The Red Cross is a humanitarian
organization that provides emergency
assistance, disaster relief, and disaster
preparedness education around the world.
It is more recognizable for the symbol
they wear in most of the Western world :
A Red Cross. But what's behind all that?
Well a big worldwide humanitarian
movement, and let's talk about its story
and the way it works. The Battle of
Solferino was held in Italy in the mid
XIX Century between Austria and
the French Italian alliance.  The conflict
left around 35,000 casualties and the
medical teams weren't enough to help all
the wounded soldiers left on the
battlefield. A Swiss businessman called
Henry Dunant was travelling around there
and was horrified by the battles
aftermath, so he helped organize people
around to bring aid to the wounded
soldiers from both sides and encouraged
the French Alliance army to release
captured Austrian doctors to help.
He also financed the creation of
makeshift hospitals. Some years later he
wrote a book "A Memory of Solferino in
which he suggested the creation of
non-combatant teams to provide medical
help to the wounded on both sides. It
also promoted the idea of guaranteed
international protection for those aid
teams. That book was widely distributed
and reached the hands of several
important European figures, then the
Genovese Public Welfare Organization set
up a five person team to consider and
shape Dunant ideas, being to Dunant himself
a member of it. Some weeks later they
organized an international conference
with delegates around Europe to discuss
the committee's plans and launching the
Red Cross movement. The symbol of the Red Cross is the reverse version of the
Swiss flag- 33 states in the Muslim world
used the red crescent moon as the
reversal of the Ottoman Empire flag, and
his rails emergency service used the red
crystal symbol. The next year the Swiss
government organized the conference
where delegates around Europe, US, Mexico and Brazil signed the first of
four Geneva Conventions, aiming for the
implementation of Dunant's ideas. Months
later the first Red Cross volunteers
were seen in action in Denmark. In this
period Gustav Moneir, a member of Dunant's committee became president, named it
the International Committee of the Red
Cross
and fired Dunant from the team. The
movement expanded across Europe and won
the Nobel Peace Prize in 1901, in the
coming years after the second version of
the Geneva Convention, the movement
arrived in Latin America, Asia and other
African countries. World War one meant
the first big challenge for the Red
Cross, volunteers outside Europe traveled
to support European countries during the
war, also the committee set up the
International Prisoners of War Agency
which cared about the guaranteed
protection of people jailed during the
war. Due to the agency intervention,
thousands of prisoners were exchanged
between wars sides released from
captivity or returned home during the
war. The POW agency published postcards of prisoners in their daily life doing
activities that didn't affect their
integrity, with the goal of keeping hope
alive in their families and informing
about their wellness. Then in 1901
Henry Davison president of the Americas
Red Cross, led the foundation of the
League of Red Cross Societies later
renamed to the International Federation
of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
With the goal expanding the Red Cross
activities beyond ICRC law including
response to emergency situations not
caused by war, like natural or man-made
disasters. Every National Society is a
member of this movement, leagues
foundation was met with controversy due
to the potential rivaltity against the
original Red Cross's Committee. Its first
mission involved an aide organized in
Poland for the victims of a famine and
typhus epidemic. For the Second World War
the Red Cross kept its mission on POWs,
but its response to the Jewish Holocaust
was criticised as indifferent, the moment
a league that they were trying to keep
its neutrality reputation and not
interfering with political matters. The
Nazis health control of the German Red
Cross difficult in their cooperation
during the conflict. The Red Cross got
permission from the SS to visit
concentration camps only if the
delegates stayed until the end of the
war. 10 delegates accepted those
conditions and attended the
concentration camps. Nowadays the
movement is present in 190 countries.
Around the world has 97 million members
and volunteers helping around 233
million people per year. They get funded
by donations from different states and
organizations around
the world, private companies and even
individuals. They serve under the
fundamental principles of Humanity,
Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence,
Voluntary Service, Unity and Universality.
Every four years the movement holds an
international conference with members of
the International Federation from around
the world, and the founding committee
members. That comforms works as the Red
Cross's highest governing body between
conferences the Standing Commission of
the Red Cross and Red Crescent work as
the highest governing body of the
movement, supervising the implementations
of the conference's resolution and
coordinating activities between both the
Red Cross's international organizations.
Yep these are a bunch of long names but
that's how the Red Cross works around
the world, as we said before the Red
Cross gets funding with donations and
will attach the links where you can
donate below. We hope you enjoyed this
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