“What a beautiful world it would be if there were more organisations like the Red Cross and more people like the Red Cross volunteers who
endeavour to make a difference.” 

Viktoria is one of the lonely elderly people taken care of as part of the Armenian Red Cross ‘psycho-social support for elderly refugees’ project. Twice a week, 70 trained volunteers visit 490 elderly refugees living alone, offering practical help and essential emotional support.

Together with other refugees from Azerbaijan, Viktoria lives on the fourth floor of a dormitory next to empty factories. It is a desolate place where all the windows are broken and a cold wind blows through the building. The refugees have lost their families, friends and personal belongings. They feel isolated and need attention and care.

By helping these vulnerable people with chores like shopping and cleaning, remembering their birthdays, distributing food parcels and simply being there to talk to, the Red Cross volunteers, many of whom are young people, are helping them to integrate into their adopted society.

The volunteers’ visits and the organised outings are a vital lifeline. With their energy and enthusiasm, the Red Cross volunteers bring joy and light to the lives of these abandoned people, who they often call their second grandmothers and grandfathers.

“Thanks to you, I feel at home, surrounded by people who care for me,” says Viktoria. “This is the most important feeling for people of my age… Maybe the support you give does not make us richer but it fills our hearts with warmth and the sense of uselessness disappears with your arrival.”

“Mappa Mondo is a home where you can do so much with children. It’s not only about giving them the correct medication and treatment but also about simply living together and doing nice things together.”

Red Cross volunteers in the Netherlands are a vital part of the ‘home from home’ for children with life-threatening diseases.

Children who do not need hospital care or cannot get the care they need every day at home can make use of the three Netherlands Red Cross Mappa Mondo (map of the world) homes. These are specialised substitute homes for children up to the age of 18 years. The three homes are based in Wezep (since 1997), Rijswijk (since 2002) and Waalre (since 2006). Each can accommodate between eight and 10 children, who no longer need hospitalisation but still need some type of medical care.

Half of the children live in the Mappa Mondo homes permanently and half are there for short stays. All are given the best possible care from a team of staff and carer-givers supported by Red Cross volunteers.

“The children live here will other sick children so they do not feel sorry for themselves,” says Tanja. “Mappa Mondo has a very special place in my heart. Here, I’m a fellow human being offering love and security.”

The children are involved in their care as much as possible. Besides the medical care, they need warmth, time and attention – just like any other child. This is where the volunteers come in. They create an ordinary home situation where the children feel at home and where they are not constantly reminded of being ill. They can play and eat together and do other things they like. Parents, siblings or carers are encouraged to stay over.

“My foster son is nine years old,” says Piet, a parent to one of the children. “He has a rare, incurable disease. When I heard that it was possible for him to stay at Mappa Mondo from time to time, I found it difficult at first because what kind of parent sends their sick child away?

“But then we gave it a try for a couple of days and my son seemed to like it a lot. The wonderful garden, the birds, the contact with other sick children – it does him a world of good. He feels safe and happy both here and at home. And when he spends a day at Mappa Mondo, I have time for myself. It’s a great solution for everybody!”

“We want to establish the culture of safe living in society.”

“Drop, cover and hold on,” instructs an elderly man to a classroom full of primary school children. On his command, they leave their desks, squat down and cover their heads with their hands. “Well done,” says the man. “Now applaud yourselves.”

Isikara is Turkey’s ‘earthquake grandpa’. He used to be head of Turkey’s Kandilli Observatory and witnessed two major earthquakes that devastated the country in 1999 and killed thousands of people. Today he is a volunteer for the Turkish Red Crescent.

Turkey is a high-risk country for natural disasters ranging from earthquakes and floods to avalanches and landslides. This is why Isikara has just helped the Turkish Red Crescent to launch a nationwide programme to teach safe living to school children over the age of 10. “We aim to train the parents as well through their children,” explains Funda Gulay Unal, head of the Turkish Red Crescent training department.

As part of this, the Turkish Red Crescent has produced a special book for students and teachers to raise awareness of natural disasters and how to protect themselves. “The book tells us what to do when we face a certain type of disaster and afterwards,” says 10 year-old Melis Yagmur. “I like the cartoons most.”

The cartoon characters are Crescent Boy and Crescent Girl. The book guides children through various disasters by telling their story.

So far this year, 300,000 student books and 12,800 teacher books have been distributed across the country.

And with volunteers like Isikara bringing the stories to life, the children will have a much better understanding of what they should do to save their own lives.