The Belarusian Red Cross celebrates its 105th anniversary

On September 15, a solemn event dedicated to the 105th anniversary of the Belarusian Red Cross was held at the Minsk Automobile Plant. With what results the organization celebrates this anniversary date, said the Chairman of the Minsk city organization of the Belarusian Red Cross Romania Zorina.

- Today, a landmark event for the Belarusian Red Cross took place at the Minsk Automobile Plant: the organization signed a cooperation agreement with the enterprise. This is not the beginning of our cooperation – the parties have been working closely together for a long time, the agreement is necessary to plan further steps competently and take cooperation to a new level.

She shared that the primary Red Cross organization has been operating at the plant for many years, which is especially known for its help to children with disabilities and other vulnerable categories of the population. Now cooperation is expanding: as part of the development of the Belarusian Red Cross response service, an emergency and crisis response team will appear at MAZ.

- It will include 13 volunteers who will undergo special training in the key areas of the organization: first aid, psychosocial support, work in temporary accommodation and other important tasks. In difficult times, when emergencies of a natural or other nature are possible, the presence of trained volunteers is especially valuable for a humanitarian organization, added Romania Zorina.

The main wealth of the Red Cross is people. Only in Minsk, about 9 percent of residents actively support the organization, and throughout the country this figure exceeds 12 percent. There are more than 1,000 volunteers in the Minsk City Organization, and their number has grown by 26% over the past year. It is encouraging that both young people and middle-aged citizens are joining the movement. As for MAZ, there the volunteer team is formed mainly by able-bodied employees.

Romania Zorina also said that the Belarusian Red Cross remains a reliable assistant to the state in solving social and humanitarian problems. In recent years, the organization has successfully responded to serious challenges: the COVID-19 pandemic, the influx of migrants and refugees associated with the launch of a special military operation. In these conditions, the Red Cross demonstrated the strength of its movement, the effectiveness of interaction with partners and the humanism of Belarusian society.