By Patricia Billinger Refugees face repeated traumas, challenges and upheavals. First, they witness – or are targets of – violence in their home country that is so threatening that they must abandon everything they have and flee. Many of us who have never known violent political and social upheaval erroneously assume that refugees leave the […]
Water covers 71% of our Earth’s surface, and touches almost every facet of our daily lives. As a vital component of human health, hygiene, industry and agriculture, water access, use and management are some of the most important issues in developing and developed nations alike. For these reasons, the UN established March 22 as World […]
With their shared commitments to providing help to those hurt in times of conflict, it should come as no surprise that The Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, or, Doctors Without Borders) also share a history. MSF was established in 1968 during the Nigerian Civil War, by a team of doctors, nurses and clinicians […]
By Patricia Billinger Weddings are typically a time for celebration, reuniting with family and giving gifts. When Rattana Phon got married in January, her mother flew in for the weekend. There in spirit and memory for the ceremony – but long missing in person – was Rattana’s maternal grandfather. “She knew the day he disappeared: […]
by: Jessica Murison/Red Cross volunteer While the world stood together last week, Tuesday, January 27, to remember the persons lost and those who survived Auschwitz during the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Red Cross was busy tracing leads for an inquiry we received from a woman in Denver. Although each case is unique – there […]
by Jessica Murison, Red Cross Volunteer Today marks a significant day in history, wherein detainees were liberated from Auschwitz, the deadliest concentration camp during World War II. It is estimated that over 1.1 million people died in the camp between 1940 and 1945. Many of the persons who survived Auschwitz have gathered at the site […]
By Cassie Schoon, Volunteer Writer I thought about treading lightly with this topic. There are few more politically divisive issues than that of migration. But this blog — and the upcoming Red Cross Lunch and Learn that it previews — isn’t about politics. It’s not about the Red Cross taking a side or promoting immigration […]
There are no easy answers in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic. From disease to poverty to cultural taboos regarding drug use and sexuality, the challenges faced by patients, aide workers, policy makers and health professionals all have numerous facets and myriad causes. It was into this complex environment that Justine Feagles, the speaker for […]
By Patricia Billinger & Tim Bothe Ukraine has experienced deep political crisis since the 2004 Orange Revolution and subsequent shifts of power. At the heart of the conflict is a divide between those who wish to maintain ties to Russia and those who wish to align more closely with Western nations. This domestic divide has […]
Manyang Reath Ker, Wednesday’s Lunch and Learn speaker There are situations in which someone could be forgiven for giving up hope, and this month’s lunch and learn speaker, Manyang Reath Ker, has been in many of them. Manyang, a “Lost Boy” displaced by the Sudanese civil war, spent 13 years of his young life hungry, […]