Here are some of our development cooperation results from 2024
Photo: Aki Kolehmainen / Suomen Punainen Risti
In 2024, the development cooperation work of the Red Cross delivered results and improved people’s lives in 15 countries. In particular, we helped people in a vulnerable position in fragile and conflict-afflicted countries.
In 2024, we helped 819,000 people through development cooperation. The majority of them were women. We worked in 15 countries, 11 of which are classified as least developed countries. Our work focused particularly on improving the capacity of people and communities to respond to health emergencies such as infectious diseases, natural hazards, conflicts and climate change. We carried out our work with support from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and our donors.
1 We strengthened adaptation to climate change
In 2024, more than half a million people benefited from improved weather information and advance warning systems. The livelihoods of 84,000 people were strengthened against the consequences of climate change.
“The drought took all of my crops. The community garden enables me to survive. If there are surplus crops, I can give them to vulnerable families in my communities,” says Lumba from Zimbabwe, who received gardening training from the Red Cross.
In Zimbabwe, the Red Cross has supported community gardens that provide additional income for villagers. Additionally, 4,100 farmers were trained in climate-wise agriculture to enable them to better prepare for the changes brought about by climate change, such as droughts, irregular rain and extreme heat.
Photo: Alexander Uggla / Suomen Punainen Risti
Drupati Devi Rajbar, a mother of three, receives an alert on her mobile phone from a message group if her home village is threatened by flooding. This enables her family to move to safety in time. She also participates in Nepal Red Cross Society’s preparedness training courses. In Nepal, volunteers held training and information events for 4,700 people on climate change, how to utilise weather information, advance warning systems and disaster preparedness.
Photo: Mari Koistinen / Suomen Punainen Risti
2 We supported women’s and girls’ right to health services
Women’s and girls’ rights and access to sexual and reproductive services were improved in almost all countries of operation. 68,000 girls and women were provided with sexual and reproductive services. We also worked against sexual and gendered violence and harmful traditions, such as child marriage and genital mutilation.
In Burkina Faso, trained birth assistants working in local communities participated in providing contraception education. In Burkina Faso, women face difficulties with accessing safe childbirth and maternity and child health clinic services. The Red Cross has trained traditional birth assistants, who escorted nearly 200 pregnant women to health clinics to give birth safely last year. The birth assistants also visited more than a thousand new mothers to perform follow-up health checks on women and babies.
Photo: Burkinan Fason Punainen Risti
A traditional birth assistant trained by the Red Cross in Niger is providing information about safe childbirth and why it is important to give birth with a health care professional. Trained traditional birth assistants play a key role in promoting sexual and reproductive health in their communities. Thanks to the work of the Red Cross, the proportion of people using contraception in the areas of operation increased from 19% to 54%.
Photo: Nigerin Punainen Risti
Finnish Red Cross worker Fatuma Idris is holding a newborn baby with nurse Farxiyo Said Nuur in Puntland, Somalia. In Somalia, we supported nine health clinics of the Somali Red Crescent Society, which provided health care services to more than 112,000 people. Last year, more than 7,000 babies were born at these clinics under safe conditions.
“Skilled midwives ensure safe childbirth, reducing maternal and infant mortality. They also make sure that the mothers or their children do not have any post-natal health issues,” says Fatuma Idris.
Photo: Suomen Punainen Risti
3 We provided clean water to increasingly many people
Clean drinking water is a prerequisite for good health. With water supply points nearby, girls’ and women’s time is not spent on fetching water. In 2024, we provided access to clean drinking water for 35,000 people. 67,000 people received improved toilet and washing facilities.
“In times of drought, life becomes unbearable. There is nothing to eat or drink, people starve and animals migrate elsewhere. Now that the water supply point has been renovated, we save time and the animals stay alive,” says Hosna Mohammed, 28, from Ethiopia. She is giving water to two-year-old Meyrem Ali in Afar, one of the hottest and driest regions in the world. In Ethiopia, the Red Cross has renovated water supply points in the driest areas. Communities have also been educated on water management, changes in drought seasons and hygiene.
Photo: Aki Kolehmainen / Suomen Punainen Risti
“I used to fetch water from a river far away. I was afraid to leave my child unattended or take him with me on the dangerous trip. The Red Cross built a well for our village, so it is now easy for us to get water and we no longer suffer from diseases such as diarrhoea,” says Zainab, an 18-year-old single mother from Sierra Leone. In Sierra Leone, access to clean water improved significantly in our areas of operation. Only 13% of the households used to have access to clean water. Now, that rate is 98%.
Photo: Aino Väänänen / Suomen Punainen Risti
In Afghanistan, schoolgirls learned to wash their hands thoroughly. In Afghanistan, the Red Cross supports school clubs that teach about hygiene, health and infectious diseases. Schoolchildren also received hygiene packages containing toiletries and, for girls, menstrual protection products. The Red Cross also supported the construction of hand-washing stations and accessible toilets suitable for girls at ten schools. In the local communities, we improved access to clean drinking water by building three solar-powered water systems. Volunteers educated villagers about health and hygiene at community events.
Photo: Afganistanin Punainen Puolikuu
4 We trained community health volunteers
We support the availability of health services in fragile societies. Health services are built by health care workers and volunteers working in local communities. For example, the volunteers provided 140,000 people with information on how to prevent diarrhoea, pneumonia and malaria in children under the age of five.
The Somali Red Crescent Society has trained health workers to use a new mobile phone app to help them diagnose children’s illnesses better than before. The app has helped reduce the amount of unnecessary antibiotics prescribed to children by more than 42%. In addition, the follow-up care rate has increased from 12% to 94%, while the identification of signs of health risks in children has risen from 1.3% to 99%.
Photo: Timothy Maina / Somalian Punainen Puolikuu
Rehema Mohamed, 29, underwent training to become a Red Cross community health volunteer. “I wanted to improve the health of my community,” says Mohamed.
Health volunteers are responsible for a certain number of households in their communities. They carry out home visits, during which they provide information on health matters and monitor children’s nutrition. If there is a pregnant woman in the house, the volunteer will take care of pregnancy monitoring and escort the woman to antenatal check-ups and to give birth at a clinic. They record all health information regarding their communities into the country’s official health information system on their mobile phones.
The Kenya Red Cross Society is improving sexual and reproductive health in Kenya. Thanks to this work, the number of births has increased by 50% at some clinics over the last two years.
Photo: Aki Kolehmainen / Suomen Punainen Risti
Our work is supported by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.
