The Live Wire

What we do overseas

Pakistan photo © Till Meyer (IFRC)

We respond to disasters and conflicts around the world, and help our fellow Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to strengthen their capacity to deal with emergencies and day-to-day aid activities in their own countries.

  • Emergency response: we provide vital aid such as shelter, food, water and sanitation when a natural disaster hits, or during violent conflict.
  • Disaster preparedness: we help local communities prepare for disasters in many ways, from giving local people the skills, knowledge and resources to respond to an emergency. This has included flood platforms in India and cyclone preparedness programmes in Bangladesh.
  • Health and care: we help tackle some of the most basic health needs of vulnerable communities. The programmes we support cover a range of areas including HIV, tuberculosis, community-based healthcare, and water and sanitation.
  • International humanitarian law: we help promote the laws governing armed conflict to members of the armed forces and police as well as to the general public. We are also in regular contact with governments to encourage them to fulfil their obligations under the Geneva Conventions.

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