Dear colleagues, friends, partners, and volunteers,

We heartily congratulate you on the International Day of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and wish the light of kindness and humanity never dries up in the partial hearts!

 

The World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day has been celebrated on May 8 every year since 1953. This is the birthday of the founder of the International Society of "Red Cross", the Swiss humanist and social activist, Nobel Prize winner, Henri Dunant, (Jean Henri Dunant, May 8, 1828 - October 30, 1910), who was born on this May Day. His whole life was devoted to charity, compassion, and care for people. The son of wealthy parents, he helped the sick since he was 18 years old, and prisoners since he was 20. 

Accidentally hitting the battlefield of Solferino in Italy, shocked by thousands of the dead and wounded, whom he could not help, he came to the idea of creating a society of volunteers who could assist the wounded during the war. Henri Dunant was able to captivate people with his idea; along with the assistants did a tremendous job for two years, from his creating an idea to its realization, which finally resulted in signing conventions and creating voluntary societies.

In the mid-19th century, on his initiative, groups of volunteers began to form to assist the wounded on the battlefield, and in 1863, the Conference was convened, which initiated the International Red Cross Society.

Officially name of the International Red Cross was approved in 1928, and in 1986, a new name of the organization - the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies - was endorsed.

The objective of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement - "to prevent and alleviate human suffering, protect life and health and ensure respect for the human being, in particular during armed conflicts and other emergencies, to work for the prevention of disease and promotion of health and social welfare to encourage voluntary work, help to ensure that members of the Movement were always ready to assist, and strengthen a universal solidarity with those who need care and protection of the Movement. "