INTERNATIONAL COMMITEE

OF THE RED CROSS

 

On 24 June 1859, during the War of Italian Unification, a citizen of Geneva, Henry Dunant, was traveling when he saw all the soldiers who were dead or wounded. He decided to do something to help them. He took refuge in a church with them and start with some women to take care and to cure them all. In 1862, he published a work entitled A Memory of Solferino, in which he described the battle and the way he cure the wounded. He conclude that book writing : "Would it not be possible, in time of peace and quiet, to form relief societies for the purpose of having care given to the wounded in wartime by zealous, devoted and thoroughly qualified volunteers?"It’s this question that led to the founding of the Red Cross. With some other volunteers, he constitute The Geneva Conventions and, on 26 October 1863, he asked to different countries (France, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the Grand Duchy of Bade) to sign and ratify this ten resolutions.

During the Balkan War, the Red Cross, which had expend a lot, start to develop international humanitarian law even when the country is in peace.

In 1994, the first Day Care Centers (DDC) was build in Brazzaville (Congo) in order to help African population to fight against AIDS. It’s the beginning of a long list of ATC : other were build in Bondoukou (1997), Rabat (1997), Dakar (1998), Black Point (1999), Ouagadougou (2000), Libreville (2001), Bobo Dioulasso (2002)…

In 1999, Red Cross, helped by the European Commission, launch a preventive program for HIV’s infected mothers (15% of the contaminated population).

With the OPALS, the Red Cross helps Africans to fight against AIDS. Red Cross’s Day Care Centers can be founded all over Africa.

They try to make more simple the access to prevention, they distribute condoms and explain what’s their using. They teach the fundamentals precautions to take (avoid blood mixing…)

They do blood test to verify none’s infected. When someone is contaminated, they give him treatments (drugs) and do a psychological follow up. In countries where there is nearly nothing to help the population infected by AIDS, they’re very useful and helpful.

This centers are really actives they’ve received a lot of patients since they were build. The volunteers are over booked. It proves that these countries really need that sort of associations.

Red Cross intents every day to ameliorate the centers, the devises, the equipment… But it’s difficult, they need lots of charities.

 

o existent DDC .DDC in construction

Some figures :

7000 patients frequently seen, 1000 patients who have a treatment, 25 000 consultations each year, 10 000 trackings each year, 140 employees.

To help the Red Cross in its fight against AIDS, we can give charity or be volunteer if we know the basis of medicine. They aren’t lots of possibilities but to support the Red Cross by these ways is the best we can do.

 

 

The presence of the AIDS complicates the Angola’s problems. Because of the war, the access to the preventive education and to condoms has decreased but now, the Angola’s Red Cross make many sensitization initiatives of the AIDS. On this picture, voluntaries explain how use condoms to people.

 

 

Free condoms distribution organised by the Angola’s Red Cross are very appraised by the population. Voluntaries encourage the utilisation of condoms thanks to lessons and demonstrations.

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www.icrc.org

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Copyright © 2004 Atoussa B. and Camille B. All rights reserved.