 |
Search : | ||
|
|||
News
|
News stories
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
