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To celebrate World Humanitarian Day on August 19^th, Red Cross Talks is featuring a few Canadian Red Cross delegates who have dedicated themselves to helping others in humanitarian relief efforts around the world and here at home. Today, meet JP Taschereau who travels the world coordinating emergency responses where aid is needed.

From the moment the Ebola outbreak was first discovered earlier this year in West Africa, technology has been playing an important role in detecting its spread, initially in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Dana Carr recently returned from Sierra Leone where she served as a Canadian Red Cross delegate to assist in the fight against the Ebola outbreak. 

Finally, a break in the weather this morning. There is still a mugginess to the air, but it is overcast and definitely cooler than the often overwhelming heat of the last few days. It’s Sunday, a day which is usually quieter for families, regardless of where they live in the world. But these are not usual times in Kailahun, Sierra Leone.

Ebola virus disease has invaded this country, spreading not just its deadly reach, but fear, denial and stigma. It is not politics, religion, or tribal feuds which is ripping at the fabric of communities, it is the unknown.

A woman living in the far eastern regions of Sierra Leone was going on a trip. As a member of something similar to a regional council, her duties often took her away from home. As she bid goodbye to her husband, she looked him in the eye and very seriously told him about a box that was in their room beside their bed. She told him that under no uncertain terms was he to open the box while she was gone.

The Red Cross, along with other humanitarian agencies, is working to stop the spread of Ebola, a deadly and highly contagious disease. Here is a recent post from the British Red Cross explaining commonly asked questions regarding the outbreak and what Red Cross is doing to help.

Red Crosser Katherine Mueller was deployed to Sierra Leone to help in the Red Cross response to the Ebola outbreak there; here the Canadian aid worker shares her experiences.

When the Ebola virus first hit Guinea two months ago, many people didn’t realize it was the deadly haemorrhagic fever. Saa Sabas, from Guinea, was caring for his sick parent when he contracted the virus, but managed to beat it. Now, along with the Red Cross Society of Guinea, Saa Sabas works to raise awareness of how to prevent the spread of the disease, to allay some of the fear and rumours, as well as to combat the ignorance about this dangerous disease.