Hong Kong Red Cross

Hong Kong Red Cross
香港紅十字會
Founded 12 July 1950
Type Aid agency, Non-profit organisation
Focus Protect human life
Care for the health of the vulnerable
Respect human dignity[1]
Location
Origins Created as a branch of the British Red Cross Society[3]
Area served
Hong Kong, Mainland China,[4] the whole world[5]
Services Humanitarian Aid
Members
365 unifourm units with 22,580 members[6]
Key people
 Sir Yang Ti-liang (President)
Vincent Lo Wing-sang (羅榮生, Chairman)
Patricia S H Ling (林胡秀霞, Deputy chairman)
Ivy Wu (胡郭秀萍, Deputy chairman)[7]
Revenue
HK$588.17 million (Total recurrent income in 2012/13)[8]
Endowment Public and private donations
Volunteers
22,580[9]
Website www.redcross.org.hk (English and Traditional Chinese)
Red Cross Society of the Republic of China
Traditional Chinese 香港紅十字會
Simplified Chinese 香港红十字会

The Hong Kong Red Cross (Chinese: 香港紅十字會) is the national[10][11] Red Cross society of Hong Kong[11] as part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. It was established officially on 12 July 1950 as a branch of the British Red Cross Society in Hong Kong. Since 1 July 1997, upon the transfer of Hong Kong's sovereignty to the People's Republic of China, the Hong Kong Red Cross has changed its affiliation to become a special branch of the Red Cross Society of China, but remains autonomous from it.

Unlike other Red Cross and Red Crescent societies worldwide, which are notable for their humanitarian effort, Hong Kong Red Cross is better known for blood transfusion in Hong Kong. This may be due to a few disasters threatening and political turmoils in the territory, also its long history of service from 1952. The blood transfusion service runs under the Hospital Authority.[12]

In lack of need in relief services in the territory, the society runs a range of humanitarian services to care for the underprivileged, such as schooling for children in hospitals, organising voluntary services in the ageing communities, organising uniform groups for youths and adults, and conducting first aid courses. In the case of disasters in neighbouring regions, the society raises funding and sends relief forces. In occasional floods in eastern China, earthquakes in China, Indian Ocean tsunami, the staff and volunteers from the Hong Kong Red Cross attended. In the early height of incoming Vietnamese refugees, the society also set up services for them in 1980s.

History

Patron and Office Bearers[14]

Volunteers

The society is largely managed by volunteers with some paid staff. For its development, the society organises both uniformed and non-uniformed units for volunteers of all ages. By age, the uniform groups are divided into:

Youth Units

Red Cross Youth Units, or RCY, as members of the International Red Cross Movement, aim at protecting life and health, serving the community and putting the spirit of humanity in action. These uniformed units are attached to secondary schools, youth centres and Hong Kong Red Cross Divisional Headquarters, and members are usually aged from 12 to 17.

The youth uniform units are notable in Hong Kong because of its widespread in secondary schools in the territory. The uniform units are educated with the spirit of Red Cross and the skills of first aid, drilling and others.

Divisional Headquarters

There are five Red Cross Divisional Headquarters located in different geographical position in Hong Kong. Two of them are located in New Terrorities, two of them in Kowloon and the rest in Hong Kong Island.

Head Office enacts a coordinator between all divisional headquarters.

Lists of Youth Units

Each headquarters hold a fraction of Youth Units. These lists are available in the intranet system of each headquarters.

Activities

The major events include:

Adult Volunteer Groups

Non-uniform units are named Adult Volunteer Groups. They are for members who commit less intensively, as they normally work regular day jobs as well.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Mission & Core Values". Hong Kong Red Cross. 5 July 2011.
  2. ↑ "Service Directory – Hong Kong Red Cross Headquarters". Hong Kong Red Cross. 9 September 2009.
  3. ↑ "Brief History of the Hong Kong Red Cross". Hong Kong Red Cross. 8 December 2008.
  4. ↑ "Introduction of China Projects". Hong Kong Red Cross. 5 July 2011.
  5. ↑ "Introduction of International Projects". Hong Kong Red Cross. 5 July 2011.
  6. ↑ "Volunteering" (PDF). Hong Kong Red Cross. 2013.
  7. ↑ "Patron & Office Bearers of the Hong Kong Red Cross". Hong Kong Red Cross. 8 December 2008.
  8. ↑ "Financial & Fund Raising Reports of Annual Report (2012/13)" (PDF). Hong Kong Red Cross. 2013.
  9. ↑ "Volunteering" (PDF). Hong Kong Red Cross. 2013.
  10. 1 2 "Directory of National Society web sites". The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. 9 September 2009.
  11. 1 2 3 "National Red Cross/Red Crescent Society Websites". Hong Kong Red Cross. 9 September 2009.
  12. ↑ "History and Background". Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
  13. ↑ "Joint Declaration of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the People's Republic of China on the Question of Hong Kong". The Government of Honk Kong. Retrieved 9 September 2009.
  14. ↑ http://www.redcross.org.hk/sec_comm_files/Annual%20Reports/AR2013/P3.pdf
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