The impact of a disaster or crisis can be reduced if the situation is stabilised as quickly as possible. This allows people to start rebuilding their lives and communities. Depending on the specific requirements, our recovery assistance aims to prevent further damage and loss, repair essential services, protect health, provide psychosocial support, restore livelihoods, and enhance food security. Recovery is carried out in such a way so as to rebuild more inclusive societies and reduce vulnerability to future disasters. Thus, recovering communities are made safer than before.
Overcoming personal crises
Throughout the Caribbean, the Red Cross has traditionally been a place to which to turn for victims of personal crises. Over the years, Red Cross volunteers have provided a compassionate ear and a comforting shoulder, as well as in-kind support to:
- Families whose home has been destroyed by fire;
- persons going through experiences of traumatic loss and discouraged job seekers, for guidance and help;
- the homeless needing a warm meal (through “Meals on wheels” programmes, for instance);
- sick individuals unable to afford their medication.
Though every Red Cross is different and the programs in place are specific to each country, its network of committed volunteers has been able to provide social support in the entire region, helping individuals overcome the tough times and difficult events of life.
Rebuilding Homes
In the Caribbean, the Red Cross has been actively involved in the rebuilding of homes damaged or destroyed by hurricanes, such as following Hurricanes Ivan and Emily in Grenada (2004 and 2005), Hurricane Dean and Tropical Storm Gustav in Jamaica (2007 and 2008) and in the transitional shelter work in Haiti, following the January 2010 Earthquake.
The Red Cross also plays an active part in the improvement of housing standards, whether by training builders, promoting the use of hurricane straps, educating the public on safety measures for their homes or pre-positioning shelter kits for disaster response.
Supporting livelihoods
A strong concern for communities affected by disasters is the longer-term recovery of their source of income, whether from agriculture, fishing, commerce or tourism. The Red Cross has developed specific programs to recover sources of livelihoods, for instance via the distribution of new fishing nets, fishing boats, seeds or farming appliances, the training of builders and farmers or the certification of qualifications.
These programs are usually implemented in the immediate aftermath of major disasters, when most businesses are inoperable and the economy grinds to a halt, thereby helping individuals maintain a source of income at the times of greatest need.
Cash transfer & Voucher programs
In cases where specific communities are affected, the Red Cross can resort to the direct distribution of cash to the affected families, as was the case in the Bahamas in 2007. This approach has the benefit – in small communities – to allow every family to purchase what is most needed, rather than organize distributions of a single item that may not correspond to the needs.
In other cases, vouchers are distributed to affected families, and can be redeemed in partner businesses among a variety of goods, such as food, construction material, medication, farming articles, etc. Again, this approach allows beneficiary families to focus the assistance on what is most needed. However, as with cash transfer, voucher programs require a set of pre-conditions, such as a stable security environment, a functioning economy and a strong Red Cross volunteer base to implement the distributions.
Psychological support
A large part of the damage caused by a disaster is not visible to the untrained eye. Victims of a disaster are often left scarred by post-traumatic stress that takes years to recover from. Over the last decade, the Red Cross in the Caribbean has trained volunteers in the provision of psychological support.
The Red Cross has developed a manual on Community-based psychological support, available here.
