THT-8 May is World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day—a global day to celebrate the uniqueness and unity of our International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement was commemorated in Hargeisa.
A well-organized event attended by officials from the two agencies, government officials and Parliamentarian and invited guests in connection with the commemoration of the World Red Cross and Red Crescent day, Somaliland Red Cross Chairman Mr. Mohamed A. Bakal. Speaking on the occasion, said that today, is a big day for the Red Cross and Red Crescent associations, as they celebrate their contribution to the world. Adding, that the Red Cross and Red Crescent which was established 159 years ago, has 192 member nations, of which Somaliland is a member, and this year’s motto is” Be human ”
We run different projects throughout the country, included community resilient. Red Cross, apart from health, runs a number of health-related services, such as pre-hospital emergency, and even now we teach that practice to rural people how to do it.
Mr. Bakal said the Red Cross had launched a pilot project to provide free ambulance services to the Las Anod community, and that anyone who need an ambulance could call their number day and night. We want to replicate to all regions of Somaliland.
We run community based surveillance, were the volunteers in these villages promptly report occurrence of new illness to the Red Cross headquarter, who notify the Ministry of Health. He said he was grateful to the Red Cross staff who reaches three hundred for their hard work and dedication
The chairman of Bakal detailed that similar events were held in all regions and districts of Somaliland that the Somaliland Red Crescent Society held the event in all regions and districts of Somaliland.
The Somaliland Red Crescent Society has been active for a long time, operating in all regions of Somaliland from Galgala Health Center from Badhan District to Seylac District, and Buhodle District, were the main activities are primarily health activities, with 17 fixed clinics and 14 mobile clinics operating, and even vaccinating 19 people against Covid 19.
The staff and volunteers of the Somaliland Red Cross Center in Las Anod, Sool region celebrated the day with a clean-up operation in the town.
Young men and women were seen collecting rubbish in the neighborhood city, with bare hands.
The staff and volunteers of the Somaliland Red Cross, who are teenagers dedicated to serving their communities, would have done much, had they had the infrastructure & resources to carry out their services.They would have tirelessly serve with their communities day and night, in accordance with the rules and regulations of the IFRC & ICRC.
Speaking at the event, officials from different organization who share working collaborations with the Somaliland Red Cross Crescent & Red Crescent praised duo organizations commemoration day, saying the two organizations work voluntarily with the community of the world.
Deputy Minister of Health Hon. Liban Gahnug praised the work of the Red Crescent Society and said that it plays an important role in social issues, especially health.
Speaking at the event, the Deputy Speaker of the Somaliland Parliament Said Gire admired the work of the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Hon. Gire said he was a former volunteer of the Red Crescent Society, had received a voluntary card two decades ago and later became a representative of the UAE Red Crescent Society, added that the Red Crescent and the Red Cross do a valuable work to the world populace.
World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day is an annual celebration of the principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. World Red Cross Red Crescent Day is celebrated on 8 May each year.
8 May is World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day—a global day to celebrate the uniqueness and unity of our International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day: A message from our Movement
A joint message from Francesco Rocca, President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Mercedes Babé, Standing Commission Chair, and Peter Maurer, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
“Tutti Fratelli!” We are brothers and sisters, exclaimed the women of Castiglione after the devastating battle of Solferino in 1859.
With these very words, they sparked the flame of Humanity among the wounded and dying soldiers, while providing them with care and assistance, regardless of which side they had fought for. Their courage, compassion and kindness in saving lives and alleviating suffering amid the chaos of war inspired Henry Dunant, whose birthday anniversary and founding legacy of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement we celebrate today.
In the last two years, crises and disasters have spared almost no one. The COVID-19 pandemic, armed conflicts and violence, the climate crisis and climate-related disasters, environmental degradation, food insecurity and massive population displacements are hitting the world’s most vulnerable groups hard, and many lack the means and resources to adapt.
Against this backdrop, indifference, misinformation and hate speech are creeping into the common consciousness, which is fracturing and polarizing societies and leading to people being rejected and dehumanized.
Even those who champion the basic principles and rules of protection and assistance are not spared, with those who strive to provide care and support to people in need finding themselves the target of unjust and sometimes violent attacks. When the flame of Humanity flickers, we must be alarmed and we must act!
This 8 May is an opportunity for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, our staff and 14 million volunteers worldwide to unite in our unwavering commitment to a common humanity. We also reaffirm our Fundamental Principles, which are at the heart of everything we do to assist people in need.
Our commitment mandates us to advocate for the world’s most vulnerable people, wherever they may be. When the outbreak of war or a disaster diverts the attention or generosity of the public, the media, public authorities and donors, it is to the disadvantage of millions of people affected by a protracted, forgotten or invisible humanitarian crisis.
Our Fundamental Principles carry the flame of Humanity across the world and its divides. They help to refocus the world’s attention on all people in distress. They are the basis of our solidarity with the Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers and staff in action around the world. On this 8 May, we commend their admirable work and unwavering commitment as first responders in their communities.
Together, let’s spread the flame of Humanity and believe in the power of kindness.
#BeHumanKIND
Happy World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day to all!
Francesco Rocca, IFRC President
Mercedes Babé, Standing Commission Chair
Peter Maurer, ICRC President
A message from the IFRC Secretary General, Jagan Chapagain, ahead of World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day today, 8th May 2022.
“The world is bleeding, and it needs help now”.
Stark words of warning from a humanitarian leader shaken by a brutal war and living under the shadow of a global pandemic.
I did not pen these words. They were written in 1919, by Henry Davison, the leader of the American Red Cross.
His big idea was that the world’s Red Cross societies – which were set up after the movement was created by Nobel Laureate Henry Dunant in 1863 – should come together as a force for good at all times, and not only during wars. Davison firmly believed the kindness and expertise shown by Red Cross volunteers should benefit humanity in other times as well.
And thus, the League of Red Cross Societies was born, on the 5th of May 1919. There were five founding Red Cross Societies – those of the United States of America, Italy, Japan, France, and the United Kingdom. By the end of that year, the League had 30 members.
The League changed its name to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies – the IFRC – in 1991. We now have 192 member National Societies, with more in formation.
The core of the idea has stayed the same while the scope of the IFRC network has grown massively, in reach and in impact.
In 2020, 14.9 million Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers reached more than 688 million people with disaster and other emergency response work; some 306 million with health activities, and 125 million with clean water and sanitation assistance.
These are impressive figures, but the scale of the humanitarian needs continues to grow every year. Right now, countless people across the world need urgent support.
The conflict in Ukraine and the stress placed on its neighbouring countries is just one example. The lingering physical, social and economic damages inflicted by the global COVID-19 pandemic is another. Alongside these disasters is the ever-present, and worsening, threat of climate change.
With challenges like these, can a simple idea – like the one that led in 1919 to what is now known as the IFRC – still help to heal the world? I believe it can – and will. We know what works, and we’ve been proving it for more than a century.
It’s one human being reaching out to support another human being in crisis, at the community level, where it is always needed the most.
It’s ensuring that local volunteers and local organizations have the resources, training and as much (or as little) international support as they need to respond to disasters and crises. It’s making sure their voices are heard, and their interests represented, on the international stage.
And it is working to bring that support to the most marginalized communities and individuals, no matter where they are, and without any discrimination as to who they are.
It is – put simply – kindness.
I first joined my National Society, the Nepal Red Cross, as a volunteer more than three decades ago. I was trusted – and therefore able to meet and support the people in greatest need – because I was part of their community, I spoke their language, and I understood their concerns. And the key to understanding what people needed was kindness.
Over the years, the IFRC has evolved alongside the communities we support. We have adapted our ways of working, expanded our expertise as different vulnerabilities and stressors emerge, and have been agile enough to pioneer and then mainstream new approaches to humanitarian support.
We have led on the development and widespread acceptance of cash assistance as the most effective and most respectful way to support people in need. After all, people who have lost everything in a disaster or conflict should not have to lose their dignity as well.
And we are driving change in how disaster risks are managed and reduced through anticipatory action, where local communities are supported to reduce their risks, and immediate funding can be triggered once scientifically-measured thresholds are reached.
None of this work would be possible without the kindness of our 14.9 million Red Cross and Red Crescent community-based volunteers.
On World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, 8th May, we will encourage people around the world to believe in the power of kindness and #BeHumanKIND.
The world is still bleeding. It still needs help. But there are nearly 15 million reasons to believe in kindness, and to have hope.