THISDAYonline

"When the Red Cross is mentioned, people mostly think of volunteers running around with stretchers or distributing food. But this is just a small window into our work. Our volunteers are engaged in youth programmes, first aid, ambulance services, disaster response, support for refugees, community based health HIV/AIDS programmes, prison welfare services,.... and a myriad of specialised programmes for vulnerable peoples".

These were the words of the National President of the Nigerian Red Cross and Red Crescent Society, Alhaji (Dr.) Shehu A. Musa, last week.

The occasion was the yearly press conference of the organisation to usher in the celebration of the Red Cross Day. For every member of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent Society, May 8 of every year is celebrated as World Red Cross Day. The celebration which is in commemoration of the birth of the founder, Henry Dunant dates back to 1922, just after World War l, when there was a general yearning for peace.

According to Alhaji Musa, in the Czech Republic and Slovakia - then one State, Chechoslovakia - the National Red Cross proclaimed a three-day truce at Easter to promote peace. Thus, the underlying aspirations of that initiative according to Alhaji Musa was: "to prevent disease so that it will not be obliged to give care; it also wants to encourage our society to prevent wars rather than having to bear the serious consequences involved...". This was an intimation of what was to become World Red Cross Day, he further revealed.

This initiative, known as the "Red Cross Truce", had a big impact on the public. As a result, the 14th International Conference of the Red Cross set up an International Commission to study the Red Cross Truce. Its report, presented to the 15th International Conference in Tokyo in 1934, approved the principle of the truce and considered it advisable that its application be made more general, from the point of view of methodology, taking into account the psychological characteristics of different regions.

Alhaji Musa stated that it was only after World War II, in 1946, that the Tokyo proposal was put into effect. Fortunately, two years later, following approval by the Federation's Executive Committee, Red Cross Day was celebrated for the first time throughout the world on May 8, 1948. It subsequently changed names several times and in 1984 became "World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day".

But for Nigeria and Nigerians according to Alhaji Musa, this year's World Red Cross Day was a double celebration as it marks the Nigerian Red Cross 40th anniversary of providing humanitarian services in the country and also the fact that this year is International Year of Volunteers, as volunteers are the backbones of the Red Cross Society.

Though everyone likes to make a difference in people's life,such effort requires self denial, total commitment and "today we are celebrating a year that is set aside to promote the hundreds of millions of unselfish women and men, young and old, who give their time and energy to make a difference in the lives of others", he emphasised.

The history of volunteer action which is at the centre of the Red Cross and Red Crescent society started with Henry Dunant, the world's first volunteer, founder of Red Cross - in 1901.

Dunant who is the world's first Nobel Peace laureate saw wounded and dying soldiers unattended after the battle of Solferino where he is said to have organised village women to assist them. Afterwards, he wrote, "A Memory of Solferino" where he observed: "Would it not be possible to form relief societies to the purpose of having care given to the wounded in war time by zealous, devoted and thoroughly qualified volunteers"? Thus, from this vision almost 150 years ago, grew the whole Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

Today, there are National Societies in 176 countries involving 105 million members and volunteers.

Hence, Musa said since the establishment of the Red Cross Society in N igeria, through an Act of Parliament of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 40 years ago, the Society's volunteers and structure have not been found wanting when the vulnerable victims of the different disasters both man-made and natural, needed the succour of those who cared to make a positive difference in their lives. Thus, the first real test of this humanitarian commitment, he said, began with the Nigerian Civil War in 1966 with the Society playing an important role in the relief operations that resulted during the Civil War to provide daily assistance through some 900 distribution centres to almost two million people in the war zone.

Thus, the Society with the assistance of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), was closely associated with large scale vaccination campaign against small pox, measles and tuberculosis during the period. Besides, since 1961, the Nigerian Red Cross has been facing huge challenges in the areas of responsibility to the needs of victims of different disasters in the country emanating from the various crisis that have dominated the nation's political, economical and social terrain.

These include the flood disaster in Borno and other parts of the country in 1994; religious riots in Kano in 1995; Cerebro Spinal Meningitis (CSM) epidemic in some parts of the country in 1996; Igbira/Bassa communal conflict in Toto, Nassarawa State in 1997; Jesse fire disaster in Delta State in 1997 and lfe/Modakeke communal conflicts in Osun State in 1997.

Other intervention examples include the Ijaw/ltsekiri communal conflict in Delta State in 1997; Floods in Kwara, Jigawa, Katsina, Adamawa and Borno States in 1998; crisis following MKO Abiola's death in Abeokuta, Ibadan and Lagos in 1998; Kafanchan ethnic conflict in Kaduna State in l999; Aguleri/Umuleri communal crisis in Anambra State in 1999; Kadunal Religious conflict in 2000; oil pipeline explosion in Abia and Delta States in 2000, among others. Accordingly, the society have expended over N350 million for relief activities especially since the last five years.

In health-care activities, the Nigerian Red Cross Society has been able to address the priority health and social problems of the rural and vulnerable communities in the country through the adoption of a strategy in working with various units like Mothers' Clubs, School Units, Youth Clubs, First Aid Teams and Prison Detachment and equally embarked on an assessment visit to Kwara, Borno, Enugu, Katsina and Lagos with the aim of determining assistance to be given to communities in these states in the area of water and sanitation. Accordingly , it identified the need to provide some communities with latrines and deep water wells in this regard.

Hence, this year, three states namely Kwara, Enugu and Gombe are benefiting from the water and sanitation project for which funding is hopefully going to be sourced through the European Union (EU) with the help of the German Red Cross.

The purpose of the Mothers' Clubs is to promote maternal and child health, including immunization, breast-feeding, water and environmental sanitation, while School units were established to promote hygiene practice with school teachers support, child to child survival strategies in schools and enlightenment campaigns on HIV/AIDS.

It equally has Prison Health Programme initiated in 1997 with the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC.

Already, 24 branches of the society received support for the programme in 80 prisons from the ICRC and also mobilised over 4,000 volunteers ready for use as vaccinators and field guides on Polio eradication.

Against the backdrop of the fact that AIDS has taken a heavier toll on Africa than in any other part of the world with more than 34 million people estimated to have been infected by AIDS virus world wide, out of which more than half live in sub-Saharan African, the Nigerian Red Cross Society said it would be investing over N90 million through the support of the International Federation of Red Cross to improve knowledge and understanding of STDs and HlV/AIDS infection and prevention amongst young people in 24 States within the age range of 9 and 30 years by the end of the year 2002 with a view to encouraging safer sexual behaviour. This will include training of 24 Peer Educator Trainers per year to provide training and co-ordinate the capacity at the various branch levels.

Accordingly, one hundred and one peer educators are expected to be trained in each of 12 States for education and information work with school and colleges. Also, plans to provide basic home care support for 7,000 people living with AIDS (PLWAs) in 12 States by the end of the year 2002 with the expectation that a total of 600 volunteers in 12 Branches, would be trained to give psychological support and educate the families of PLWAs on how to manage simple infections, provide home care, have access to medical care and counseling.

As part of its commitment to youth development, the Nigerian Red Cross Society in partnership with the International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC jointly conceived and sponsored a play ASKARI written and produced by Ben Tomoloju in 1997 and which evidently was the most characteristic artistic theatre programme since the 1977 Second World Festival of Black African Arts and Culture, Festac '77.

With a total of 30 performances in 20 States of the Federation, and a cast and crew figure in excess of 300 personnel, and a huge pull of audiences estimated at 30,000 nationwide, the Red Cross Theatre Project, Nigeria '97 is undoubtedly the most inspiring and memorable theatre event of that year, the Red Cross president said.

He equally stated that a total of four basic workshops and two advanced workshops were held in the early months of 2000 with each workshop having about 25 to 30 participants, most of whom were ex-prisoners, gang leaders popularly referred to as " area boys", and other youths with a violent past.

Five Nigerian Red Cross volunteers he said, also participated in related workshops to re-orientate youths with a violent mind-set.

Hence, to continue to be relevant as an indigenous humanitarian organization, it needs the financial and or material support of all Nigerians. It is against this backdrop, that Alhaji Musa called on well-meaning Nigerians to support the Nigerian Red Cross Society as a first step towards building a stronger, more efficient Society able to meet the needs of the most vulnerable in times of disasters.

Although Nigerians cannot be said to be found wanting in this direction, the fact remains that the issue of volunteerism which Red Cross represents is a very challenging one.

Speaking at the International Day of Volunteers recently, the United Nations Country Home Representative for Volunteers (UNV), Mr. Peter Mogani said: "It is quite a challenging one. I met very good people in Nigeria. I can very much single out the Osunde Foundation which is doing a very fantastic job in terms of helping disabled people. I have equally met people who have given up their time in terms of helping the country in this direction. But we have to realise that volunteerism is an end result of poverty".

"It is a very big issue because more and more people are struggling to get their daily bread. They don't know what they might eat tomorrow. Equally speaking at the Red Cross briefing, Bob Storey, Head of Delegation to Nigeria, International Red Cross, also urged corporate groups, well-meaning individual to assist the organisation in any way they could so as to boost the financial power of the body to facilitate their day to day activities.

Thus, if the various crises in the nation including agitation for resource control, pipeline vandalisation, emergence of militant youths and local ethnic militias would be resolved, the people have to be economically empowered and if people are empowered economically, the Red Cross would have a little work to do.