World Red Cross Day 2021

In News

8th May is celebrated every year as World Red Cross Day also known as Red Crescent Day.

About

8th May is marked as the birth anniversary of Henry Dunant born on 8th May 1828 and the founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). He was the first recipient of Nobel Peace Prize in 1901.

Theme of the year 2021 is ‘Together we are unstoppable!’ Red Cross society celebrates this day all across the countries of the world. It aims to work for the welfare of the human society. World Red Cross Society provides for food shortages, natural disasters, wars as well as diseases of an epidemic.

The first Red Cross Day was celebrated on May 8, 1948. During World War II in 1946, the Tokyo proposal was put into effect. The likelihood of an annual celebration was asked by the Board of Governors of the 'League of the Red Cross Societies (LORCS)', that was later renamed as the General Assembly of the International Federation of Red Cross Societies.

Two years later the proposal of celebrating annually World Red Cross Day was embraced on 8th May 1948, the birth anniversary of Henry Dunant, who was the founder of the Red Cross. In 1984, it was officially named as “World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day”.

COVID and ICRC

The ICRC works together with relevant authorities in many places of detention around the world to strengthen standard practices such as the medical screening of new arrivals and the setting up of prevention measures – such as hand washing stations – for detainees, visitors, guards and delivery personnel.

The Red Cross and Red Crescent family is educating the public about the coronavirus, sharing prevention information in order to prevent misinformation and reduce rumours, and encouraging communities to practice social distancing for their own safety.

Indian Red Cross has scaled up preparedness to tackle the Coronavirus Pandemic by initiating a myriad of activities. In the initial phase of the outbreak, volunteers were trained; awareness & prevention programs were conducted to sensitize people & vulnerable communities.

A large pool of trained volunteers of Indian Red Cross Society, with a network of more than 1100 branches, are undertaking following activities in close cooperation with the local government.

• Awareness Campaign
• Printing and distribution of Information, Education, Communication (IEC) material on COVID-19 in local language.
• Procurement and distribution of hygiene & personal safety materials like masks, soaps, sanitizers etc.
• House to house visit to explain about the precautions to be taken for COVID-19
• Distribution of food items to poor and needy.
• Dry ration, vegetables and kitchen being run in many places in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.
• Red Cross volunteers in many states, especially in Uttrakhand and Haryana are helping to maintain social distancing at the shops where people come for essential items.

2. Health Ministry has requested all State Governments to use the services of Red Cross volunteers for community surveillance.

3. Coordinating the import of essential items, containing Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), test kits, ventilators, thermal guns and masks from Jack Ma and Alibaba Foundation from China on behalf of and to be given to Ministry of Health & FW.

4. Red Cross vehicles have been made available to the local administration. Two ambulances in each district of Haryana have been given; Around 1800 vehicles of Mother & Child Care operated by Tamil Nadu Red Cross, on behalf of State Government are being used for transportation of patients.

5. Logistic support to an Isolation Centre in Gurugram; 20-bedded quarantine centre set up in Red Cross hospital, Silchar, Assam; food, hygiene, beds, medicines etc. provided in the additional Isolation centres set up in Gurugram and Ahmedabad.

6. 65 Cyclone shelters in Odisha run by Red Cross are now being converted into Isolation Centres.

7. The Blood Bank in Delhi is run 24X7. In view of the lockdown, pick-up and drop facility provided by Red Cross to donors.

8. More than 5000 family tents kept ready.