The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is supporting the Colombian Red Cross (Cruz Roja Colombiana), through an Emergency Appeal, to bring urgent assistance to affected families in the department of Chocó, in Colombia, and to help the affected communities recover.
About the appeal
An Emergency Appeal is the instrument through which the IFRC mobilises resources from National Societies and international partners when the scale of an emergency exceeds the immediate response capacity of the National Society in the affected country. In Chocó, the appeal sustains the work the Colombian Red Cross is already doing with affected families, widening the reach of the assistance and keeping it going over time — not only in the first days, but also in the phase when communities start to rebuild everyday life.
In Chocó, each community has its own history and its own needs. That observation, recorded by the Federation, shapes the way the humanitarian response is designed: areas that are hard to reach, scattered populations and distinct local realities require aid to be adjusted to each context, rather than replicated identically from one place to the next.
The role of each organisation
The Colombian Red Cross is the Red Cross National Society in Colombia. Like every National Society, it acts as an auxiliary to the public authorities in the humanitarian field, with volunteers present in communities and the capacity to reach affected areas with relief, health care, water and support for families.
The IFRC brings together the National Societies of the whole world and coordinates the response to disasters and crises that require international cooperation. Its role is to bring together resources, technical expertise and logistics so that the National Society of the affected country — which knows the territory and stays there before, during and after the emergency — can respond at scale.
The Brazilian Red Cross belongs to the same International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, guided by the fundamental principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality. It is because of these principles that an operation in Chocó also concerns those working in Rio de Janeiro: the same logic of response — closeness to the community, preparation in advance and follow-up after the emergency — guides humanitarian work anywhere.
What the support makes possible
By enabling the Colombian Red Cross to act, the Emergency Appeal allows teams to reach affected families with urgent assistance and to accompany communities through recovery. That second stage is usually the least visible part of a humanitarian operation and one of the most decisive: it is when homes, livelihoods and basic services are rebuilt, and when continued support reduces the risk that the next emergency finds the population even more vulnerable.
How to follow and support
In Rio de Janeiro, the branch keeps up its permanent work in humanitarian action, training and volunteering. Anyone who wants to follow the work of the branch and of the Movement can read the news section, get to know the teams and areas of work or support the branch. It is also possible to prepare to act in emergencies by taking one of the in-person courses the branch offers, taught in Portuguese.
Based on information from the IFRC — International Federation (@ifrc), published on 1 September 2026 — original post.
First published in Portuguese on 3 September 2026. Read the original →