Following the tragic bomb attack in Bali on 11 October, the Bali branch of the Indonesian Red Cross sent out disaster relief teams. Most of the members were young volunteers, carrying out their first response activity.

The teams provided first aid, transferred casualties to hospital and assisted medical staff at the scene, helping identify bodies and in contacting relatives.

The work of the volunteers, harrowing for the large part, was recognised at a ceremony in Bali at which the chairman of the Indonesian Red Cross, Mar'ie Mohammad, paid tribute to them.

Most of the volunteers are university students, aged between 18—25. Eighty of them worked non-stop in the first 24 hours of the disaster and were witness to horrific experiences in the course of their work. They and up to 170 others, are now being helped through psychological debriefings.

For more information, read the following news stories:

• Volunteers helped to cope with Bali trauma
• A life-changing night in Bali
• Red Cross continues to take lead in Bali response
• Indonesian Red Cross quick on scene of Bali bombings