People's livelihoods also fall victim to environmental disasters. To help alleviate poverty and unemployment, Green Cross provides vital economic support at grassroots level so families can earn incomes and be self sufficient.
Social care
In many cases, the health impacts suffered by people who live through environmental catastrophes are visible. But like the “invisible” contamination that grips towns and cities blighted by radiation, poison and other pollutants, the psychosocial stresses endured by children, women and men are often less apparent to the eye.
Isolation, stigmatization, lack of hope: these causes and more are sources of the mental stress many people in communities living within the radius of the Chernobyl nuclear accident have felt. Similarly in Northern Iraq where poison gas was used against civilians, or in South-East Asia where communities were targeted by Agent Orange.
Green Cross delivers social care activities through a supportive community-based network to help people to deal with the social problems associated with living in contaminated areas. SOCMED promotes the continuous growth of self esteem, self reliance and help.
The most vulnerable members of society - children, single mothers and poor families - are the focus of this work. Mother and Child Clubs and the social cooperatives of the SOCMED-programme promote ways for people to alleviate stress.
What we do
Women and children are the most vulnerable people in any emergency, something which SOCMED recognizes and responds to through its umbrella Mother and Child project.
The project is active in former Soviet Union countries, as well as northern Iraq where Green Cross supports the Mobile Playground Bus initiative that brings toys, games and support to children living in remote settings.
