The World Red Cross/Red Crescent Day was on Saturday, 8 May,2021 commemorated at the Headquarters of Gambia Red Cross Society (GRCS) in Kanifing.
[World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day is observed annually, on 8 May. The date is said to be the anniversary of the birth of Jean-Henry (also Henri) Dunant, the Swiss humanitarian, businessman and social activist who lived from 8 May 1828 to 30 October 1910. Henri, the visionary, promoter and co-founder of the Red Cross, was credited to be the ‘first Swiss Nobel Peace Laureate’, when in 1901, he received the first Nobel Peace Prize together with Frédéric Passy. The latter, as Mansa Banko Online gathered, was a French economist and pacifist who was a founding member of several peace societies and the Inter-Parliamentary Union. He was born on 20 May, 1822 and died on 12 June, 1912, as historical facts indicated.]
This theme for this year’s commemoration was, “#Unstoppable”, and according to officials, the day is also dedicated to staff and volunteers of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement who are reaching and supporting people affected by the global Covid-19 pandemic. Equally, it’s meant to ‘inspire, facilitate and also promote all humanitarian activities’ that are carried out by the Red Cross Movement.
Speaking at the event, the president GRCS, Mr. Jatto Sillah noted the theme “carries a special message because together our commitment to make the world a safer and more peaceful place is unstoppable”.
He said Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers and staff know that to change the world lies within people and communities, and that they work every day to ensure communities have the knowledge and means to protect themselves, reduce their risk, and live safely and with dignity.
The nonprofit humanitarian organisation’s president further told his audience that, they (staff and volunteers) also take the lead in responding to all emergencies in humanitarian contexts.
Sillah used the occasion to thank volunteers across the globe that give their time and apply their skills to make their communities safer, more resilient, and more inclusive. He also enjoined them to sustain the momentum by volunteering new skills to communities.
“It only takes simple acts of kindness and volunteerism to transform lives, and small gestures can make a world of a difference”, the GRCS President echoed, while urging those joining the Red Cross movement to be agents of positive influence in their communities.
Mr. Alasan Senghore, Secretary General (SG) of Gambia Red Cross Society, pointed out that throughout their interventions, volunteers and staff of Red Cross continue to play an integral role in their programmes with so much commitment,determination and enthusiasm.
According to him, they are unstoppable when it comes to alleviating human suffering, building resilience communities, and getting to hard to reach communities to improve lives and livelihood of people.
SG Senghore stated that Gambia Red Cross volunteers have been delivering services under difficult and critical circumstances during the Covid-19 pandemic, and he thanked them for their services to humanity. He cited their achievements during the Covid-19 response as fumigation, sensitization, safe and dignified burials, contribution to stopping the chain of transmission, provision of hand-washing stations, provision of ambulances assigned to handle transfer of complex cases, provision of cash support to vulnerable households, among other things. “We believe in disaster management continuum process”, he stressed, adding that pandemics and disasters would continue to occur in future.
The SG expressed their gratitude to all the donors and partners who supported them, during the pandemic, in ensuring that they are able to deliver what is expected. He also saluted the volunteers who risked their lives and that of their families daily in delivering services during the pandemic. Senghore said they are not only delivering under Covid-19 but also their development and humanitarian services.
In her remarks, Ms. Isatou M. Bah, Gender and Diversity Focal Point at Gambia Red Cross Society, noted that, for Gambians, GRCS “is just a humanitarian institution that only talks about First-aid operation or disaster response, not knowing that in our operation, we consider gender diversity including the inclusiveness of our response, as a core component of how we do our response”.
The Focal Person informed the public, that GRCS gives its response based on needs that are indeed necessary, adding they give “it to people who are vulnerable, but also capturing the gender and diversity aspect– which is key in terms of humanitarian response”.
