

These responders are deployed worldwide in a variety of capacities alongside local Red Cross organizations, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross. Volunteers with exceptional technical skills, Red Cross knowledge and disaster relief experience (which often comes from volunteering with a local Red Cross chapter) can apply to become part of our international disaster response roster. For more information on volunteer opportunities, please visit Volunteering.Īlthough many international disasters are managed and staffed by people living in the affected communities, the American Red Cross remains ready to respond when needed. You can find your local Red Cross via a link at the top of each page of this website. These volunteer opportunities, like most with the Red Cross volunteer opportunities, are arranged through your local Red Cross. You can make a $10 donation to support this effort by texting PREVENT to 90999 (see the terms and conditions) or visit learn more about what we do and how you can help vaccinate an entire village with support from your friends, family, and community.Īs a volunteer for the Red Cross you can help people living overseas who have been displaced by war or disaster reconnect with family members living in your community. This program has vaccinated more than 1 billion children worldwide, contributing to a 78% decline in measles deaths in its first eight years. It also stimulates the local economy, which is often undermined by a disaster. When used to purchase relief supplies, cash reduces the time and cost of delivery to affected populations. Cash enables the local Red Cross organization in the affected country to identify and address the most immediate needs-such as providing food and water or repairing damaged homes. The most common way the American Red Cross supports international emergencies is through financial assistance, which is why making a financial donation is the most effective way you can support our international responses.

There are many opportunities for you to get involved, through donating, taking or teaching a class, or volunteering. Local Red Cross organizations only request assistance when a disaster exceeds their capacity to respond.Īnd the Red Cross help is not limited to disaster relief we do other types of humanitarian work with a global impact as well. For example, Indonesia experiences frequent intense earthquakes and volcanic eruptions as a result, the Indonesian Red Cross has the experience and capacity to handle most of their disaster operations without outside support.

Even large disasters that dominate the news can often be managed by that country’s Red Cross or Red Crescent organization. World Central Kitchen Since February, WCK has provided over 100 million hot meals and meal kits to those in need in Ukraine and neighboring countries. Not all disasters overseas require our assistance. The American Red Cross responds to international disasters by sending financial assistance, pre-positioned relief supplies from our global warehouses, trained emergency response personnel, or any combination of the three.
