“Teenagers have the ability to help people. We are strong,” says Thae Su Aung, age 13, from her middle school in Bahan, Myanmar—just outside Yangon. Thae Su Aung knows from experience. She’s taken a basic first aid course from the Red Cross, in addition to learning light search-and-rescue. Her neighborhood and school face many threats—like snakes, scorpions, cyclones, floods, and car accidents. Thae Su Aung knows she can’t solve every crisis, but can mitigate risks by preparing for the worst, asserting, ‘’I want to be able to help my friends if they get hurt.” The teenager even taught her parents CPR skills. “My parents were surprised and happy that I gained first aid skills at school. I’m excited about what I’ve learned. I would like to share these skills with everyone!” Thae Su Aung wants to be a doctor when she grows up.

The American Red Cross works alongside the Myanmar Red Cross to prepare disaster-prone communities for cyclones, floods, tsunamis, earthquakes, and other emergencies. We train and equip families with the tools they need to mitigate natural disaster risks and to be first responders when crises strike. In Myanmar, the American Red Cross teaches basic first aid, light search-and-rescue, and post-disaster epidemic control in 20 communities—in addition to running disaster simulations and forming village committees who step up when disasters hit. In 24 schools, we teach students basic first aid, light search-and-rescue, evacuation activities, and distribute emergency equipment—such as solar panels, fire extinguishers, megaphones, early warning speakers, first aid kits, and helmets. In Myanmar, some American Red Cross project sites are urban, while others sit in delta areas only accessible by boat.

Learn more at http://redcross.org/international

Produced by Brad Zerivitz and Jenelle Eli

#redcross #myanmar

We asked refugees rescued from the Mediterranean Sea, “Who is the first person you want to call when you get to land?” And each one of them, without fail, had the same answer: “My mom.”

All over the world, Red Cross and Red Crescent teams help people—like the migrants aboard this ship—to reconnect with their loved ones through letters, emails, and phone calls. We believe giving families peace of mind is a critical part of disaster relief and recovery.

The migrants in this video nearly drowned in the Mediterranean Sea in 2016, but were rescued and cared for by the Red Cross Red Crescent and Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS). In search of safety and a better life, they had boarded rubber rafts and wooden boats that put them in grave danger. Last year alone, more than 5,000 migrants died in the Mediterranean Sea as they attempted this journey.
Many refugees displaced from their homes have been separated from their families. Through our free and confidential service, called Restoring Family Links, we work with people to search for and locate their loved ones.

Video created by Mathieu Willcocks, Jenelle Eli, and Brad Zerivitz

Transcription:

When you get a phone in your hand, who's the
first person you will call?

My mother.

First thing, I'm going to call my mother.

I first of all, call my mom.

Yeah, that's the first person I will call
first.

I will call my mom first and I know she will
be very happy.

First I call mom. But I come here 6 days, no call my mom.

We have been helping people find their loved ones for more than one hundred years. Maybe we can help you. Call 844 782 9441 or visit a Red Cross chapter near you.

Jenelle Eli shares the items she recommends packing for a deployment. 🎥 Shot aboard the Ocean Viking, which is a search and rescue ship chartered by SOS Mediterranee. During this deployment, Jenelle helped rescue women, children and men from the waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

Over the past two years, more than 700,000 people have fled Rakhine State, Myanmar to seek safety in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Many arrived injured, malnourished, and devastated. They speak of dangerous journeys—walking days on end to reach the border and losing touch with family members along the way. Once in Bangladesh, they crowd into camps on muddy hillsides and live in structures made of bamboo, plastic, cardboard and sometimes corrugated metal sheeting. Monsoon rains and dangerous cyclone seasons put migrants at risk of landslides, floods, and destructive wind. Despite harsh conditions—and because there’s no possibility of evacuating the displacement camp during cyclones—migrants are volunteering to help their neighbors during natural disasters and other emergencies.

The American Red Cross has been working alongside global Red Cross and Red Crescent teams to provide lifesaving aid to the families. We are training migrants on first aid, early warning systems, and other skills so they can respond to rain, wind, flooding, landslides, and cyclones. As part of the Bangladesh government’s Cyclone Preparedness Program (CPP), the American Red Cross, Bangladesh Red Crescent, and IFRC are training thousands of camp residents and local (host) community members. In addition, the Red Cross supports disaster simulation drills and equips volunteers to warn fellow residents of danger via megaphones, a flag system, and even loudspeakers at mosques.

Learn more at http://redcross.org/international

Produced by Jenelle Eli and Brad Zerivitz

#redcross #bangladesh #coxsbazar