Written by Sydney Morton
Wreckage and heartache remain on the islands of Lombok and Sulawesi, Indonesia after earthquakes and a tsunami devastated communities. Months into their recovery, signs of hope, strength and humanity are also evident — everywhere. Day in and day out, residents are moving beyond the rubble with resilience.
This summer, communities on the island of Lombok, Indonesia endured five powerful earthquakes. Terrifying aftershocks followed for weeks-on-end. An estimated 3.5 million people have been affected, with almost 500,000 people displaced from their homes. Miles away and just weeks later, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Sulawesi, Indonesia — triggering…
Written by Sydney Morton
With relief efforts only two months underway on the island of Lombok, a massive earthquake and tsunami ravaged another Indonesian island, Sulawesi.
Last week as I left Lombok, Indonesia, it felt a little like leaving home. And certainly, like leaving a piece of my heart with the local community and my extended family of Indonesian Red Cross volunteers. During my month supporting earthquake relief efforts in Lombok, I experienced some terrifying moments with the residents and local volunteers — as powerful tremors continued for 7+ weeks. As you can imagine we shared tears, hugs and heartache.
Written by Gail McGovern, President and CEO of the American Red Cross.
This June, I will celebrate my 10th anniversary as President and CEO of the American Red Cross. I usually try to look forward and see where our organization is heading, but as I’ve approached this milestone — I’ve also found myself looking backwards a bit.
Through the years, I’ve had the privilege of talking to countless volunteers, employees, donors and community partners about my work leading this American treasure. While people sometimes say that we’ve transformed the Red Cross, in truth I believe it has transformed me. …
Written by Gail McGovern, President and CEO of the American Red Cross. Article originally published in the Independent Journal.
During Women’s History Month, I am naturally reminded of Clara Barton, the woman who founded the American Red Cross 136 years ago, born out of a desire to help and heal men wounded on the battlefield during the Civil War.
Today, we are one of the largest humanitarian organizations in the world. We are largely a volunteer organization — some 300,000 strong — who respond to nearly 64,000 disasters a year, whether a devastating home fire, wildfire, hurricane, or flood. We…
This post was written by Jenelle Eli, an American Red Cross staff member who spent a month aboard the Responder rescue ship in 2016. The vessel — funded by the Red Cross Red Crescent network and Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) — patrolled and conducted rescue missions along the Central Mediterranean route between North Africa and Italy.
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.”
The migrants in this video nearly drowned…
By Elizabeth Penniman, Jenelle Eli and Susan Watson
Doing the right thing isn’t always easy. And it isn’t always popular. Those are lessons the founder of the American Red Cross, Clara Barton, learned quickly. Some 135 years ago, she started what is today a leading humanitarian global organization — and from those early days, she and her teams provided comfort to people on “both sides” of the battlefield.
And what was true back then is true today — humanity is what drives us.
Humanity is one of seven fundamental principles that guide all members of the global Red Cross Red…
Written by Jim Taylor, platelet donor and father of a patient helped by Red Cross blood and platelet donors
I was never a steady blood donor, but I contributed maybe once a year whenever a bloodmobile came to my school or work. In 2010, I was working in the public relations department at Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta when my boss told some of us about a family she knew asking for platelet donations. Their daughter had a blood cancer of some form and wanted people to donate in her name to keep up the supply. After I got going, I…
Post by Jenelle Eli, American Red Cross, aboard the Responder on behalf of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Migrants don’t launch off the Libyan coast during the day. It’s more like midnight. When the waves are low and winds are gentle, smugglers crowd 100, 200, 300 souls into wooden boats or rubber dinghies. Due north.
Over the next hours, the moon dominates. Silence. Then, panic. This isn’t what any of them envisioned when they left Nigeria, Bangladesh, Syria, Mali. Some people will end up dying in the Mediterranean Sea (more than 3,600 so far this…
By Jenelle Eli
August 19 is World Humanitarian Day — a time to honor those who alleviate suffering and a call to action.
No matter how much time I spend in disaster zones around the world, there’s no getting used to the suffering. Every home lost, every school crumbled…let’s just say, I’ve yet to go on a trip where I don’t shed a tear.
And while I’ve met a lot of humanitarians who are much tougher than I, they’re still only human. Are they sweating in those protective Ebola suits in West Africa? Yes. Are they exhausted after delivering aid…
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