Why I love the Red Cross

I am very proud to be associated with the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in my research, as well as in this campaign.  Not only because they have proved to be excellent partners in my work so far in Liberia - there are a lot of features of the organisation itself that I am impressed with.  Another day I will focus on how they are involved in fighting Ebola more specifically – today let me tell you a bit about what I think the organisation has going for it.

1.       The Liberian National Red Cross Society is a Liberian charity.  It was first set up in the aftermath of World War I as a voluntary relief committee.  It serves the Liberian people.  Its staff are Liberian and its National Executive Board members are Liberian.  It is recognised by an act of Liberian law.  The same goes for the British Red Cross, the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society, and every other Red Cross or Red Crescent Society.  They belong to the people who they serve.

2.       It is part of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).  Each national Red Cross or Red Crescent society does not stand alone, they are members of the IFRC and so are all connected.  This means that knowledge, experience, personnel and funds can move between national Societies, making sure that resources can be applied where they are most needed.  The movement as a whole is more than the sum of its parts.

3.       It unifies people.  The mission statement of the Liberian Red Cross states that it exists “to respond to the needs of the vulnerable people at all times, and to treat them with dignity and without discrimination.”  Sadly, historically, communities in Liberia have been anything but equal, from the disparities between Americo-Liberian settlers and indigenous peoples in the first century or more of the country’s recognition in the Western world, to the different cultural identities that were manipulated and polarised by the instigators of the civil wars.  In its response to human hardship and vulnerability, the Red Cross sets an example of overriding distinctions between people for humanitarian good.

4.       It works in support of the Government.  Many Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) across the world do excellent work supplementing Governmental work and filling the breach where Governments lack capacity – this is particularly crucial in the aftermath of wars (civil or otherwise) or natural disasters.  This is life-saving work, and in many cases is done respectfully to and in partnership with the Governments of aid-receiving countries.  However, there can be a danger that as tasks are ‘outsourced’ from any given Government, the country’s political class becomes detached from decision-making in their own field in a way that can be disempowering as donors’ and other interests compete with their authority to govern.  The civil service can be denied the opportunity to develop in its capacity to run its own public services in the future as they are shipped in from outside, fostering a neo-colonial culture of aid-dependency.  The Liberian Red Cross is set up as an auxiliary to the Government of Liberia, and as such serves the Government’s agenda and augments its service-provision capacity.  No wonder it is one of the organisations at the heart of the Ministry of Health’s response to the Ebola crisis.

5.       Its life-blood is local volunteers.  As of 7^th August, the Liberian Red Cross had mobilised 650 volunteers across the country in support of the fight against Ebola – all Liberian.  That is a colossal resource, and in a context where trust is low, the value of public health messages being brought from within communities themselves by their own members cannot be underestimated.

That’s why I love the Red Cross and why I am working to raise support for it at this time of crisis.  If you would like to help with this, click on the image of the motorbike to the right of this page to link to my campaign’s giving webpage.  Thank you for your support!