Bangladesh
Red Crescent volunteers and members including senior management
marching through the streets of Dhaka to celebrate the 29th
anniversary of the formation of the society.
(p7571).
A
young medical student donates blood at the Holy Family hospital
in Dhaka.
(p7583)

Red
Crescent volunteers with some of the fundamental principles
of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. (p7584)
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Bangladesh Red Crescent marks its
beginning
11 April 2002
by Indira Kulenovic, Dhaka, Bangladesh
A rally through the capital
Dhaka, led by the Bangladesh Red Crescent Chairman Major Z. A. Khan
and Secretary General Ali Hassan Quoreshi, and followed by several
hundred staff and volunteers, was just the first event on March 31st
to mark the creation of the organization in this South Asian country.
Carrying banners and flags with the Bangladesh Red Crescent emblem,
the celebrants not only marked the 29th birthday of their society,
but also marked National Disaster Preparedness Day.
The rally was followed by a flag raising ceremony at the Bangladesh
Red Crescent headquarters, during which Chairman, Major Khan and managing
board members read out the seven fundamental principles of the Red
Cross and Red Crescent. The fundamental principles were also broadcast
on the Bangladesh Red Crescent's Cyclone Preparedness Radio network
of 142 stations to 33,000 volunteers on the programme in the country's
11 coastal districts.
The radio network covers a 710 km long coastal belt populated with
more than eleven million people. Facing annual floods and cyclones,
the Red Crescent has built up extensive experience in disaster preparation
and mitigation with its cyclone preparedness programme, working closely
with local communities in the running of cyclone shelters and the
establishment of early warning systems.
A voluntary blood donation campaign was also organized along with
cultural shows, a seminar on the Red Cross Red Crescent movement and
some food distribution. Together with the International Federation
head of delegation to Bangladesh, Tony Maryon, the Red Crescent also
had gifts for 150 sick children and disabled people hospitalized at
the Red Crescent Holy Family Hospital in Dhaka.
Special awards were also presented to 14 volunteers of the Bangladesh
Red Crescent to acknowledge their commitment, motivation and outstanding
work. Each of the awarded volunteers has been with Red Crescent for
more than five years, contributing to youth activities, emblem awareness,
polio eradication campaigns, first aid training, emergency and medical
relief operations, HIV/AIDS awareness and blood donation.
Similar celebrations were organized in all 68 Red Crescent branches
throughout the country. One of the most densely populated and poorest
countries in the world, Bangladesh poses many challenges for those
working with and helping the most vulnerable people in society. For
the staff and volunteers of the Bangladesh Red Crescent, the commitment
to meet those challenges is great indeed.
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