Understanding Red Cross’ Past, World Efforts, and Relief Programs in Southeast Asia
Our world is in continual turmoil, wars, border disputes, genocides, natural disasters and many more scar the globe annually. One can barely fathom all the problems that our world faces; we cannot prevent everything that can happen. However, there are many men and women through out the world that risk their lives daily in order to help those that cannot help themselves. These are the men and women of the Red Cross and Red Crescent society, who devote their time, sources, and at times their whole lives to help others. Red Cross has been around for many decades and has provided relief for many situations throughout the world; the most profound being for natural and man-made disasters through out the world.
The Red Cross was created in 1863 by Henry Dunant who had watched a bloody battle ensue between armies of imperial Austria and the Franco-Sardinian alliance in Solferino, Italy. As over 4000 men lay dead, wounded or dying lacking much needed medical assistance, Dunant organized local people to bind the soldiers' wounds and to feed and comfort them. He called for the creation of neutral relief societies that would tend the soldiers and the people affected by wars paving the way for the future Geneva Convention. Thus in 1863 the idea was finalized and following year, 12 governments adopted the first Geneva Convention; a milestone in the history of humanity, offering care for the wounded, and defining medical services as "neutral" on the battlefield, on and off the battle field (“History”).
The after math of the First World War gave rise to a much needed movement of a united team of different Red Cross societies in Paris, France in 1919. The war had shown a need for close cooperation between Red Cross Societies. Through their humanitarian activities on behalf of prisoners of war and combatants, the societies had attracted millions of volunteers and built a large body of expertise. Post-war Europe could not afford to lose such a resource. Henry Davison, president of the American Red Cross War Committee proposed forming a federation of these National Societies. An international medical conference initiated by Davison resulted in the birth of the League of Red Cross Societies, renamed in October 1983 to the League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and then in November 1991 to become the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The original member Societies were: Britain, France, Italy, Japan and the United States. This number has grown over the years to 186 recognized National Societies, one found in almost every country in the world (“History”).
The American branch of the Red Cross was formed in Washington, D.C. on May 21, 1881 by Clara Barton who first heard of the Swiss-inspired international Red Cross network while visiting Europe following the Civil War. On her return, she campaigned for an American Red Cross society and for ratification of the Geneva Convention protecting the war-injured ratified in 1882 by USA. The Red Cross received its first congressional charter in 1900 and a second in 1905, the year after Barton resigned from the organization. This charter that remains in effect today sets forth the purposes of the organization including: giving relief to and serving as a medium of communication between members of the American armed forces and their families along with providing national and international disaster relief (“Red Cross History”). The American Red Cross disaster relief focuses on meeting people's immediate emergency disaster-caused needs. When a disaster threatens or strikes, the Red Cross provides shelter, food, and health and mental health services to address basic human needs. In addition, the core of Red Cross disaster relief is the assistance given to families as well as individuals affected by disaster in order to enable them to resume their normal daily activities independently. The Red Cross also feeds emergency workers, handles inquiries from concerned family members outside the disaster area, provides blood and blood products to disaster victims, and helps those affected by disaster to access other available resources (“Domestic”).
The African sector of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is made up of some 48 plus groups existing in more than 48 countries on the continent. Over the years, the work of the Red Cross in Africa has changed to reflect the environment in which it is working. This means that much of today’s work is related to health and disaster management issues, particularly the devastating impact that HIV & AIDS. It is estimated that 40% of deaths in the age group 19- 49 years in the year 2000 were due to HIV & AIDS. They are also involved in empowering communities to cope in times of natural or man-made disasters. Drought, floods, fires and mining disasters occur regularly, but new areas of concern are the impact of rapid urbanization, environmental degradation, and technological failure. Their mission is to render services to prevent and alleviate human suffering and to foster human dignity in all communities by addressing the basic needs of the people in accordance with the fundamental principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (“South”).
The Red Cross or EU Office represents 26 Red Cross National Societies of the European Union Member States plus Norway & Switzerland and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The Office coordinates relations and communications between its Members and the EU institutions. The activities concentrate on Intra-community inside the EU, International Development and International Humanitarian aid. The Red Cross or EU Office core mandate includes information capturing and sharing, advocacy and positioning, coordination and fund-raising. The functions of the RC/EU include advocating recognition of the specific mandate of the Red Cross, pooling ideas and expertise into a strong voice on European Union issues, strengthening collaboration and partnership on joint projects, supporting EU National Societies and the Federation in fundraising, and increasing networking with Brussels-based international organizations and NGO networks. In the areas of disaster management, intra-community affairs, and international development the priority is given to humanitarian aid, civil protection, health and social care, first aid and road safety asylum, migration and displacement, youth and volunteering, and non-discrimination and promotion of humanitarian values (“Red Cross – EU”).
The ICRC in Asia works extensively though network of missions and delegations allows it to act close to people affected by natural disaster, armed conflict and other situations of violence and to provide them with a meaningful response to their plight. It promotes international humanitarian law (“IHL”), participates in the debate on humanitarian issues, enhances understanding of its mandate and supports the region’s National Societies. The largest operations worldwide are in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel and the Occupied Territories and in Yemen (“ICRC worldwide”).
The ICRC, which arrived in Pakistan in Dec. 20, 1947 by the order of ‘The Pakistan Red Cross Order’ courtesy Quaid-e- Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Governor General of Pakistan and Founder President of the Society. International Committee of Red Cross officially recognized the Pakistan Red Crescent Society on July 21, 1948; it has been operating uninterruptedly since 1981. Its current operations focus on: visiting security detainees; assisting residents and people displaced by armed violence; supporting the Pakistan Red Crescent Society; ensuring care of the weapon-wounded and the disabled; and promoting IHL and support for humanitarian action. The record floods that struck Pakistan in July – August 2010 continue to take a massive toll on the country’s population, particularly on rural communities and remote regions already reeling from armed violence. The hostilities that began in north-eastern Pakistan in mid-2008 have had dramatic effects on the humanitarian situation there. In particular, an upsurge in fighting between the Pakistani armed forces and armed groups in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since May 2009 has left 100s-1000s of residents stranded and deprived of basic services (“Perlez”). It also triggered mass displacements of population, estimated at over 2.5 million people, from different districts and agencies in KP and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. The armed conflict in Afghanistan continues to affect the border areas of Baluchistan, with scores of casualties crossing the frontier into the province in search of medical care. Access to people in need remains hampered by the fighting and related security measures, such as checkpoints and curfews, and constant population movements (“ICRC in Pakistan”).
However, working with the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS), the ICRC has stepped up its assistance to civilians in areas affected by the terrorist warfare and to displaced people who have found refuge in safer areas, in camps, among host families or other shelters. However, despite all that there are still numerous people in ill monitored camps, living homeless among society and still jobless and without any form of income. At the same time the ICRC is working to bring aid to 1.4 million people in desperate need of help following the devastating floods. The ICRC has helped get the main hospitals in Buner and Swat Valley up and running again, provided emergency relief to IDPs and restored family links severed by displacement. The ICRC supports the Pakistan Red Crescent Society and other organizations in running services in IDP camps by improving water supply, constructing latrines and bathing and kitchen facilities, and providing cooked food and basic health care. Outside the camps, it supports the National Society’s mobile health units and supplies government health facilities. Following their return home, former IDPs receive wheat seed and fertilizer to enable them to resume livelihoods disrupted by the fighting. In the city of Peshawar the ICRC's surgical field hospital treats weapon-wounded patients. Its physical rehabilitation program helps patients disabled by their injuries return to a normal life. The ICRC has been visiting Pakistani detention facilities since 2007. It runs a program that helps families keep in contact with relatives held in Pakistan or abroad (“ICRC in Pakistan”).
There are many Non-Governmental Societies (NGOs) working under the head Red Cross and ICRS in order to improve the daily lives of those inflicted with disasters around the globe. They are defined as “private organizations that pursue activities to relieve suffering, promote the interests of the poor, protect the environment, provide basic social services, or undertake community development.” There has been a major increase of the number of NGOs since the 1970s, 6,000 to 30,000 national NGOs in developing countries alone filtering fifteen percent of the wealth in development aid annually, making up to about five billion dollars (Shah). NGOs play a critical role in all areas of development. People and policy makers are agree on one thing that NGOs play a vital role in development of countries which varies over the years as the policy of government changes. NGOs are almost dependent on polices of government but not financially as there are many donors available and willing to help. Just like any other service there are many types of NGOs that focus on certain areas, those that are charity oriented, service oriented, participation oriented and empower oriented. Charity oriented NGOs strive to direct the population towards meeting the needs of poor along with helping them by collecting and donating food, clothing, medicine, and housing; they may also provide relief efforts during natural or man made disasters. While service oriented NGOs provide health care, family planning or education services; each program is designed by the NGO and people are expected to participate in its implementation and in receiving the services. Participation oriented NGOs are geared towards self-help where those in the afflicted area act together to help one another while the NGOs provide contributing, cash, tools, land, materials or labor. These NGOs tend to be based on cooperation and on limited scale due to the limited resource. The empower oriented NGOs are there to help those in need and to develop a clear understanding of the social, political and economic factors which are effecting their lives, as well as helping them understand the ways that they can help their own selves to solve such problems. Their main and sometimes only purpose is to mobilize those that are in need towards self-help in their areas. Though these organizations fight tooth and nail for the afflicted they are at times forgotten because the change does not happen rapidly and they do not see immediate results. That along with those that take advantage of the system and turn it into a family based business where the better your facade is the more money you tend to receive which undermines those that are indeed trying to help their brethren. ("Role")
One such example of a service NGO is the one that I had the pleasure of working with personally. An NGO based in Ghourghushti that works hand in hand with the PRCS in order to provide several services mainly rapid ambulance services, medical fund for those that are unable to pay for their own bills, an education fund for students that are unable to pay for their schooling. They also have a small dowry fund for families that cannot afford the wedding of their daughters in this service they receive furniture and clothing donations as well, a funeral fund, and a recent project started in order to clean up the large town that is littered with small dumps call Pak Saf Ghourghushti which started with corporation of “GBTI” and RSPN. Though they have minimum resources they have managed to provide three vehicles for ambulance service which is available 24/7. Ambulance service is totally free for those who can not afford to pay its charges and Ambulance service is also free for dead bodies whether someone is rich or poor. ("Services")