Your local action has global impact

Dear friend, We know humanity shines brightest when everyday people do extraordinary things – that’s what it means to us to mobilise the power of humanity.

Here in Australia, and across the globe, communities continue to face the increasing humanitarian impacts of climate change and disasters, global conflicts, major disruptive events and the consequences of all these on migration. Your continued support is crucial in helping Red Cross respond swiftly and effectively to these challenges. This year, the number of Australian Red Cross emergency response activations nearly tripled compared to last year. Many people were impacted by the devastation caused by bushfires, floods, severe storms and cyclones and volunteers and staff continue to provide vital support for communities. Because of you: • We’ve been able to train up 3,505 new emergency volunteers. • Teams have welcomed and supported migrant families – providing more than 40,000 relief support payments. • Immigration Detention Monitoring teams conducted 24 visits to centres across Australia – to ensure the health, wellbeing and dignity of those in detention. • Restoring Family Links teams sought the location of 1,974 missing people and managed 1,406 hotline enquiries. • 8,256 students and teachers and community groups participated in ‘In Search of Safety’ community education sessions. We know that supporting our work further afield remains a key area of interest to our donors. Inside this pack we’ve taken a deep dive into some of our main areas of support internationally, and the critical role Australian Red Cross plays in partnership with you. You will meet some of our incredible delegates who, at the drop of a hat, respond to some of the most urgent needs internationally - as well as hearing about how closer to home, National Societies of the Asia Pacific support each other to ensure they are prepared and ready.

As we continue our work, please know that your contribution plays a vital role in our ability to serve others and create lasting change. Your support is invaluable, and we are honoured to have you as part of our community. All of us, wherever we may be, have the power to make a difference. We can help a community sheltering from a disaster. We can kickstart a search to find a loved one missing in conflict overseas. We can provide a meal to someone who would otherwise go hungry.

Across the world, Red Cross teams are there for the people who need us most, 24/7, 365 days a year. Photo: Italian Red Cross/Annalisa Ausilio

Once again, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your generosity and compassion.

What’s inside

Best wishes, Alyssan, Alison and Liz

Locally-led emergency response starts here

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From local to global

Supporting our neighbours across the Asia-Pacific Sustainability planning with Pacific Island National Societies Support on an international scale Delegates on the frontline of support

A delegate exclusive from Ukraine

Our emergency funds and relief items

On the ground in Vanuatu

Australian Red Cross volunteer Jane Jones greets a community member inside a Recovery Centre in Far North Queensland following Cyclone Jasper. Image: Conor Ashleigh

Thank you

Locally-led emergency response starts here

From local to global

As part of the largest humanitarian network in the world, we have a presence in 191 countries.

The devastation and heartache caused by bushfires, floods, severe storms, cyclones and other major crises within communities have impacted many people. We let them know they’re not alone – we’re here to help. In the shelters, evacuation centres, and recovery centres our volunteers offered people comfort and psychological support.

With 110 years experience and a community of 20,000+ members and volunteers, at Australian Red Cross we act locally and connect globally to deliver what’s needed, when and where it’s needed most. If recent years have taught us anything, it’s that emergencies can happen anywhere without warning. In Australia, the climate crisis is causing more extreme weather and more frequent and severe disasters. The last few years have been intense for our teams, and this summer has been particularly relentless, with multiple emergencies happening at the same time across the country. Because of this, our Emergency Services teams have faced skyrocketing demand for their help across Australia. The number of response activations our team was called to nearly tripled this season compared to last year. We supported 32,000 people caught up in 26 disasters and emergencies across almost all states and territories. That’s equal to all the people we helped during the whole of the last financial year.

We are a global Movement, but this widespread local presence is what makes us unique. Because when disaster or conflict strikes, wherever in the world, Red Cross is already there on the ground with the local knowledge, connections, and trust to respond immediately. This immediate and local response is going to become more and more essential as the need for humanitarian aid amplifies. By 2050, an estimated 200 million people every year could need international humanitarian aid, as a result of a cruel combination of climate-related disasters and the socioeconomic impact of climate change. If the number of people in need continues to increase, we know that this will come at a cost. Today, resources are already insufficient to provide very basic support to everyone who needs assistance after climate-related disasters. And by 2030, the funding requirements could balloon to $20 billion per year. While there is a clear cost of doing nothing, there is also a chance to do something. While we cannot prevent storms, cyclones, heat waves and other climate and weather-related hazards from happening, we can do something about the impacts they have. At Australian Red Cross we are working across the Asia-Pacific region to support local Societies in preparing for, and planning their response to, climate related disasters. Your investment now is helping to prevent more drastic and severe crises in the future. Being on the ground and immersed in their local communities, a National Society is always best placed to understand the local needs in an

The Rising Need

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Scan here to hear about our recent response to the North Western bushfires in Victoria.

emergency, and you are supporting the strengthening of this local response with our neighbours across the Pacific. Because of you, teams can be there, trained, ready and equipped when disaster strikes. You can help prevent a disaster from becoming a humanitarian crisis. But we know, and have all too recently seen with the conflicts across Ukraine and Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), that sometimes more than just a local response is needed. With the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), a National Society can always call on the wider Movement if a global activation is required. And thanks to your investment in Australian Red Cross, we have the right people there and ready to respond internationally if and when the call comes. We are a Movement of people, we help Australians act for humanity. By supporting Red Cross you can play a part in making the world we live in a better place. Increase of population in need of humanitarian assistance as a result of climate-related disasters by 2030 and 2050 (under pessimistic scenario).

Thanks to your support, we can be there behind the headlines with those who need us most – in communities ravaged by hardships, to those scarred forever by bullets and bombs. We’re there when it matters the most because we won’t stand by and let others shoulder the burdens alone. Whether that’s here in Australia or supporting our global network across 190 other countries.

Red Cross Volunteers preparing a Recovery Centre during bushfires in Western Victoria earlier this year. Image: Conor Ashleigh

How the movement works together

Conflict

Disaster

• Neutral intermediary • Promotes and monitors International Humanitarian Law • Civilian aid and protection • Detention visits • Tracing and messages

• Disaster and emergency relief • Community development • Disaster risk reduction/preparedness • Health and youth

• Co-ordination of National Societies • Relief in natural and human disasters • Development

• Blood services • Tracing services

Supporting our neighbours across the Pacific

By protecting people from the unpredictable and severe consequences of climate change, unnecessary human suffering will be reduced, and countless lives will be saved. An Australian Red Cross report has found that 97% of disaster funding is invested in response and recovery, while just 3% is spent on mitigation, preparedness and resilience.

The evidence on the benefits of investing in disaster resilience centred around people and communities is clear. It can result in less damage, fewer impacts and quicker, more equitable recovery after the disaster. Here at Australian Red Cross, we have evolved and shaped the way we work regionally to help strengthen the foundations of local Societies to respond to this need. We are partnering directly with nine National Societies across the Asia-Pacific region - working continually with them on preparing for natural hazards that may exacerbate humanitarian issues, such as health, shelter, food security, and increased displacement of people.

This area is home to two-thirds of the world’s population and its most disaster-prone countries. In this region, the frequency and intensity of disasters has not only increased, but accounts for around a third of all weather and climate related disasters globally. There is an ever-growing need for these countries to have the knowledge, skills and practices that enable communities to reduce their vulnerability to disaster risks. To prepare for, anticipate, respond to and recover from disasters and crises when they occur. Thanks to your funding, Australian Red Cross is on the ground, working with our National Society partners in the region to help establish and strengthen locally relevant systems to meet this need. It is crucial to build resilience in the communities, countries and regions most at risk. By focusing on adaptation, the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance will drop. And by focusing on preparedness, the impacts and costs of disasters and crises can be reduced.

Wailotua Village part-time volunteer Seremaia Suvainaika leads his colleagues on a door to door visit in Fiji Image: Kurt Petersen/ IFRC

Because of donors like you, we’ve been able to drive local led humanitarian action across the region. Together, we’ve enabled more collective impact and built on local knowledge and relationships within the community.

Here’s how your donation today will have impact well into the future:

Better funding Shifting from ‘project-based’ funding to supporting core operating costs and institutional integrity of our partners - with a view to enabling

$3,320 could provide emergency shelter for five families who have just lost their homes.

a long-term approach to financial sustainability.

Mongolia

$22,027 supports the cost of Epidemic Control training for 25 Red Cross volunteers in the Pacific, helping them to prevent, detect and respond to outbreaks of infectious disease like measles and dengue in their communities. $67,000 could help ensure a Red Cross National Society in the Asia-Pacific region has the resources it needs across the country before a disaster strikes.

Stronger partners Supporting the development and strengthening of organisational ethics, governance, partnership, resource mobilisation, financial management, and women’s leadership. Disaster risk management Building expertise in the areas of cash assistance, disaster and health preparedness, anticipatory action, protection, gender and inclusion, shelter and settlements. Influence and advocacy Develop strategic partnerships which seek to ensure that local actors are seen as critical components of sustainable humanitarian action.

Myanmar

Papua New Guinea

Solomon Islands

Indonesia

East Timor

Vanuatu Fiji

Tonga

Australia

Sustainability planning with Pacific Island National Societies

Support on an international scale

The 3 main ways we respond internationally:

Whilst we know that a local response is always the first and recommended approach, we are in an ever-changing world where the humanitarian needs from disasters and conflict are increasing in scale and complexity. A humanitarian crisis can happen anywhere in the world, and Red Cross National Society partners are well positioned to respond. However, sometimes additional assistance or specific skills are needed. It’s at these times our international Movement is ready to mobilise and support from across the world. Thanks to your investment, when the call for help comes, Australian Red Cross is set up and ready to respond rapidly to requests for international assistance from our Partners. This could be to anywhere in the world and could range from providing bare essentials: a tarpaulin to keep out the rain, soap and toilet paper to maintain dignity, through to on the ground support for more long- term solutions: a safe supply of drinking water, homes designed to withstand cyclones, or helping to find lost loved ones. Thanks to your support, at Australian Red Cross we can support anywhere in the world affected by emergencies, crisis and conflict. From cash assistance, to aid workers, shelter, First Aid and psychosocial support, plus much more - you are helping to mobilise humanitarian resources that help alleviate suffering and provide support to people who urgently need it the most.

In April of this year, Adrian Prouse, Head of International Programs, represented Australian Red Cross at a delegation of Pacific Island National Societies and other funding partners from across the Movement. Alongside Australian Red Cross, seven Pacific Island National Societies attended - Kiribati, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, Marshall Islands, Fiji, Tonga and Palau, along with New Zealand and American Red Cross, the ICRC and the IFRC. The attendees gathered over three days to discuss and progress ideas and designs for the next five years, which will forge a path for Pacific National Societies to become self-sustaining. Given they operate in relatively small economies, often reliant on tourism, the ability to generate the income required to sustain their organisations is challenging. “The core costs of running a Red Cross National Society in the Pacific decides the basic capacity of the Society. None of us are financially sustainable, but with the support of IFRC and our partner National Societies through this core cost and financial sustainability initiative, we are able to sustain local capacity, keep our doors open, and continue to serve our respective communities,” Fine Tu’itupou-Arnold, Secretary General, Cook Islands Red Cross.

This is why this program doesn’t just focus on covering the gaps of a Pacific National Society’s costs, it also supports their income generating activities. Examples include commercial First Aid training programmes, Tuvalu’s Kitchen Garden Café and the Solomon Islands’ Kaikai Haus Cafe. The ultimate goal is to for the Societies to be financially sustainable, to be able to independently meet the needs of their community. Through this ongoing initiative Pacific Island National Societies are now acquiring knowledge and using systems to exceed national and international standards to generate income. They now have more robust financial management and transparency frameworks - annual plans and budgets, annual account auditing, and evaluation reporting. Everyone is keen to build on these achievements. “The core cost and financial sustainability initiative represents the best of our global to local Movement. It recognises that first responders have genuine costs associated with having a workforce ready to respond before, during and after a disaster or crisis while also recognising that their long-term sustainability is the ultimate goal. This program has been described by participants as: ‘the most useful multi-partner solution to an ongoing problem in decades.” Adrian Prouse, Head of International Programs, Australian Red Cross Your investment enables us to work with, and support, our Pacific partners helping them become more sustainable and better placed to be there for their communities.

Human Resources support Through the deployment of Australian delegates (aid workers) to where they’re needed most. They could be on the ground in as little as 48 hours after the call comes. Funding Through the provision of funds to Emergency Appeals or via other funding mechanisms that will support National Society activities. Relief stock At the request of the IFRC or National Society we can rapidly freight Red Cross relief items across the Pacific region.

Our international work reflects the work we do with Australian and Asia-Pacific communities every day: helping people cope with disasters and personal crises, and promoting humanitarian values and international humanitarian law.

Emergency support in reverse When disaster strikes here in Australia, it’s comforting to know our humanitarian partners are equally ready and prepared to come to our aid. In fact, during the catastrophic Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20, we received support and funding from 34 National Societies such as America, France, Taiwan, Mongolia and Tuvalu.

Every year, around 600 natural and man-made disasters cost the world $250- $300 billion and affect more than 100 million people. 1

$5,691 could provide warm

$11,674 could support the cost of investigations to trace people who are missing during conflict.

$124,255 could support the cost of an International Response Team to coordinate Australian Red Cross’ support for crises and disasters around the world.

blankets for 75 families who are seeking shelter from a disaster or conflict.

8 Adrian Prouse, top row, fifth from left, with representatives from Pacific Island National Societies and funding partners.

1. World Disasters Report 2014, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

With the increasing frequency and severity of climate related disasters, and escalating tensions around the world resulting in conflict, there is a constant and ever-growing need for international support on the ground. Our team here in Australia regularly monitor the roles and skills called for to support these disasters across the world to identify any gaps and ensure that our delegate pool has the range of expertise needed to meet future demand. Our International Deployment team are in regular contact with other National Societies – sharing insights and tools to support the recruitment of new delegates around the world. This also helps to ensure there’s a diverse talent pool and we’re not all recruiting people with similar profiles. When a need for a new type of delegate is identified, the team here in Australia will begin the recruitment process to fill the gap. There is a complex competency framework involved in the recruitment of a new delegate. Technical skill and ability are important, however they might be an exceptional candidate here in Australia but unable to perform in challenging circumstances out in the field.

Therefore an assessment of their resilience and psychological profile is key – understanding their capabilities and motivations, strengths and vulnerabilities. A huge amount of screening and assessments are required to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all involved. Australian Red Cross delegates must also understand and commit to the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and recognise that while on deployment they are representing the organisation 24 hours a day. This means putting any personal, religious or political beliefs aside. It’s your support that enables us to continue to build the right delegate pool here in Australia, assessing the right candidates for the roles, and ensuring that we are ready to meet the ever growing and evolving needs of disasters and conflicts. And to be there for our delegates on the ground supporting them through their deployment.

Delegates on the frontline of support At the heart of Red Cross is the humanitarian responsibility to prevent and alleviate human suffering, wherever needed. In a disaster or crisis, if our Movement partners request help, we can be there thanks to your support.

In an emergency, the international call for delegate support will come from the IFRC or ICRC at the request of the National Society. In Australia, we will nominate the best delegates from our pool of specialist humanitarians based on the needs on the ground. We currently have a pool of 130 active delegates across 23 technical sectors, and we are particularly known for our medical expertise, as well as specialisms in shelter and protection (gender and inclusion). Delegates are deployed to areas of greatest need and we currently have 15 Australian delegates out in the field, including five currently situated in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. These delegates are medical specialists, including a surgeon, three nurses, and an engineer, who are supporting hospital operations providing urgent medical care to the wounded. We have also channelled funding from supporters to the ICRC and the IFRC to fund the humanitarian response in the region. All components of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement are responding to the humanitarian crisis and supporting affected communities. The Palestine Red Crescent and Magen David Adom - working alongside ICRC and IFRC – are on the frontlines of the response.

Your support helps to prepare and deploy these delegates to where they are needed most – facilitating safe assignments across the world.

Cassie Stephens – currently on deployment in Vanuatu:

Australian Red Cross delegate Cassie Stephens is currently on a three-month deployment in Vanuatu after it was hit by three powerful cyclones in seven months. Thanks to your generosity, she can be there to help people respond, recover and prepare. After her application was accepted and funding was

Dr. Fatima Kanesh is one of the Red Cross doctors that has provided over 5 million instances of care to people affected by the Türkiye and Syria earthquakes. Image: Jani Savolainen/ IFRC

approved, flights and accommodation were quickly arranged by the Australian team and Cassie packed her bags. Within 48 hours, Cassie was on the ground in Vanuatu helping people, communities and the local National Society. At every stage of the deployment, Cassie is grateful for the support she receives from our team here on the ground in Australia, made possible thanks to your support. “I genuinely believe in the Australian Red Cross team - they want you to do well and you can feel it. They will engage if you’re missing anything or if they see there’s any issues so they’re like a mother hen for us. I know they’ve got my back – it’s a respectful relationship.” Receiving regular check-ins with the Australian team gives Cassie the chance to relay any concerns, address issues that need attention and enjoy some welcome praise that gives her the motivation to keep the flame of humanity burning brightly, “They make you want to come back.”

Deployments of Australian delegates in 2023

Netherlands 1 Switzerland 6

Hungary 6

Bulgaria 2 Georgia 1 Turkey 3 Syria 3 State of Palestine 1 Lebanon 1

Afganistan 1

Libya 3

Myanmar 1

Nepal 6

Sudan 2

Philippines 1

Djibouti 1

South Sudan 3

Colombia 1

Malaysia 1

Nigeria 1

Kenya 2

Congo 1

Fiji 5

$18,500 supports specialised training for aid workers to ensure they’re prepared to respond to disasters internationally.

$45,000 helps support the cost of an aid worker assignment overseas.

$96,310 could support the

Vanuatu 5

Tonga 3

operational costs of deploying aid workers to international crises.

A delegate exclusive from Ukraine

Life in Kyiv Life for Louise in Kyiv is very different from Budapest. Strict security regulations control when and where she can go to certain places. The team stay in hotels approved by security and in locations away from soldiers to avoid being targeted. Currently, the conflict is mostly confined to the front line around fiercely contested areas in the eastern Donbas region. Louise can only be driven from Budapest to Kyiv because there is no air traffic. The dangerous trip takes two days and passes by many destroyed buildings on the outskirts. In an unexpected contrast, Louise points out that life goes on as normally as possible in Kyiv’s inner city. “If you and I walk to work now, it is like any other city. The only difference is there are sandbags around windows, many statues are boarded up so that they don’t get damaged in a strike, and a curfew is in place. And metro stations and bomb shelters are safe havens when airstrikes are underway.” The role in Budapest Louise organises, facilitates, and manages high-level and strategic international partnership meetings from Hungary’s capital city. Louise explains a recent example of her work “We’ve brought everyone together, the senior management of Ukraine Red Cross and all the other country managers, ICRC and us, to talk about where to from here.” Much of the discussion focuses on the evolving humanitarian situation – what sort of things could happen from here, and if they did would it be catastrophic? How would the Movement respond to mass evacuations, another Kakhovka Dam disaster, or a strike on a nuclear facility? Louise adds, “We’ll talk about how we as a Movement should be responding, how we should be coordinating, how we should be working together. Always with Ukraine Red Cross at the centre.”

What’s next for Ukraine? Louise knows there’s a big job ahead and that the conflict seems far from over. The reconstruction of Ukraine is going to be huge, not just physically but emotionally with many challenges. For example, 10 million people have had to leave their homes to seek safety elsewhere: some 3.7 million people are internally displaced inside Ukraine and over 6 million people have fled from Ukraine and now live in other parts of the world. How do we support displaced Ukrainians to return to their homes? What jobs will be available, where are they going to live and how will the psychosocial impacts of conflict affect people and communities? For the Ukraine Red Cross, IFRC and all supporting National Societies, we know the humanitarian response here will continue well into the future.

Australian Red Cross delegate Louise McCosker has been a part of the Ukraine operation since 2023.

What makes Red Cross unique? In a long and impressive international career with Australian Red Cross, Louise’s admiration for the Movement remains strong. “The Red Cross is the most extraordinary Movement. I think to have volunteers on the ground who today will be going around where missiles have come down and doing what they can to support people and bring in relief, and at the same time humanitarian diplomats advocating for the most vulnerable at the highest levels in Geneva and New York… that sets us apart. We’re an international organisation and a national organisation and a local organisation that has an auxiliary relationship with government by law. So that’s highly distinguishing. That gives us a voice at a table that many others don’t have.” Localised humanitarian action Louise’s role is supporting efforts to find ways to do what’s needed better, collectively and without duplication. This means looking at all the different needs, such as psychosocial support, clean water, access to basic health care, and emergency relief. Then, working with Ukraine Red Cross and sister National Societies to respond to these needs, based on the expertise of all the different players. “We’re looking at a concept of shared leadership. No one organisation can do it all. You want authorities to understand and respect the role that the National Society has and how absolutely fundamental it is to the fabric of society. And you want for the rest of the Movement to be there for Ukraine Red Cross when it needs it.” Localisation is central to Louise’s work and nothing happens without approval from the Ukraine Red Cross. Louise has been humbled many times by the strength of the local team and points out that they know what’s best for their people and communities, “Ukraine is not a developing country; it is very sophisticated with highly capable and well-educated people.”

Louise, with her colleagues in the bomb shelter at their office in Kyiv.

The first Australian Red Cross mission Louise was deployed to was Banda Aceh on Indonesia’s Sumatra Island following the devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2004. After returning home to Australia, Louise completed a Master of International Law. A series of short-term missions followed and then a three-year stint in Geneva with ICRC. Back in Australia, Louise took on the Humanitarian Diplomacy lead role at Australian Red Cross, before being deployed to Afghanistan with the ICRC for a year - just as the Taliban came into Kabul. Coordinator for the IFRC where she spends half her time in Budapest - Hungary and the other half in Kyiv - Ukraine. According to Louise, “The role is working with the Membership – the many National Societies who are supporting Ukraine and the impacted countries – to make sure we’re working as effectively as we can to do things in a collective and unified way.” Louise is committed to a localised approach that draws primarily on the knowledge, skills and experiences of the local National Society, and complements this with capacities at regional and international levels to create better outcomes for Ukrainians experiencing vulnerability. March 2023 to April 2024 Today, Louise is the Regional Membership

A Red Cross Volunteer with a Ukrainian local. Image: Italian Red Cross

A final word from Louise The passion Louise brings to her role day after day in some of the most challenging environments has remained undiminished. “I think what I love the most is going into work and just having conversations with our local staff, their optimism, tenacity and resilience is incredible. They’ve been up all night with the air alarms, often with very young children, and family members are probably caught up in the fight somewhere and wow they’re so resilient - blows me away every day.”

Our emergency funds and relief items

“Red Cross came with relief packages, and this truly was a relief to us. We did not even have toilet paper or bathing soap. We did not have blankets, or clothes as they were all wet. I am so happy that the Red Cross came and helped our village.” Elizabeth Kalotiti from Magaliuliu village, about 45 minutes away from Vanuatu’s capital Port Vila

As well as deploying our people to where they’re needed most, there is often an immediate need for resources too. The fastest way to send support is with cash assistance – cash donations meet immediate needs and help rebuild lives. It’s a fast, efficient, and dignified way to provide humanitarian assistance to those who so desperately need it. It enables people to purchase items specific to their individual needs, supports local economies, and helps in a person’s recovery from traumatic events as they take an active role in decision making. Your support of Australian Red Cross enables our teams to mobilise an emergency appeal, which can be live for donations in as little as 24 hours. This ensures that emergency funds can be raised, and deployed in the immediate aftermath of a crisis or disaster. For example, in just 48 hours after an appeal was launched for the Türkiye and Syria Earthquakes, $1 million had been raised from the Australian public to support the on the ground response.

Emergency relief items In the immediate aftermath of a disaster, when people are displaced and belongings lost, there can also be an urgent need for items to ensure the safety and well-being of people impacted. Here in Australia, we are responsible for deploying emergency relief items to our Society partners across the Pacific. There are two other Red Cross warehouses across the world – in Kuala Lumpur to support Asia, and in Dubai for quick supply routes to all other countries. Our emergency supplies are held in a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) warehouse in Brisbane. In this shared facility, there are enough humanitarian supplies to support at least 11,500 families or 57,500 people. It’s the largest stockpile in the southern hemisphere, with the capacity to respond to three simultaneous crises.

The types of items we are ready to deploy includes Shelter Tool Kits, Kitchen Sets and Hygiene Kits. These supplies are all to Sphere standards – which ensures a consistency in content and quality regardless of where, or who, the aid is coming from. This warehouse is also conveniently situated next to the airport, so if a call for items comes in from our partners in the Pacific, we can have the much needed items packed and on a plane as quickly as possible. Your investment in Australian Red Cross enables us to mobilise at a moment’s notice – supporting our team on the ground to facilitate and oversee the shipment of items. Reaching the local communities across the Pacific to help them recover from disaster.

Australian Red Cross aid items at the DFAT warehouse in Brisbane. Image: Australian Red Cross

Preparing emergency relief items for shipment from the DFAT warehouse. Image: Australian Red Cross

Vanuatu Red Cross volunteers inspecting the contents of the Shelter Kit.

A member of the local community in Bladinaire, Port Vila, receiving emergency relief assistance. Image: Philippe Carillo / IFRC

Unloading relief items, such as shelter kits, tarpaulins, hygiene kits, mosquito nets and solar lanterns. Image: Philippe Carillo / IFRC

$525 could provide five families with food parcels to make culturally appropriate meals for a month.

$6,750 could help protect 25 families with essential relief kits including a mosquito net, a kitchen set, two buckets, two jerry cans, two tarpaulins,

$8,170 could provide

$31,500 could help provide hygiene kits with toothpaste and sanitary items to 7,500 people who have evacuated a disaster to help maintain their health and dignity.

reusable sanitary pads to 500 people for one year. Menstrual hygiene is often an overlooked need in humanitarian settings, but menstruating people need sanitary pads every single month.

a shelter tool kit, two lanterns and a hygiene kit.

On the ground in Vanuatu One country in the Pacific that has been heavily impacted by natural disasters recently is Vanuatu, which was hit by three powerful cyclones within seven

What you helped to achieve in Vanuatu:

International Delegate, Steve Barton, has recently returned from deployment in Vanuatu where he was assigned as a Shelter Cluster Coordinator, helping the people of Vanuatu to rebuild.

Support for 14,000 people with health awareness programs.

Disease outbreak response through the provision of funds to Emergency Appeals or via other funding mechanisms that will support National Society activities. Coordinated emergency shelter response in partnership with the National Disaster Management Office.

months last year - leaving behind a trail of devastation affecting thousands of families. Between late February and early March, the country’s islands were pummelled by back-to-back tropical cyclones, Judy and Kevin. Then came Lola, an out of season cyclone, which made landfall on October 25. The local National Society, Vanuatu Red Cross, is among the largest aid organisations in Vanuatu and has a network of volunteers all over the country. Your support helps them to support their communities all year round, with health, water, sanitation, First Aid and in fact most facets of daily living. When disaster hits, they are there, living in the affected communities, and ready to respond within minutes.

What is it like for people living in the most remote communities? We visited a remote village on the island of Pentecost that was hit hard by Cyclone Lola in October. It’s inaccessible by road and we had to trek down a narrow, steep, slippery path for three-and-a-half hours. The community carries almost everything down that track to their village, cement, food, and supplies. They also carry sick and injured people up that track. There are only tiny stores carrying a few essentials, no doctors, and the children walk four to five hours a day to get to and from the closest school. There’s no electricity and few resources. People here live a hard life, and they’re amazingly tough. I saw lots of cyclone-damaged buildings. With tarpaulins and recovered bits and pieces, families cobble together what they call a ‘quick fix’ - somewhere to gather a few possessions and get out of the sun and rain. But rebuilding a sustainable home is a distant prospect. The other great difficulty is cyclones do immense damage to crops. People live off their gardens, so the first thing they must do is rush out to plant. Otherwise, they will go hungry. What’s it like coming home after an assignment? It can be tough to adjust to life in Australia. I’ve stood in supermarkets, quietly started crying, and had to walk out. When you’re confronted by the difference between people living on a dollar a day or less and how we live at home, it’s hard. People are suffering to degrees we can’t imagine. But doing this work is the highest privilege I could ever have. As a child, I remember being appalled by the terrible things happening in the world. I look at the world every day and think, ‘This place is in trouble’. But I’m not standing around asking what the meaning of everything is. I am doing what I can to make a difference.

Plus, the supply and distribution of relief items supplies, including:

2,353 solar lanterns 400 shelter toolkits 400 tarpaulins

Australian Red Cross delegate Steve Barton.

How are people feeling after three cyclones in seven months? The repeated cyclones are wearing people down. Some are still recovering from Cyclone Harold in 2020 and even Cyclone Pam in 2015. Then comes another one. Their houses and gardens get smashed, and they’ve got to start over again. The people of Vanuatu don’t give up; they just keep going. They are resilient and joyful. But I could see the anxiety about these punishing cyclones. Many people live a difficult life. They feel battered and frightened, afraid of what will happen when the next cyclone comes. Where will they find a safe place to shelter? What was your role? I am a shelter specialist; my background is in construction. I was sent to help coordinate the community’s recovery, liaising between the government and all the shelter stakeholders, including Vanuatu Red Cross. I also helped Vanuatu Red Cross with an innovative, community-driven longer-term shelter recovery plan.

Red Cross workers unloading emergency relief items on the ground in Vanuatu. Image: Dickinson Tevi/ Vanuatu Red Cross

Thank you The impact of your support here in Australia has been felt around the world. Last year:

Your support makes change possible. Thank you for acting for humanity.

9 National Societies received Australian Red Cross support to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters. 10 international disaster and crisis response operations received support from Australian Red Cross. 7.8 tonnes of humanitarian relief supplies were sent to response operations in the Pacific region.

66 Australian international aid workers across 15 different areas of expertise were deployed to 33 countries.

Please accept my donation of

$13.7 million in humanitarian funding was

$7,400

$13,216

Or please accept my donation of $_________________

$20,250

$45,000

mobilised to support responses to major international disasters and armed conflicts including Ukraine and Turkiye/Syria earthquakes.

Pick your preferred way to donate

Mail. Please tear out, complete and return this whole form in the pre-paid envelope

Thanks to your generosity, we can continue to strengthen and support the wider Red Cross Movement across the world, and be there for people facing hardship, crisis or disaster whenever and wherever it’s needed most. You help to keep the flame of humanity burning brightly.

Web. Donate securely via credit card or Paypal at redcross.org.au/2024

EFT. BSB: 063-000 Account No: 12981023 Account Name: Australian Red Cross Donations Account. Please email a copy of the confirmation to transactions@redcross.org.au

Phone. Call us to make your donation over the phone 1800 RED CROSS (733 276).

Please send the whole page - do not tear off this bottom section.

I would like to give my donation by: Cheque/money order (made payable to Australian Red Cross )

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$7,400 could help provide kitchen sets equipped with cooking pots and pans to 200 families.

$13,216 could help support the cost of Epidemic Control training for 15 Red Cross volunteers in the Pacific, helping them to prevent, detect and respond to outbreaks of infectious disease like measles and dengue in their communities.

$20,250 could protect 75 families with essential relief kits including a mosquito net, a kitchen set, two buckets, two jerry cans, two tarpaulins,

$45,000 could support the cost of an

Name on card:

Australian aid worker assignment overseas.

Card number:

Expiry date:

Signature:

a shelter tool kit, two lanterns and a hygiene kit.

Red Cross will use your personal information to facilitate the primary purpose for its initial collection (e.g. process your donation or membership payments etc.). We may also use it for direct marketing such as informing you about our work and how your support has helped vulnerable people in the community. You may opt out of receiving direct marketing or request amendments to your personal information by contacting us on 1800 RED CROSS or contactus@redcross.org.au. You can access the privacy collection notice atredcross.org.au/supporterprivacy.

We would love to hear from you: Free Call: 1800 Red Cross (733 276)

Email: philanthropy@redcross.org.au

Web: redcross.org.au

Vanuatu Red Cross teams were out in the communities conducting damage assessments and distributing much needed relief items following Cylone Lola last year. Image: IFRC / Soneel Ram

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