“Today, there is a large voluntary service that is having a real impact on communities left vulnerable by years of conflict and insecurity.” 

Through the Afghan Red Crescent’s community-based first aid programme, trained first aid volunteers are sharing their knowledge with villages, districts and whole provinces in the country. 
Female first aid volunteers are making a significant impact by bringing important health messages on topics, such as reproductive health, to other women.
At the village level, where access to healthcare services is often limited, trained first aid volunteers treat basic injuries and illnesses. An equally important role is in emphasising the importance of prevention as well as cure.
Through health education, they are building the capacity of families to protect themselves and their children from common threats such as diarrhoea and malaria. The importance of mother and child immunisation is emphasised, while landmine awareness is another important topic in a country that has been at war for over 24 years. HIV/AIDS awareness has also been introduced in the last two years.
The volunteers’ role in providing healthcare to their communities means that their knowledge and experience are trusted and valued. This has been reinforced by their role during times of disaster. Following an earthquake and partial mountain slide in March 2003, for example, trained volunteers were on the scene treating victims within an hour.
The Afghan Red Crescent now aims to extend the programme so that all provinces have trained first aid volunteers while increasing the level of training of existing volunteers.

“Our volunteer base and community support are all-important for us to be able to help the huge number of people who will be living alone and unsupported.”

Mary, who is 87, spent five days lying on her kitchen floor with just half a bottle of apple juice to keep her going. It was only when her neighbour noticed that newspapers were piling up outside her door that help eventually arrived. After treatment for severe dehydration and bruising, a hospital social worker told Mary about the Telecross service run by the Australian Red Cross.

“The Telecross service is a daily reassurance call from volunteers to socially isolated and frail aged people,” explains team leader Sue. “It is designed to bring peace of mind to people, their care-givers and families.”

The service operates every day of the year. If a call is not answered, emergency procedures are activated and someone goes to check that the person is alright.

Mary is typical of a number of elderly Australians who live alone and the Australian Red Cross is preparing to cope with the impact of an ageing population. Estimates are that the number of people living alone will reach between 2.8 and 3.7 million in 20 years time – many of these will be aged over 65.

It was in light of these emerging trends that the Telecross service was established in South Australia in 1989. Today, there are 445 volunteers across the state making daily calls to over 540 elderly people.

In August last year, Mary had another fall. This time, she knew Telecross would be ringing. An ambulance was called and, although sore and bruised, Mary did not have to go to hospital.

“They’re wonderful those volunteers,” she says. “It’s a ‘cheerio’ in the morning. It’s a personal touch, another point of contact. You can look at the television but that’s not the same as a person. The Red Cross provides a wonderful service to elderly people living on their own.”

“Some were very enthusiastic but others ignored us. Nevertheless, we still tried to deliver the correct information about avian flu.”

It is just after noon in Semper village, North Jakarta, Indonesia. People are busy with their work and apart from the noise of ducks from three nearby poultry farms, it is quiet. Suddenly, the silence is broken by the arrival of visitors.

Villagers emerge from their shops and homes to see people dressed from head to toe in white suits and their faces covered by masks. Over their shoulders they carry a spraying pipe.

The unexpected guests are volunteers from the Indonesian Red Cross, who have been sent to spray disinfectant at poultry farms and other places identified as potentially infected by the avian flu virus. Bird flu has brought fear to Indonesia, where nine of 14 people infected with the disease have reportedly died.

“We did this as part of a programme to prevent the spread of avian flu,” explains Eno, one of the Indonesian Red Cross volunteers.

Since the first case of avian flu in Indonesia in June last year, the government has undertaken prevention activities and improved the care of people affected by the disease.

The Indonesia Red Cross has supported this by raising community awareness of avian flu. This is why, as well as spraying disinfectant, the Red Cross volunteers distribute information brochures.

Globally, the World Health Organisation has recorded 148 cases of avian flu since 2003. Seventy-nine people, over half of those infected, have died. As well as Indonesia, cases have also been found in Cambodia, China, Thailand, Vietnam and Turkey.