Red Cross

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Introduction; Organization; History; American Red Cross

Introduction

Red Cross, international humanitarian agency dedicated, in time of war, to alleviating the sufferings of wounded soldiers, civilians, and prisoners of war. In time of peace, it renders medical aid and other help to people afflicted by major disasters such as floods, earthquakes, epidemics, and famines and performs other public service functions.

Organization

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The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement consists of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), a group of up to 25 Swiss citizens, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the more than 180 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies; and the Geneva-based International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (known until 1991 as the League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies) which coordinates peacetime activities of the national societies. The International Conference of the Red Cross, usually held every four years in different countries, brings together representatives of the Red Cross organizations and those governments that have ratified the Geneva conventions. In 1986 the Movement's name was changed to include the Red Crescent, the organization's name in most Muslim nations.

III

History

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Initiative for founding the Red Cross came from the 19th-century Swiss philanthropist Jean Henri Dunant. Appalled by the almost complete lack of care for wounded soldiers, he appealed to the leaders of nations to found societies devoted to the aid of the wounded in wartime. Five Swiss citizens formed a committee, which later became the ICRC, and issued a call for an international conference, which was held in Geneva in October 1863 and was attended by delegates from 16 nations. Another conference was held in Geneva the following year, and official delegates of 12 nations signed the first Geneva Convention, laying down rules for the treatment of the wounded and for the protection of medical personnel and hospitals. It was also at this meeting that the famous symbol of the movement, the white flag bearing a red cross, was adopted. This symbol was later modified in non-Christian countries, with Islamic nations substituting a crescent for a cross, and in 2006 the ICRC also adopted a third, secular symbol: a red diamond emblem known as the Red Crystal. The principles enunciated in the first Geneva Convention were subsequently revised and amended at conferences held in 1906, 1929, and 1949. In 1977 additional protocols were added to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 to protect all non-combatants in all types of conflicts, international as well as domestic.

Over the decades the ICRC and the Federation have sent representatives and aid to many countries around the world to help detainees, prisoners of war, and refugees of war, political upheaval, or civil strife. The federation also assists victims of natural and man-made disasters.

American Red Cross

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The American Red Cross (officially The American National Red Cross) was founded in 1881 by the American humanitarian Clara Barton and first chartered by Congress in 1900. A second charter, still in force, was granted in 1905. Under it the American Red Cross is required to act as a medium of communication between members of the armed forces and their families; to carry on a system of national and international relief to alleviate suffering caused by pestilence, flood, fire, and other disasters; and to devise measures for preventing such calamities. The organization is directed by a board of governors consisting of 50 people, of whom 30 are elected by the local chapters, 12 are chosen by the board, and 8 are appointed by the president of the United States, who designates the chairperson. National headquarters is in Washington, D.C.; the organization has eight regional offices, about 2200 local chapters, 44 regional blood centers, and 26 tissues services centers.

American Red Cross services are organized into several programs. Services to the armed forces and veterans help in solving personal problems. This program provides counseling and in emergencies, facilitates rapid communications and makes available financial assistance.

The disaster services program sets up disaster-preparedness plans and, when disaster occurs, provides emergency care for disaster victims and rehabilitation assistance to help individuals and families resume normal living. The blood services program is the largest blood donor service in the world. Blood given by volunteers, is collected, processed, and made available to physicians and hospitals for the use of patients. Clinical research is an integral part of the service. Other programs are a tissues service and the nation's first bone marrow registry, established in the mid-1980s.

The nursing and health services program enrolls registered nurses to serve in disasters, sponsors classes in home nursing and preparation for parenthood, works in the blood services program, and assists in other health services provided for communities. Under the auspices of the safety services program, trained instructors, most of them volunteers, teach first aid, small-craft and water safety, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. In the youth involvement program, young people take responsibility in leading, planning, and carrying out Red Cross services in a community.

In the international services program, members work with international Red Cross organizations in providing supplies, funds, and disaster specialists for relief in major foreign disasters. The American Red Cross has more than 1.5 million volunteers participating in activities that are supported mainly by voluntary contributions through United Way and annual Red Cross campaigns.

Reviewed by: American Red Cross

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Introduction

Organization

History

American Red Cross