The American Red Cross extends its humanitarian mission beyond our community in partnership with the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies around the globe. Our nearly 100 international programs span from Colombia to China and from Tanzania to Thailand.
With more than 97 million volunteers, the Red Cross is uniquely positioned and well equipped to meet the needs of the world’s most vulnerable communities. Currently, the American Red Cross supports international programs in the priority areas described below.
Preparing for and Responding to Disasters
Global trends – rapid population growth, unplanned urbanization, environmental degradation and climate change – have caused an increase in the severity of natural disasters. Sadly, countries facing the greatest risk are often the least able to cope with the effects of disaster.
The American Red Cross helps vulnerable people around the world prepare for and respond to emergencies. When disaster strikes and a Red Cross or Red Crescent society in another country requests assistance, the American Red Cross can respond by deploying skilled people, mobilizing relief supplies or providing financial assistance.
Like we do in the United States, the Red Cross also helps families around the world reduce their risks by making community response plans and developing simple early warning systems before disasters occur.
Learn more about how we respond to international disasters.
Learn more about the steps we take to safeguard communities in other countries.
Restoring Family Links
The Red Cross helps reconnect families separated internationally by war or disaster. When families have nowhere else to turn, the Red Cross assists by delivering family news in refugee camps, informing relatives of their loved one’s fate and locating family members in the aftermath of disaster. As with all other Red Cross international services, this assistance is free of charge.
The Red Cross accepts tracing cases and traces sought persons when:
- Families have been separated as a result of either armed conflict or disaster.
- As much as possible, families should have tried normal channels of communication before requesting Red Cross tracing services.
- The family member making the inquiry provides essential information on the sought person.
- The family member making the inquiry is a close family relative, who has been in direct contact with the sought person before the conflict or disaster occurred.
The Red Cross cannot accept requests when there is insufficient information to conduct a search; or when it is for genealogical research; or tracing regarding legal matters such as wills, child custody etc.; or the tracing of birth parents or third party requests.
Learn more about restoring international family links.
Get Involved
You can help the victims of countless crises around the world each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross. Your contributions will provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other assistance to help those in need.
You can help make an impact locally by volunteering your time with the American Red Cross to reconnect families separated by war and disaster as well as educate adults and teens about the international protections afforded to everyone by the Geneva Conventions. You can support a global effort right here in our community.