BULLETIN № 42
National Committee of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS)
May 2018

From May 2-4, 2018, the 10th European Regional Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The Ukrainian Red Cross Society was represented by a delegation consisting of the President of the Society, Ivan Usichenko, the Director General of the National Committee, Liliia Bilous, the Head of Cooperation and International Relations Unit,  Serhii Zhuk and the Volunteer development unit coordinator,  Maryna Kozhedub.
At the Conference, delegates discussed and agreed on strategies for expanding the individual and collective influence of national societies in Europe and Central Asia. These strategies are aimed at enhancing sustainability, providing humanitarian assistance and social support at the regional, national and local levels. The president of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society, Ivan Usichenko, addressed the International Movement in order to strengthen the effective implementation of the humanitarian mission with a call for renewal within the framework of the Movement of the Statutory Peace Commission, to strengthen the process of cooperation and coordination. URCS delegation met with the President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Franchesco Rocca. During the meeting, the situation in Ukraine and the need to strengthen the Federation's support of the Society were discussed.
Under the leadership of the Director General of the National Committee of the URCS, a seminar was organized for the participants of the conference on "Strengthening Movement Coordination and Cooperation (SMCC)". The URCS is the pilot organization in Europe to develop SMCC mechanisms. Together with the Head of Country Office of IFRC Gorkhmaz Huseynov, Mrs Bilous presented the results of work with the SMCC in 2017-2018.

A European Youth Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies took place in Kyrgyzstan, bringing together representatives from 53 countries in Europe and Central Asia. The event is held every two years, its main goal is the exchange of best practices between volunteers from different countries, training in effective management skills, discussion of involving young people in various fields of activities, etc. Marina Kozhedub, Coordinator of the Volunteer Development Unit, was chosen to be part of the newly elected European Youth Coordination Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. This will facilitate closer communication and cooperation with the youth of other European National Societies. As part of the URCS Committee, she will advocate the rights of young people, promote education in the humanities, work in the field of migration, and develop new forms of volunteering at the global level.

World Day of the Red Cross and Red Crescent is celebrated on the 8th of May throughout the world. Theme-related events took place in most regions of Ukraine. In particular, the Red Cross Festival took place in Mariupol (Donetsk region) - there were 12 stations representing the activities of the URCS, as well as a festive concert and a charity lottery. In a similar campaign held in Severodonetsk (Luhansk region), members of the emergency response teams demonstrated the rules of first aid, and the participants of the event had the opportunity to display in their drawings, their own ideas of what the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is doing. In Kropivnitsky, under the slogan "Everywhere for Everyone", a concert in the open air and a series of first aid master-classes took place. The Volyn’ regional branch of the URCS held an event tagged "What gives you a smile?", during which the Red Cross employees and volunteers told the citizens about the International Movement and invited them to take theme-related photos.

The emergency response teams of the URCS were on duty during the events of the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation throughout the country. In order to provide first aid if necessary, 17 volunteers were on duty. Despite the overwhelming crowd, the activities were calm, and assistance was needed only with minor injuries. In addition, volunteers provided support for sports and protest actions. For example, on May 16, a massive fight broke out in Kyiv due to the construction of a new building. The volunteers provided first aid to 5 victims, three of them had serious injuries: a broken nose, poisoning with tear gas, closed craniocerebral trauma, etc. In the Dnipro, the Red Cross emergency response team provided first aid to the injured during clashes between fans and police at the Dynamo football match - Shakhtar. Volunteers in Kharkiv extinguished a forest fire.

On May 26, UEFA Champions League Final was held in Kyiv. In the framework of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), a number of social events were organized, to which the volunteers of the URCS joined. So, in the main fan zone on Khreshchatyk, you could play table football under the slogan: "Football is a game, a war is not." Volunteers helped organize and disseminate materials on the activities of the Red Cross. Volunteers and members of the emergency response teams accompanied children affected by mines and ammunition explosions in Donbass and were on duty during the match.

From May 23-27 in Kharkov, a training course for the second group of volunteers under the program "Trainer on International Humanitarian Law" took place. The training was conducted by representatives of the Society, ICRC and the Finnish Red Cross. The training was targeted at URCS employees and volunteers from Poltava, Kherson, Odessa, Kyiv, Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The training included lectures on international humanitarian law and the fundamental principles of the Movement, as well as two days of developing coaching skills. In the autumn, participants are expected to continue their course and conduct their own IHL training, which they will become certified for and they will be able to provide IHL training to volunteers, URCS staff and members of the civilian population.

The Society's instructors continue to spread knowledge and first aid skills among the population. On May 7-9, in Kyiv, such training was held by regular groups of future lifeguards (rescuers on the water) from NGO "Beach Patrol". On May 14, in the village of Shypyntsi (Chernivtsi region), volunteers and rescuers conducted a master class on behaviour in emergencies for schoolchildren.  May 22-23, the basic first aid course was mastered by the teachers of the Central Ukrainian State Teacher’s University named after. V. Vynnychenko in the town of Kropivnitsky. In addition, work is ongoing on training new instructors and improving existing ones. In particular, from May 15-18 in Severodonetsk (Lugansk region), 12 members of the local emergency response teams were candidates to become instructors, having passed the relevant training, and on 10-13 May, training courses for trainers in Kyiv city and Kyiv region were held.

Activities for the popularization of blood donation among the population continue to be conducted. On May 4, at the Poltava Blood Transfusion Station, a campaign "We Are One Blood With You" took place. Within this framework, about 20 volunteers were involved in the donation. On May 15, a similar event took place at the Dnipropetrovsk regional blood transfusion station, and on May 18, at the Stanivtsi outpatient clinic (Chernivtsi region), it was possible not only to donate blood but also to learn about blood donation.

The provision of natural assistance to vulnerable groups of the population does not stop. On May 8, representatives of the Kreminna district branch of the URCS (Lugansk region) organized a charity lunch for 25 veterans of the Second World War at “Kreminna Mine Club”. On May 15, at Koropskyi district culture centre (Chernihiv region) was organized fun and spectacular events for multi-child families and families with special needs, as well as children with special needs - a festive concert and presents. On May 18, Luhansk regional branch of the URCS handed over 10 bundles of humanitarian aid- clothing and footwear (total amount of UAH 30,000) from the Finnish Red Cross to the Pervomaysk сity branch of the URCS. Soon, lonely elderly people, people with disabilities, large families with low-income families from internally displaced persons and the local population of the cities of Gorskoe and Zolota will get those things.

Active work on psychosocial support for vulnerable groups of the population continues. On May 10, on the eve of the International Mother's Day, volunteers from the Odessa regional branch of the URCS visited the young patients of oncology of the regional children's hospital and held a master class on paper ornament- making. A similar event took place on May 11 at the secondary school № 2 in the village of Gornostaevka (Kherson region) for children from families of internally displaced persons, demobilized servicemen, low-income and large families. On May 19, a boy from the vulnerable categories of the Kharkiv region passed a master class on Petrikov painting.