Expanding role as a leader in first aid
First aid is a proven cost-effective, safe and simple way to save lives in an emergency. Millions of people are hurt or killed from injuries or ill health every year. These may be the consequence of day-to-day health problems, accidents or crisis such as conflict or natural disasters. Whether it is managing outbreaks of major diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis or malaria to providing treatment to heart attack or accident victims, first aid provides that initial rapid response to protect people and minimize the impact of a health emergency.

Following the floods in Mozambique at the beginning of 2000, local Red Cross volunteers provided first aid and other relief services to the over one million people affected by the disaster.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is a leading provider and trainer in first aid. In the majority of the 178 member National Societies, first aid training and services are one of their major activities. The International Federation employs a holistic approach to first aid meeting the physical, social and psychological needs of the injured, their families and the volunteers themselves.

Prevention is a key component of all Red Cross and Red Crescent first aid programmes. First aid training and services are used as entry points for disaster preparedness and health education projects. Road safety is part of the curriculum of courses related to the treatment of traffic accident injuries. Methods to improve sanitation and hygiene practice are incorporated into efforts to strengthen local capacities to respond to diarrhoea epidemics.

Working with the communities, course materials, publications and first aid kits are produced based on identified needs. Voluntary first aid services are organized during sporting and other events, and in some countries along major road networks.

Areas of action: building on comparative advantages
The valuable experiences accumulated over 100 years of practice serves as the foundation to anticipate future needs and trends, as well as further develop more quality assured services. The large network of Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers at the grass roots level provide a strong base for the development of expanded first aid services and training. Key people are trained as trainers, who subsequently train other people in the community. This continuous building of knowledge and skills, together with the pooling of resources further strengthens the self-help capacity in the community to cope with day-to-day crisis and disasters. Operating from within the community also enables the Red Cross and Red Crescent to bring about vital behavioural changes, such as the regular practice of hand-washing and personal hygiene to reduce the chance of diarrhoea.

Advocacy
A better informed community can work with local government and the media to draw attention and influence decisions with respect to local legislation and policy making to ensure a safer and healthier living environment for the future. The Federation will continue to take full advantage of its global presence to participate in the development of international rules and regulations related to first aid and safety issues. Efforts will also be reinforced by the Federation and its member National Societies to create opportunities and tools to facilitate the community's role as a proactive advocate of first aid and safety concerns. One example of this is the international First Aid Day campaign to further increase public awareness.

Quality assurance in service delivery - To ensure that the Red Cross and Red Crescent first aid services and training continue to save lives and minimise the effects of accidents or ill health, the Federation will strengthen its collaboration with academic and medical institutions to standardise and improve life-saving techniques, tools and first aid products with research-based evidence.

The Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies will continue to design more innovative and diversified products in training and services based on local needs. Some National Societies offer their training via the Internet, whereas others use tool kits on different topics.

Monitoring and evaluation tools will be developed with the participation of the beneficiaries, to ensure a satisfactory standard in the service delivery.

In Africa, Middle East and other regions, there are First Aid networks established to create forums for exchange of experiences, discussion of issues and co-operation. The National Societies work together towards harmonisation of techniques, and develop tools for advocacy, promotion, implementation, monitoring etc. The European First Aid network, with the participation of more than 50 National Societies, has accepted specifications based on core curriculum, educational minimum requirement and required evaluation, to set the standard of first aid training in Europe. In year 2000, 25 National Societies awarded first aid volunteers with the standard 'In accordance with European Red Cross and Red Crescent standards on First Aid', a quality label in the region.

Knowledge sharing and health promotion
There is a need to further develop communication platforms where existing knowledge can be shared among all stakeholders including the beneficiaries. Through this knowledge sharing, lessons learnt can be used to strengthen programmes. Guidelines, closer coordination and cooperation need to be developed at the national, regional and international levels for services and training requested by international corporations, mobile workforce or displaced populations. The development of the first aid web site is a tool to facilitate this process.

The Red Cross and Red Crescent will expand the use of emerging technologies and different media to present health messages to a wider audience. Children can learn home safety and first aid at home or in school through various electronic media. Peer education, use of puppet shows and drama are initiatives developed in HIV/AIDS health promotion activities. These methodologies can be further developed and used to convey other first aid and health-related information.

Capacity-building and development of other services
First aid products including services, training and sale of kits have great potential to generate revenue. The Red Cross and Red Crescent will develop marketing strategies at the regional and global levels to make production and purchase of items more efficient and cost effective. In the local context, these resources are used to develop services to improve the lives of vulnerable people. On the international level, resources are shared between member National Societies to strengthen the Federationís overall capacity to reach and better serve the maximum number of beneficiaries.

Partners
In 2000, the Federation advocated, during meetings with the UN Economic and Social Council and the European Commission as well as other regional organizations, for legislation to be adopted making first aid training a prerequisite for drivers to obtain their licenses and for the installation of first aid kits in all cars. The same advocacy process will be employed, together with other partners, to promote the elaboration of legislation regarding safety in the work place, during sporting events and at home.

The Federation will continue to work with all components of the Movement and develop collaborative relationships with stakeholders, UN agencies, government authorities, NGOs, and the private sector to develop firts aid initiatives and tackle global public health problems.