Norwegian Red Cross
The Norwegian Red Cross , in Norwegian Norges Røde Kors , is an aid organization based primarily on volunteer work and , as the national Red Cross Society of Norway , is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement . It was founded on September 22nd, 1865 under the name Foreningen for Pleje av syke og saarede i Feldt og for Understøtelse av Saarede og Faldnes Efterladte (Society for the care of the sick and wounded in war and for the support of the wounded and the families of the Fallen) founded by Frederik Stang , the then Prime Minister of the country. The organization, which was recognized by the Norwegian Ministry of Defense in 1907 as a national aid society within the meaning of the Geneva Conventions , is one of the oldest Red Cross societies in the world.
organization
The Norwegian Red Cross is divided into 446 local departments and 19 regional offices. The organization's headquarters are in Oslo . The highest body is the General Assembly, which meets every three years. The business is carried out by the current board of 13 members, which includes representatives from the various areas and a representative of the full-time employees. The former soccer manager Sven Mollekleiv has been president since 2008 .
The budget for humanitarian work in 2010 was 1.27 billion crowns (almost 172 million euros ).
The number of full-time employees was around 430 (in 2000). The Norwegian Red Cross has 133,000 members and coordinates the work of 40,000 volunteers (2012). Around 2,000 members are active in the Norwegian Youth Red Cross .
activities
It has four Red Cross centers across the country for social activities and a central warehouse for disaster risk reduction . In addition, it operates around 210 ambulances and 325 tracing service units. At the national level, it is particularly active in the areas of disaster control , rescue services , blood donation , the dissemination of international humanitarian law and general training in first aid . Other areas of responsibility are psychological support in the field of crisis intervention , a visit and care service for old, sick and needy people and prisoners as well as social programs for the integration of refugees and migrants and for the care of children and young people. The organization is also involved in various campaigns against prejudice , racism and violence and organizes night patrols to prevent violence and crime.
In the international arena, the organization is one of the most active national Red Cross societies in the world. It cooperates in a variety of ways with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and is active with aid programs in around 60 countries. The total expenditure for international activities in 2000 was around 71 million Swiss francs, of which around 40 million Swiss francs went to cooperation with the ICRC and around 22 million Swiss francs to cooperation with the federation. Around nine million Swiss francs flowed into bilateral aid projects. The main focus of the work of the Norwegian Red Cross abroad is the development and support of other national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, disaster relief and preparedness as well as programs for the prevention of the immune deficiency disease AIDS as well as for the care of AIDS patients and people infected with HIV.
literature
- International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies: Directory of National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (PDF; 336 kB).
- International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies: Profile of the Norwegian Red Cross. In: Partnerships in profile 2002-2003.
Web links
- Røde Kors website of the Norwegian Red Cross (Norwegian, English)