One of the first things many of us heard after the COVID outbreak began was “Washing hands is the best thing you can do to stay safe!” While it’s safe to say that proper hand hygiene was not habitual for all of us, some of us have additional structural challenges when it comes to sanitation and hygiene which were further exacerbated by this pandemic.
Do we really know the true scope and spread of COVID-19? Even the highest resourced settings are struggling to track the virus as it spreads and understand the implications on different communities. In the complex settings where the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement works, this challenge is further compounded by ongoing migration, rural communities disconnected from national reporting, and vulnerable groups who do not have access to testing and care.
Isolation is crucial to contain the virus, and we have seen that countries where citizens have practiced this has made an impact on transmission of COVID-19. We are also aware that isolation can also expose people to other risks. Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is one such risk.
First pandemic? Pandemics are stressful. The good news is actors within the RCRC Movement are bringing together their expertise and experimenting with new ways to deliver and provide psychosocial care.
The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic has disconnected people physically, socially, and emotionally. Together with the social...
Innovation and new ideas originate from many sources, and especially during times of crisis. Communities around the world are asking how they can lend a digital hand. This is wonderful. National Societies are engaged in hackathons for the COVID-19 response. Over the coming days and weeks there will be more hackathons, so we are sharing some Movement examples and some lessons.
From volunteers working in their communities to clinicians caring for patients, one of the first global needs that arose during the COVID-19 pandemic was a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE).
This need is not new, and as the RCRC we have seen our staff diligently working at all different levels to address supply shortages in our programming.
We would like to highlight four different challenges linked to the global PPE shortage, and different opportunities and innovations popping up to address these needs.
I am a volunteer in Network after imprisonment, a part of the Oslo Red Cross. I am, at the moment, temporarily laid off from my job...
In order to control the spread of COVID-19, the whole island of Luzon was placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine. This was done by...
Cuando eres joven y te enfrentas a una situación como la que estamos viviendo actualemente, te preguntas “¿Qué puedo hacer? ¿Cómo...
Speaking from one of the hardest hit countries, Italian Red Cross volunteers give us an inside look at what’s it’s like to be a first...
Soy voluntaria desde hace 8 años en el área psicosocial y actualmente formo parte del Programa de Juventud. Me siento orgullosa,...