2014 in pictures

For Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, each year brings new challenges. 2014 saw the Philippines recovering from the most powerful storm to ever make landfall, in Syria, Central African Republic and South Sudan, violence continued and new sources of conflicts appeared around the world.

You can find more about all these stories, and others on www.ifrc.org

Volunteers from the Central African Red Cross Society prepare to distribute non-food relief items to 1,000 families in Boda.

More than 200,000 people were affected when Mt Kelud, an active volcano in sub-district Ngancar, East Java, Indonesia erupted.

A project in Kenya is allowing people to take control of community food security by growing their own vegetables.

In Jordan, near the border with Syria, a hospital was built on the desert to provide health services for those fleeing violence.

Prayer flags are strung across a school devastated by floods and landslides. The flags commemorate the lives of the 31 pupils who died in the disaster.

A response team member of the Pakistan Red Crescent Society issues an alert on a mega phone to people near the junction of Jhelum and Neelum rivers in Muzaffarabad district, Pakistan.

At the Dzaipi reception camp, there are 300 family tents to support the 44,900 refugees who are now staying there. The Uganda Red Cross Society is providing relief and support for refugees, including some health services.

The Turkish Red Crescent has been supporting families fleeing violence since the conflict in Syria began. Many refugees and internally displaced persons are facing their fourth year away from home.

In Paraguay, many communities were devastated by floods this year. Red Cross volunteers have been involved in immediate relief and long-term support. Marcelo Bater / Paraguayan Red Cross

Patricia Kinyaa from the Uganda Red Cross Society helped deliver water to the refugee camps which was used to put out a bush fire. Grass burning is a major threat to the refugee camp during the dry season. Rose & Sjˆlander/IFRC

Volunteers from the Ukrainian Red Cross undertook simulation exercises covering first aid and the importance of neutrality in response. Stephen Ryan / IFRC

When floods came to Zimbabwe, people saved whatever they could from their homes. The Zimbabwe Red Cross said over 20,000 people would need temporary accommodation.

Workers from a Liberian Red Cross safe and dignified burials team wait to enter a home to retrieve the body of a suspected Ebola case. Victor Lacken/IFRC

Kadiatu, 11, was the third confirmed Ebola patient to arrive at the newly opened treatment centre operated by the IFRC in Kenema, Sierra Leone. She survived. Kathy Mueller/IFRC

More than 140,000 are still excluded from their homes around the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The Japanese Red Cross Society has been monitoring radiation levels in cities and individuals. Japanese Red Cross Society.

The Bolivian Red Cross responded to massive floods in Rurrenabaque.

The Red Cross Red Crescent is the world’s largest volunteer organization with 17 million volunteers in 189 countries. We respond to thousands of disasters and crises around the world every year.

To find out more, please contact your own National Society or visit www.ifrc.org.