By Adam Kwafi.
Benghazi, 11 October 2014:
The Libyan Red Crescent Society celebrated the 57th anniversary of its founding on Friday with an . . .[restrict]event held at the Children’s Theatre in Benghazi.
The Libyan branch of the Red Crescent Society began operating on 5 October 1957. Because the date fell during the Eid Al-Adha festivities this year, the organisation celebrated five days later, so that more people could participate in the event.
The two-hour event was a pleasant way for volunteers – whether old or young — and staff to gather after four consecutive months of itense emergency response work. On show was a slide show and an overview of the work done by the Red Crescent during 2014.
The celebration provided “psychological support” for the volunteers as well as some much needed entertainment, Director of Training at the Benghazi Branch Oday Al-Rishi told the Libya Herald.
Al-Rishi said that volunteers have been trained on everything and have been engaging in fieldwork during the past four months, months that have included many crisis events.
Red Crescent volunteers have collected corpses left after battles, such as the battle for Saiqa headquarters in Benghazi in July. They have also distributed food and medical supplies and assisted with evacuations, this newspaper was told.
Al-Rishi applauded the support volunteers had received from their families and property owners in Benghazi, noting how it helped raise morale within the society.
Media Office representative Shukri Tawfiq pointed to the large turnout at Friday’s event, adding the organisation was honoured by the presence of some from the Filipino and Sudanese communities as well as those from the municipal council and leading figures in Benghazi.
Tawfiq mentioned to this newspaper that there had been rumours that had distorted the Red Crescent’s reputation and hindered its work in Libya, but the organisation maintained its commitment to Libya.
“The secret of our success,” he said, “is our neutrality.” [/restrict]
