VOICES OF THE AMERICAS AND THE CARIBBEAN #4 | DECEMBER, 2016
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Voices of the Americas and the Caribbean • #4 // December 2016
Content Editorial 3 Facts and Figures: Emergency Operations
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Lessons learnt and best practices in Zika virus response 9 The Red Cross Movement calls on States to adress the growing indifference to the needs of migrants 10
Cover photo
Immigrants coming back for Mexico by the border crossing point in Corinto in the Guatemala and Honduras border. Immigrants leaving the bus that has brought them from Mexico, return, some to their homes and others to try again to go to Guatemala. Javier Arcenillas. Honduran Red Cross
Testimony: Yoland Thomas “I now feel safe in my home”
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Launch of the first regional program of development of competencies for leaders
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IFRC strengthens its presence in the Amercias 14 Celebration of International Volunteers Day 15 Salvadoran Red Cross holds workshops to strengthen communications tools
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Americas Regional Office City of Knowledge, Clayton Panama Dir +507 317 3050 Many thanks to all who have contributed to this number of Voices of the Americas and the Caribbean.
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November, 2016, Capafou, Carcasse, Haiti. Photo by Marko Kokic/Canadian Red Cross
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Voices of the Americas and the Caribbean • #4 // December 2016
EDITORIAL
Dear leaders, volunteers, workers and friends of the Red Cross humanitarian mission, As 2016 draws to a close, we would like to share some ideas that are part of what the next leadership of our organization should focus on: • • •
protecting the legacy of our values and principles; optimising our resources; and transforming our thinking and action.
In the Region there are 750,000 volunteers in more than 3,200 branches; of these, a total of 70% volunteers are working in only 4 countries. This is a major challenge and we must revise our progress in volunteering issues, because without followers or volunteers, there cannot be any leaders. We are determined to change. Our Federation does not want to follow the path of conformism and accepting the things that are not working and make us inefficient. The Federation’s Secretariat wants to change, but it is not only the Secretariat that needs to change and improve; if we want the Federation to change, National Societies must also change. The 35 National Societies have given us direct instructions at the Houston Commitment on the actions we need to focus on. One of our main priorities is to work on leadership. We must exercise a strong and innovative leadership. We are trying to make a radical transformation and this requires strength and bravery. It requires to challenge and question what is wrong and is not working, again and again, in order to formulate solutions that can have a collective and major impact. For 2017, I ask you to challenge everything you consider to be wrong. In particular, those leaderships that are not aiming at the goals we have set as organization. We have a problem in our region. The number and quality of our volunteers is not good enough to do what must be done. In many cases our volunteers do not have enough guarantees and, in other cases, the demand of guarantees is too high and hinders the operation. We have to provide fair treatment for our volunteers, but we cannot create unsustainable models. We must develop strong volunteering that would bring about real transformations in communities and in our organization. Our volunteers must come from, and reach, the grassroots. Beyond uniforms and identity cards, we must have social, integrating leaders that promote life and dignity. We talk all the time about National Societies, but we forget that our grassroots are the branches. We have branches in more than 3,200 locations in the region, that is, we have strong local presence that we need to foster and develop. There are more than 20 million people in the region that are following us in different ways: through programmes, services and/or activities. I say 20 million, but I am sure there are much more. Our regional impact may be very high, but we do not have capacity to document it or keep a record on it. We need to work towards improving our management systems in a way that enables us to measure the impact of our actions and give voice to the most vulnerable. We need a liberating leadership. A leadership that can reach each and every level of our organization. We need to promote and empower leaders in provinces, communities and National Societies in all areas, at all levels, with an age, gender and diversity approach. We recently carried out the first pilot workshop of a revolutionary project in Panama. We worked with our partners in the Movement, the ICRC, and the American Red Cross to organize a Regional leadership workshop. This is our
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International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Voices of the Americas and the Caribbean • #4 // December 2016
first exercise to build innovative leadership. During the past 15 years we have trained around 50 leaders in the region. Can you imagine? We have 750 volunteers, more than 20 million followers, and in 15 years we have only trained 50 people to be leaders, when we have more than 20,000 potential leaders if we include youth, women, volunteer, provincial and government board leadership. Our programme has developed too slowly considering the needs of our region and the Red Cross’ needs. For this reason, we decided it was time to transform our obsolete and slow model into a real sustained growth process involving leadership and integrity. We want to make a call to start promoting a major change. We need to start changing attitudes and developing capacities by acting and building. In our region we have seen women and men that are community leaders, and even though they do not meet what we consider to be “leadership standards”, they are better leaders than us. We have also seen young leaders that may not have enough experience but that will be the leaders that will change the world. We need that spirit in our organization. This new leadership has the unavoidable task of promoting resilience. We have the duty to be resilient and build resilience so that people, communities, and above all, systems are resilient. This will enable programme feasibility and sustainability. Our leadership exercise in the region should be based on the 4 implementation strategies and the 8 focus areas. • • • •
Strengthening National Societies so they can perform their auxiliary role with independence. Strengthening the Federation so it can represent the collective community capacity and responsibility. Strengthening our humanitarian assistance response and building capacity for resilience. Improve our alliances with others and in particular with our partners in the Movement. We should become a network of networks in humanitarian and sustainable development terms.
These are the ways we should act, our strategies, and the following are the areas we need to focus on: • • • • • • • •
Disaster risk reduction Temporary and emergency shelter Livelihoods Health Water, sanitation and health Social inclusion Culture of Peace and Non-Violence Migration
We need to implement the strategies in our focus areas following the Inter-American Framework for Action and the Houston Declaration. 2016 was a year of great work and reflection. Our Regional Office wishes you a happy Christmas and the very best for 2017. We will keep in touch and creating new opportunities for exchange, growth and transformation. It is our duty to be useful, and together we are making it happen. We cannot give up. Best regards, Walter Cotte Regional Director, Americas
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OPERATIONS
November, 2016, Capafou, Carcasse, Haiti. Photo by Marko Kokic/Canadian Red Cross
FACTS AND FIGURES
EMERGENCY OPERATIONS EMERGENCY APPEALS Country
Emergency
Pop. Affected
Pop. Assisted
Budget
Coverage
Closing date
Haiti Dominican Republic
Hurricane Floods
1,000,000
147,500
26,094,551
31%
Apr 06, 2018
1,292,000
25,000
2,459,751
21%
Nov 26, 2017
Costa Rica & Panama Ecuador Regional Paraguay Guatemala El Salvador
Pop. Movement Earthquake Zika Outbreak Floods Drought Drought
10,000 1,200,000 137,000 136,450 400,000 500,000
6,350 85,324 500,000 24,560 12,000 9,020
642,202 15,085,628 8,478,961 1,144,516 2,037,059 2,257,946
36% 53% 82% 82% 13% 12%
May 22, 2017 Aug 21, 2017 Mar 31, 2017 Dec 31, 2016 Feb 04, 2017 Feb 28, 2017
ACTUAL APPEAL COVERAGE
8 APPEALS
43%
People affected: 4,675,450 People assisted: 809,754 Budget: 58,200,614 CHF
25,251,109 CHF FUNDING GAP
57%
32,949,505 CHF
DREF OPERATIONS Country Cuba Honduras Santa LucÃa Panama Costa Rica St. Vincent and the Grenadines Total
Emergency Drought Pop. Movement Hurricane Hurricane Hurricane Floods
Percentage of emergency operations by type
Pop. Affected 500,000 5,000 25,000 15,000 10,000 25,000
Pop. Assisted 10,000 4,000 1,250 3,250 5,000 2,000
Budget 195,508 156,492 72,711 254,173 335,893 155,905
580,000
25,500
1,170,682
7%
7% 29%
14%
21%
21%
Closing date Dic 17, 2016 Ene 29, 2017 Ene 14, 2017 Mar 02, 2017 Mar 31, 2017 Mar 13, 2017
Hurricane Drought Floods Pop. Movement Earthquake Zika Outbreak
14 OPERACIONES
Panama - Floods MDRPA012
The objective is to provide humanitarian assistance to 650 families (3,250 people) affected by rains and landslides in the provinces of Bocas del Toro, Colón, Los Santos, Panama Oeste and Panama through health, water, sanitation and hygiene promotion, shelter and cash transfer programme actions. To date, the Letter of Agreement between the National Society and IFRC has been signed and the IFRC’s Global Logistics Service (GLS) approved the purchase of the relief items that will be distributed.
Costa Rica - Hurricane Otto MDRCR015
The objective is to contribute to alleviating the suffering of the people affected by Hurricane Otto as auxiliaries to State authorities through humanitarian assistance to at least 1,000 families (5,000 affected people), as a complement to ongoing activities through water and sanitation, livelihoods and shelter. All international purchases have been completed; DHL transported 1,000 kitchen kits and 1,000 water filters for free. The Regional Intervention Team member will complete his mission on 19 December 2016. The DREF may become an appeal.
Costa Rica/Panama - Population Movement MDRCR014
The immediate needs of 10,000 migrants of water, pre-hospital care, psychological support and hygiene items will be provided for through health, water and sanitation and hygiene promotion, and shelter and settlements (and household items) in Costa Rica and Panama. The IFRC trained 21 Costa Rican Red Cross (CRRC) volunteers in shelter management; the volunteers were from different National Society branches, and they are currently providing care in the CRRC-administered collective centres. Some of the CRRC volunteers, that were trained during CRRC’s shelter management workshop facilitated the Red Cross Society of Panama (RCSP)’s shelter management workshop, which was conducted from 18 to 20 November 2016 in Santiago in the province of Veraguas; the workshop had 20 participants. The Costa Rican Red Cross has delivered more than 8,000 blankets, which were provided by the Costa Rican government, in the various CRRC-administered collective centres since it began caring for the migrants in November 2015. A total of 2,482 blankets were delivered to 1,241 beneficiaries in the collective centres in Bunker, Milenium, Hotel Morenita, Hotel Imperial, Hotel Galicia in David in the province of Chiriquí in Panama. The purchase was done through the IFRC’s Global Logistics Service (GLS), and the blankets were delivered directly to the beneficiaries at the distribution point once they had been registered via ODK; Mega V was also used during the distribution. In the coming days, the IFRC will issue a revised appeal in the amount of 560,214 Swiss francs (CHF) to provide assistance to 10,000 migrants.
Ecuador - Earthquake MDREC012
At least 21,331 earthquake-affected families (85,324 people) are supported during the recovery and reconstruction phases in the areas of community health; water, sanitation and hygiene promotion; shelter, livelihoods, food security and nutrition; disaster risk reduction and National Society capacity building. From April to October 2016, a total of 24,705 people have received psychosocial support, and a total of 20,830 people (9,039 women; 8,168 men; 1,795 girls; and 1,828 boys) have participated in psychosocial support activities within communities and in the collective centres. The Ecuadorian Red Cross has implemented psychological first aid actions in the communities of Pedernales (Coaque, La Cabuya and San Marcos) and Jama (Tabuga and El Matal). Additionally, a total of 898 volunteers and staff from the Movement, who participated in the emergency phase, have received psychosocial support from the ERC teams. During the first six months of this operation, 284,422 litres of water were distributed and 2,667,475 litres of water were chlorinated and regularly checked for residual chlorine. In addition to these actions, the National Society has monitored water quality in other locations attended by state and non-state actors. This operation’s actions in water and sanitation have enabled the Ecuadorian Red Cross to strengthen its public profile as a knowledgeable humanitarian actor that provides technical support to other institutions.
Dominican Republic Floods MDRDO009
Provide humanitarian assistance to 5,000 families (25,000 people) affected by the heavy rainfall in the provinces of Puerto Plata, Espaillat, Duarte, Maria Trinidad Sánchez, Montecristi, Santiago and Valverde through health, water, sanitation and hygiene promotion, psychosocial support, livelihoods, shelter, communications and community engagement and accountability, disaster risk reduction (DRR) and National Society capacity building. The Dominican Red Cross (DRC) has continued to work with the communities affected by the flooding through the activation of its branches and its communication networks, which play a fundamental role in disaster management at the community level; the DRC jointly coordinates the networks with institutions from the National Disaster Management System. To date, the National Society has conducted preliminary assessments in the provinces of Espaillat, Puerto Plata, Maria Trinidad Sánchez, Duarte, Santiago and Montecristi. The DRC has also maintained contact with the IFRC’s Pan American Disaster Response Unit (PADRU)’s emergency response coordinator for the Americas since the beginning of the emergency; moreover, PADRU mobilized its operation coordinator to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on 17 November 2016 as part of a technical team that was supporting the field assessments (Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis [DANA]) and the development of the plan of action.
Haiti - Hurricane Matthew MDRHT013
The overall objective of this operation is to ensure that 147,500 people (29,500 households) affected by Hurricane Matthew in the Sud, Grand’Anse, Nippes, Sud-Est, Ouest and Nord-Ouest departments receive appropriate assistance in a timely, effective, and efficient manner; and that they are provided with the necessary support in order to recover with increased disaster resilience. Almost 1,000 volunteers have been mobilized in the affected areas. The Haiti Red Cross Society, with support from its partners, continues identifying affected people in the Nord-Ouest, Nippes, Sud-Est, Gonave and Grand’Anse areas. Up until now, the relief distributions have mainly been conducted in the Nord-Ouest and Sud departments (with support from the American Red Cross) and in the Sud-Est department.
SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES - FLOODS MDRVC003
The acting disaster manager for the Caribbean visited the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Red Cross in response to the recent flash flooding. Given the country’s topography, landslides affected its roads and infrastructure; moreover, due to the heavy rainfall following the passage of Hurricane Matthew, the soil became oversaturated and could not absorb any more of the excess water. The main impact identified in the damage assessment was the people’s fear that they would lose their assets, particularly for those who lived near rivers or canyons. Safe water access is a priority for the government, which is distributing water, along with the Red Cross, to communities that remain cut off due to the flooding. Finally, mud slides caused some houses to collapse; for this reason, a Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) operation for CHF 155,905 was launched to support the National Society’s relief efforts. In addition, the acting disaster manager for the Caribbean also conducted a monitoring visit to the Saint Lucia Red Cross in respect to its Hurricane Matthew DREF operation, through which it has distributed non-food items (NFIs) to the affected communities.
NEWS
Photo by Argentina Red Cross
Lessons Learnt and Best Practices in Zika Virus Response
On November 18th, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the Zika virus is no longer a public health emergency of international concern. It does, however, continue to present a serious public health concern in the Americas, especially to the most vulnerable populations like women of childbearing age. While Zika no longer formally represents a public health emergency of international concern, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) considers that the number of cases in the Americas, as well as the associated complications in adults and children, require an integral and sustainable response. Within this context, on November 30 and December 1, the IFRC Americas Regional Office, through its Zika Operation, held a two-day Lessons Learnt workshop in Panama City. The main objective of the workshop was to exchange experiences, analyze the Operation’s actions and collect lessons learnt and best practices. || Read complete story
Zika Operation
167,268
people aided directly
IMPACT
4.7 millones people reached indirectly
Zika IN THE REGION
12 National Society participating
ÀD—nde Where we work: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela
118 branches involved
3,000 volunteers mobilized
2,794 people trained
52 countries 685,843
516,487
171,553
2,311
2,933
with local transmission
suspected cases
confirmed cases
cases with congenital syndrome
cases with Guillain-Barre syndrome
people affected
The Red Cross Movement calls on States to address the growing indifference to the needs of migrants Representatives of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement have adopted a declaration in response to an increased indifference by governments and society to the plight of migrant populations, in which they commit to sensitize and ensure that the causes of migration are understood, and that the rights and needs of migrants are recognized, respected and addressed. “It is imperative to implement effective measures in accordance with the Fundamental Principles, international law and the Movement’s Resolutions, in collaboration with authorities and other stakeholders, to guarantee the respect for the rights of migrants along the migration route in transit, in the country of destination and return, strengthening the resilience of migrants and communities,” they stated at the conclusion of the Regional Meeting on the Role of the Red Cross Movement and Migration in the Americas. “In the region, National Red Cross Societies have made progress in providing assistance and protection to migrants. However, there is still a lot to do to expand the response, improve services and advocacy for the rights of migrants,” said Jan Gelfand, Deputy Director of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (International Federation) for the Americas. “For us as a Movement, the main priority is to save lives and to respect the dignity of migrants,” added Gelfand, who emphasized that the meeting allowed an analysis of “the need to transcend the Movement’s response and work with a more integrated approach that promotes the resilience of migrants, as well as that of communities of origin, transit and reception.” || Read complete story
Read comple story
Immigrants coming back for Mexico by the border crossing point in Corinto in the Guatemala and Honduras border. In the picture, immigrants prepare to undertake the road to Honduras going back home, some by bus where they have to pay 55 lempiras to reach puerto cortes, the first big city, from where they will go home. Photo by: Javier Arcenillas. Honduran Red Cross
Yoland Thomas: “I now feel safe in my home”
Yolanda Thomas received Avion Baptiste and Gilliam Charles from the Grenada Red Cross with open arms when they came to visit her new home on a rainy Thursday afternoon in October 2016. The meeting with Baptiste and Charles had a very special meaning. Thomas had met them in 2015 when they visited the small community of Telescope to identify the families who were selected for the Safe Homes program that the Grenada Red Cross was starting. After an extensive analysis of the conditions of life of the residents of Telescope, Thomas and her family were the first to benefit from the program that provides materials for people living in vulnerable situations with precarious households. The program allows people to rebuild their houses with materials to ensure safety and make them more resistant to disasters. “I now feel safe in my home. Before, I felt like the house could fly away at any moment. Now if there are strong winds we will survive, we don’t need to evacuate immediately,” expressed Thomas as she observed her new house. The new structure of the house is well built, with solid foundations made of concrete that are one meter off the ground. The walls are made of wood. Thomas lives there with her 55 year old husband, Gerald Daniel, and her four adult children. They moved to the zone in 1998 but were never able to complete the construction of their old house because they didn’t have enough materials. The economic situation of the family is precarious because no-one in the family has a stable job. They have casual work in Grenville, a nearby town that is a commercial centre in the area. To maintain their livelihood, Daniel farms chickens and catches crabs from a nearby beach, and then sells them for 2 EC$ per piece, more or less US$ 0.73. Thomas undertakes domestic duties, which is extremely difficult because she cooks with firewood and doesn’t have running water in the house. To supply her family with water, she has to walk a long way to reach the adjoining lot and collec water from a communal tap making many trips. The absence of pipes in her house hasn’t stopped Thomas from maintaining the hygiene of her house. “I am a very clean person. I like everything to be in its rightful place,” she expressed with pride. The strip of land that surrounds the house is cleared. On one side of the land there are bird cages. On the other side of the land, Daniel has built a tank where he keeps blue, yellow and reddish crabs who put out their claws when visitors come. The clean clothes hang on lines under the roofing of the house. The kitchen is a wooden structure separate from the main living area. The utensils and plastic containers are carefully organised on wooden tables. The fireplace, armed with stones, an iron rack, and firewood is located outside in the middle of the patio.
“I love my kitchen,” said Thomas without hesitating. Even though she tries to avoid the constant smoke that irritates her eyes, there are still days moments when she can’t see well. Another problem is the lack of food. “Sometimes we don’t have enough to eat,” says Thomas, even though she acknowledges that they have never been hungry enough that they’ve had to sacrifice any of the animals they raise to sell. Charles, the logistics coordinator of of the Grenada Red Cross explained that the Safe Houses program makes sure that house owners build the foundations, and the Red Cross provides the materials to finish the rest of the structure. One important aspect of the program is that the people who collaborate in the construction must be part of the community. “Because, in case of disasters, they would be able to repair their own houses,” expressed Charles while sitting on the stairs of a new structure which cost 60 thousand dollars EC to build. (US$ 22,084). Charles feels satisfied with the results, even though he says there is a lot more work to do. Thomas wishes to make pretty windows and a solid door for the new house. While Daniel looks at his new house, he says with a big smile on his face: “I’ve always liked living here and I like this new house a lot more because we can live here calmly”. The Safe Houses program forms part of the Caribbean Community Organised and Prepared for Emergencies project, which provides support to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and is funded by the European Commission for Humanitarian Assistance and Civil Protection.
Launch of the first Regional Program of Development of Competencies for Leaders Induction and Orientation workshop for Leaders towards Development of National Societies (Regional MIC)
ÀD—nde
From 12th to 15th December, in Panama, the Regional Program for the Development of Competencies for Leaders was launched through the organization of a Movement Induction Workshop (Regional MIC), in cooperation with ICRC and with the support of American Red Cross, with a pilot group of 9 National Societies (Panama, Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Cuba and Haiti). Workshop main objectives: • • •
To strengthen the capacities of leaders to support the growth of their National Societies To develop individual development plans, as a component of their participation to the regional Program for one year To build knowledge and provide with the necessary materials in order to accompany the construction of a National Program with a National Regional MIC
A team of 20 facilitators has delivered presentations during the different sessions of the four days workshop, producing a joint work among experts belonging to the Movement, like IFRC, ICRC, and American Red Cross and not belonging to the Movement as well, such as UNDP and Scouts. The participants of the workshop also committed to promote and support at National level the development of a program and of a workshop adapted to their National Societies for their leaders. As a matter of fact, IFRC and ICRC are already planning to copy the Regional workshop in the rest of the America National Societies.
IFRC strengthens its presence in the Americas
With the visit to Brazil and Chile, of the Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Elhadj As Sy, and the Americas Regional Director of the IFRC, Walter Cotte, agreements with each country were signed with the idea of deepening the action of the Red Cross in the region. The headquarters agreements are signed with the governments of the states to recognize the legal status of the IFRC as an international organization. In addition, this recognition legitimizes and facilitates the work of the IFRC within the territory of those states, and guarantees the granting of privileges and immunities to the IFRC, its members, its officers and delegates for the execution of their humanitarian work. “In 24 hours we have signed two status agreements with two major countries in the region to increase our capacity to help people affected by disasters, promote resilience in every level and deepen in the fulfillment of the auxiliary role of National Societies of the Red Cross to their governments “, said Walter Cotte, Americas Regional Director of the IFRC.
SUGGESTED LINKS IFRC strengthens its presence in the Americas (Complete story) In Pictures - IFRC Secretary General visit to South America
Celebration of International VOLUNTEER DAY On December 5th, International Day of Volunteering was celebrated in the region in a special ceremony, full of motivational stories and biographies about volunteers who have had a positive impact on their National Societies. During this hour, with the participation of over 100 people, IFRC recognised projects and volunteers nominated by their National Societies. In the individual category, 9 volunteers were nominated: Miss Clivernia Dodds (Antigua & Barbuda), Claudiomir Laza (Brazil), Jeniffer Rosario Fula Romero (Colombia), Manuel Monge Leitón (Costa Rica), Juan Diego Carpio Espinoza (Ecuador), Rosa Esther Lovo López Milla De Suárez (Honduras), Edwin Rangel (Panamá), Janice Springer (United States) and Ramón Benito Rivas (Venezuela). Collectively, nine projects were recognised: Community Outreach Program (Antigua & Barbuda), Vector borne diseases: Dengue, Chikingunya and Zika (Bolivia), CORAÇÃO VERMELHO-Red Heart (Brazil), GRUPO BIBYR (Colombia), EcoRomería (Costa Rica), Ruta Lúdica (Ecuador), Voluntarios al volante (México), Response to drought during the Phenomenon of El Niño (Panamá) y We are Different not Less (Venezuela). The Americas Regional Director, Walter Cotte Witingan, finalised the event and expressed his gratitude with the following words: ““Dear Red Cross volunteers, leaders and staff of the Americas: North, South, Caribbean and Central.
Individual Category Among the 9 volunteers, they average:
982
Service hours per month
129
Years of volunteer experience at the Red Cross
Collective category Between 9 recognized projects they totaled:
1.808 participants
You are the strength and the principal channel for our voluntary action. You ensure that the Red Cross is a positive example of solidarity in action. You have accomplished so much in the Americas and the Caribbean. You are the hands, the voices, the ears, and the sensors: promoters and actors in the communities. You help to create resilience with respect and response with humanity. Thank you for everything you have done over the past years, thank you for saving lives and protecting the dignity of the victims of all the calamities and sadness in the region. We celebrate the International Day of Volunteering doing what we always do - working with humility, efficiency and inclusion to make our region more resilient and more humane. Our volunteers are always our principal instrument for action, the generator of protection, assistance and development.”
3.023.794 people benefited
ÀD—nde
77.680
service hours
communications Salvadoran Red Cross holds workshops to strengthen communication tools With the aim of continuing to being a source of information for the media and strengthening the institutional profile, the Salvadoran Red Cross Communication Department held a series of workshops on Strengthening Communication Tools with volunteers in the different zones of the country. The objective of the training was to structure a network of volunteers communicators in each department, to speed up the process of generating written and audiovisual communication materials. The four components of the communication covered were: technical elements of the image, journalistic writing and style, social networks and media management, as well as elements of voice training.
SUGGESTED LINKS www.ifrc.org cruzroja-zika.org @ifrc_es @ifrc_es IFRC IFRC RADIO SHOW
In total, more than 65 members of the Salvadoran Red Cross participated in the training, commencing with the first training on Sunday the 20th of November with volunteers from the central zone, the 3rd of December in the east, the 11th of December in the west, and December 12th with the different projects of the National Society.
VOICES OF AMERICA
The Strengthening of Communication Tools workshop was the start of a process of formation that will benefit the performance and positioning of the institution throughout the country. We hope to extend the work in this area and continues growing stronger in 2017.
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ďƒŚ Contact information
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Americas Regional Office Diana Medina, Communications Manager | diana.medina@ifrc.org Diana Arroyo, Senior Communications Officer | diana.arroyo@ifrc.org
Thursday 2:00 PM (spanish)
http://www.amcross.org/radio.html