Disaster Response Australia Project #56215

Australian Red Cross

Project Report | Apr 10, 2024
Australian Red Cross

By Clare Hedger | Partnerships Team

324,836 people were supported during and after disasters.

185,400+ people accessed disaster resilience, response and recovery resources, booklets and information.

4 million+ people reached through preparedness campaigns.

17,400+ people attended training and workshops to build their capacity to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters

In a changing climate, disasters are increasing in intensity and frequency. Our emergency services work is focused on supporting communities to anticipate, respond to and recover well from disasters of all kinds. We do it by putting people first — by tapping into the local knowledge of people and communities who know what they need to overcome adversity. When disaster strikes, we equip communities with the capacity to make decisions and take action. In the aftermath, we connect them with safe, equitable and dignified humanitarian and psychosocial care. Building resilience one community at a time Our disaster resilience programs focus on practical, psychological and social actions that can prepare people and households for the impacts of disasters and other crises.

In partnership with communities, we

• look at the risks and barriers that prevent people from becoming disaster-ready

• leverage the motivations that can inspire meaningful action

• empower communities to lead their own resilience-building activities. Program highlights

• 35,850 people accessed community events and information.

• 11,680 people in New South Wales attended 148 community activities run by our Community Resilience teams.

• 8,369 students attended 279 Pillowcase Program workshops in over 150 schools.

• 7,046 people took part in over 427 training, workshop and resilience activities.

• 890 people attended RediPlan disaster preparedness workshops.

• 2,013 people downloaded and 70,237 people updated our revamped Get Prepared emergency app

Right now, Red Cross teams are on the ground helping thousands of people affected by disaster, hardship, conflict, isolation and crisis. From bushfire-affected communities in Queensland and New South Wales to people caught up in armed conflict overseas, we are there.

365 days a year.

Neutral and impartial.

People helping people find safety, opportunity, and emotional and practical support in a crisis.

You are one of the helpers too. our generosity can give people somewhere to turn on the most challenging days of their lives. And the fact is, we can’t do what we do without supporters like you.

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Dec 1, 2023
Australian Red Cross

By Clare | Partnerships Team

Aug 3, 2023
Behind the headlines of crisis, people are helping

By Clare | Partnerships Team

Great things happen because you care.

Thank you from us to you.

Sometimes, the stories that aren’t told are the ones the world needs to hear most – like the stories of people helping people. Because without the helpers like you, life would be much harder for so many.

You let people know someone cared. And you made sure they didn’t have to face the hardest days of their life alone. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much for your generosity and everything you have done to help this past year.

Your generosity has helped prevent suffering. It protected people's dignity, ensured they felt stronger, and supported to start again. The world might not see the helpers behind the headlines, but we do. And we see you.

Thanks to supporters like you, we made a difference in someone’s life every 90 seconds in Australia last year

A last resort for people seeking safety

Elijah Buol leads one of our teams supporting people seeking asylum, and others made vulnerable by migration. Photo: Australian Red Cross/Aysha Leo

Esther* fled to Australia fearing for her safety after her village and home in Papua New Guinea were burned to the ground.

"She got off the plane and came straight to our door for help," says Elijah Buol, our Migration Support Programs, Queensland State Lead. "She was eight months pregnant and had her youngest daughter with her. They had nowhere to stay, no family in Australia and no money to support themselves."

We helped Esther with temporary accommodation, food and other necessities. Over the following months, we provided ongoing support and connected her with agencies to access longer-term housing and help to apply for protection visas.

Thanks to supporters like you, 40,000+ people seeking asylum and others made vulnerable by migration received emergency funds to help meet basic needs such as housing and food

*We've changed Esther's name to protect her privacy.

Tackling an epidemic of social isolation

Kathryn and her Red Cross visitor and friend, Katie. Photo: Australian Red Cross/Aysha Leo

Every week, our volunteer Katie visits Kathryn, who is in her 90s, to chat and share stories. Sometimes, she brings homemade soup and crossword puzzles.

Kathryn says one of the hardest things about getting old is outliving friends and loved ones. “I am the only one left … you haven’t got anyone to talk to, someone who knows your life. If it weren't for Katie, I'd feel like a forgotten woman. I'd be stuck in the house and not see anyone."

Thanks to supporters like you, we provided 134,000+ hours of telephone support and 19,000+ home and aged care visits to older, isolated people

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