8 May 2006 - World Red Cross Red Crescent Day

World Red Cross Red Crescent Day 2006 - National Society activities

Afghanistan

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The National Society and its volunteers have been able to see the people of Afghanistan as individuals who need help and not as individuals from different tribe.

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The vital work of youth and community-based first aid (CBFA) volunteers in spreading the message of anti-discrimination was celebrated in Afghanistan on World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day.

Youth volunteers distributed anti-discrimination posters around the schools and performed short plays highlighting the Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. Also included were traditional songs, poems and music.
“Peaceful co-existence within the community is the first step towards peaceful co-existence within the country,” explained Dr Abdullah Jwenda, head of volunteer affairs at the Afghan Red Crescent. “The youth and CBFA volunteers are the pulse of the national society as they help spread our messages to all parts of the country starting from community level.”

Discrimination between tribes was evident in Afghanistan during the civil war, when it was unheard of for young people of different tribes and genders even to sit together in the same classroom.

“I am happy to say that today we have youths from different tribes working side by side,” said Dr Abdullah. “This is evident in the number of youths – boys and girls – participating in activities and working together in the youth clubs and youth camps.”

Abdulghani Kazimi, Secretary-General of the Afghan Red Crescent, praised the volunteers for being the mainstay of all National Society activities. “The National Society and its volunteers have been able to see the people of Afghanistan as individuals who need help and not as individuals from different tribes,” he said. “This is a positive step forward and we will continue moving forward.”

Cyprus

The Cyprus Red Cross held a series of events to celebrate World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day.

As part of a two-week fundraising campaign, volunteers went from door to door in towns and villages across the island, asking people to support the society. The campaign was supported by President Tassos Papadopoulos, who presented £4,000 to the Cyprus Red Cross at a ceremony in Nicosia.

“Both the government and I personally shall continue to be active supporters,” he told journalists. “We will walk together for this commendable cause, which the Red Cross has been pursuing consistently and selflessly.”
Also present was Health Minister, Andreas Gavrielides, who launched an appeal for blood donors.

Director of the Cyprus Red Cross, Stelios Sycallides, emphasized the strong volunteer base on the island. “We currently have 9,000 Red Cross members, which is good considering the size of the population,” he said. “We don’t actively recruit new members as people come directly to us wanting to volunteer.”

He went on to describe some of the work undertaken by the Cyprus Red Cross. This includes running a special home where 67 sick children, particularly those suffering from cerebral palsy, receive regular treatment. The society runs a school for disabled children within the home and provides clothing and food to vulnerable people. It also responds to international appeals and is building a hospital in Sri Lanka to help people affected by the tsunami.

In Ethiopia, the work of volunteers was highlighted in a series of posters and leaflets distributed through the different branches of the Ethiopian Red Crescent. In Addis Ababa, a public gathering was organized on World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day where the audience watched a film celebrating the work of volunteers and members. Similar events took place around the country.

The Geneva Red Cross marked World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day by hosting stands around the city celebrating the work of international and local volunteers in providing ‘universal assistance through volunteering’.

Visitors to the stands could get information about becoming a volunteer and were encouraged to donate books for the Geneva Red Cross Intercultural Library. The library, which is located at Rue de Carouge 50, aims to foster cultural integration by giving members of the international community in Geneva access to books in their own languages.

A seminar on volunteering was held at the Indian Red Cross New Delhi headquarters to mark World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day.

Among the guests were Shri P K Hota, Secretary of Health and Family Welfare for the Government of India, Professor R M Verma, former Head of Department at the Delhi School of Social Work and an eminent scholar, and representatives from the International Federation, the International Committee of the Red Cross and several National Red Cross Societies. To emphasize the theme of the day, Red Cross staff members attending wore T-shirts with the slogan ‘Our strength, Our future, Red Cross volunteer’.

In his address, Dr S P Agarwal, Secretary General of the Indian Red Cross, explained the importance of volunteers. “Around the world, volunteers are active in a diverse range of activities, from alerting the public to impending threats posed by disasters to fighting stigma and discrimination related to HIV/AIDS,” he said.

Dr Agarwal also said that the Indian Red Cross has prepared a draft policy on volunteering, which he hopes could be used as reference by other organizations as well.

Speakers at the seminar expressed their concern at the erosion of compassion across the world. This can be seen in passers-by ignoring victims of road accidents or not lending a helping hand to those needing urgent support. They also felt, however, that the Red Cross has immense public credibility, which results in a spontaneous response from all communities at times of crisis.

Although a Maldives Red Crescent is still in the process of being formed, members of the six national societies involved in tsunami recovery programmes worked together to celebrate World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day. Their efforts were coordinated by the International Federation.

Nearly 200 runners of all ages took part in a 1.6 kilometre Fun Run along the waterfront of the capital city of Male. Two local bands performed live music and an exhibition was displayed showing Red Cross work in health, housing, tsunami recovery and waste management.

"Today we commemorate and celebrate the role volunteers played in saving lives during the tsunami and afterwards,” International Federation Head of Delegation and fun runner, Jerry Talbot, told the crowd as the sun came down over the carnival. “The same spirit of volunteerism is leading to the formation of the Maldives Red Crescent, which will ensure a spirit of voluntary service to humanity continues in this country."

There was a moment of silence for all Red Cross and Red Crescent workers and volunteers who have lost their lives, before everyone gathered by a large outdoor screen to watch a video about the Movement’s humanitarian activities worldwide.

“The video made me interested in joining because of how the Red Cross and Red Crescent help people and treats everyone the same,” said Ismail Shihan. “Every member of the team is equal and I want to be on that team.”