of disasters worldwide are classified as silent.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper met with Red Crossers and visited a Red Cross warehouse facility in Mississauga yesterday. He was there to make an announcement about the government contribution to the Typhoon Haiyan relief fund for the Philippines. The Prime Minister welcomed the generosity of Canadians who contributed over $85 million in eligible donations that are being matched by the government.

“Knowledge is power! When we know better, we do better,” exclaimed Rebecca Balanko. It is with this mindset that Balanko has delivered the Healthy Youth Relationships workshop, part of the Canadian Red Cross Violence and Abuse Prevention program, to more than 1,000 youth in Alberta. 

The Round-up offers a weekly sample of what our sister Red Cross Societies are working on around the world.

We wanted to share this video footage of the recent visit to Syria by Canadian Red Cross Secretary General and CEO, Conrad Sauvé, and Director of Emergencies and Recovery for International Operations, Hossam Elsharkawi. The Canadian Red Cross has been providing support to its sister society, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC), as it continues to deliver much-needed humanitarian aid to people affected by the on-going conflict.

Conrad Sauvé, Canadian Red Cross Secretary General and CEO, and Hossam Elsharkawi, Director of Emergencies and Recovery for International Operations, were in Syria last week to learn, first-hand, about the work of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) in that country.

With Red Cross Day of Pink coming up on April 9, it was a perfect opportunity to host a presentation by Canada's leading authority on bullying in Regina this week. Dr. Wendy Craig is the scientific co-director for PrevNet and spoke to parents about practical things they could do to help address bullying behaviour.

We always encourage people to know the risks, make a plan and get a kit so they can be ready for any emergency.

While much of Atlantic Canada is digging out from what has been described as a weather bomb, or spring blizzard, we thought we’d check in to see how residents of the Atlantic provinces prepared and got through the storm.