Red Cross stories
Red Cross stories
Read our stories filled with humanity, resilience and the spirit of volunteering. They show how your support is helping vulnerable people in New Zealand and around the world.
19 March 2024
Variety the secret to a great meal
For a man in his 90th year, Ron Donnelly is committed to keeping active. He still has his driver’s licence, talks or texts his two children nearly every day and retains a sharp wit. And through Meals on Wheels, Ron gets something he deems just as important – “variety”.
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19 March 2024
Baghdad to Baldwin Street – the Imran family journey
As Jaafar Imran recalls this chilling warning, it is hard to imagine the struggles the family went through to begin a new life in New Zealand. Along with his wife, Ghusoon Khasmir, and four children – Sajjad, Mustafa, Murtadha and Fatimah – Jaafar recently celebrated his one year Kiwi anniversary, settling into their new lives in Dunedin.
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15 March 2024
Helping generations
Many of the homes in the small Hawke’s Bay community of Waiohiki have stayed in the same family for generations. Kiriana Laison is the fourth generation of her family to live in her home – her children are the fifth. The night flooding from Cyclone Gabrielle arrived, Kiriana was worried she had not only lost her home but her entire community – and her family.
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13 March 2024
Red Cross workers evacuated during the Port Hills fire benefit from Good and Ready preparedness
Two New Zealand Red Cross staff members evacuated last month due to fire danger - exactly seven years since a large fire swept through the Port Hills, claiming one person’s life. Good risk assessment was crucial to their decisions.
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22 February 2024
Ukraine: Two years on
Two years since the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine armed conflict, fighting and shelling are still everyday realities for millions of people living in Ukraine. The scale of destruction is immense. Ukrainians have lost their loved ones, homes, and livelihoods, and are struggling to get the basics necessary for survival.
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