World Red Cross Day: Nigeria Red Cross celebrates 800,000 volunteers in Nigeria

The Nigeria Red Cross Society says the society is celebrating 800,000 volunteers in Nigeria for their service to humanity to commemorate this year’s World Red Cross Day.
Pedro Azuogu, Assistant Secretary General, NRCS, disclosed this on Tuesday at the sensitisation and awareness walk in commemoration of the day in Abuja.
He said the event was celebrated annually on May 8.
The theme for 2018 is: “Everywhere for Everyone, SMILE’’.
According to him, there are over 800,000 trained and dedicated volunteers in Nigeria and about 17 million volunteers in 190 countries in the world.
Azuogu said: “This year we are celebrating our volunteers, who are almost everywhere and one of our core fundamental principles is impartiality which makes the Red Cross available for everyone.
“Our volunteers assist victims from blast scenes; we work with those who have been forced from their homes, as well as host communities.
“We provide basic necessities of food and non-food items, psychosocial support, livelihood support, including skill acquisitions, shelter and restoring family links.
“Our core competences are first aid and disaster management; we have been actively engaged in providing urgently needed humanitarian assistance arising from insurgence in the North-East.
“When victims are able to return to their homes, we are there to assist them rebuild their lives, construct new shelters or repair damaged ones and also provide livelihood support.”
Azuogu said that NRCS has a mission to assist victims of disaster, implement health and social welfare programmes while promoting humanitarian principles in Nigeria.
He added that counselling in trauma management, sexual and gender based violence survival support, among others, were some of the health and social welfare programmes provided by the society.
Azuogu enjoined Nigerians to have passion for humanity and the vulnerable by rendering help and putting smiles on their face wherever they find themselves.
He said volunteerism has neither remuneration nor compensation but a life of sacrifice for the sake of humanity which brings about life fulfilment.
The assistant secretary general urged government agencies, donor agencies, local, corporate and international organisations as well as individuals to partner and identify with the vision of NRSC.
Azuogu said their partnership would further help to ameliorate the pains of victims of armed conflicts and other disasters wherever it might be in the country.