HJÄLP 2/2021

JOHANNES CHINCHILLA MEER ABDULLAH Sultan walked with his mother Aisha and his two siblings for a total of 17 days before they arrived in the city of Abala. The father of the family is missing. Aid for those affected by the Tigray crisis The fighting in the Tigray region of Ethiopia has resulted in a widespread humanitarian crisis. According to local authorities, some 900,000 peo- ple have fled the violence of Tigray and close to 60,000 people have sought refuge in Sudan. A large proportion of these are women and children. People are short of food and basic necessities, such as water and health care. Thousands have lost touch with their loved ones. The Red Cross has distributed water, food and household items to people and have provided health care and rehabilitation to the wounded. It also supports the operation of hospitals and helps people connect with their loved ones. The Finnish Red Cross supports aid work with fund- ing from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and donors. The Ethiopian Red Cross and the Finnish Red Cross have been cooperating for more than 30 years. ● Help in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic The Finnish Red Cross, with the support of the Ministry for Fo- reign Affairs of Finland and do- nors, has helped fight the coro- navirus pandemic and mitigate its effects around the world In 2020, we directed EUR 1.6 million from development coop- eration funds to fight the coro- navirus pandemic in many of our partner countries, including Burundi, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Afghanistan, Myanmar and Nepal. Assistance has been given to the most vulnerable people who are at greater risk of becom- ing ill, e.g. due to a lack of in- formation and limited access to healthcare. Among other things, Red Cross volunteers have pro- vided information to people, as- sisted people in home care and quarantine, and provided psy- chosocial support. In 2020, Finnish Red Cross aid workers participated in coro- navirus operations around the world. ● 11