The Red Cross is a totally independent non-political international self-financed organisation. It’s a voluntary charity. They help victims of wars and natural disasters and organise lot of charity events. The Red Cross offers some services like first aid at sporting and public events, where they help police. Another service is working in shops, organising bazaars and car-boot sales and tracing separated families, they find lost members of a family. There is also a special service called “Red cross message service” and “The cosmetic camouflage service” which helps visually handicapped people with some disfigurements, blemishes on skins, scars and birthmarks. They help these people to cope with their handicap and they teach them how to apply make up. In 1859 a young Swiss businessman saw something which was to change his life and influence the course of history. The young man was Henry Dunant who witnessed the carnage following the Battle of Solferino, in Italy. He was deeply moved by the dreadful suffering of the wounded from both sides who were left largely uncared for. This appalling scene was the birthplace of a magnificent human idea. Soon every country created a body of trained volunteers who would care impartially for the wounded of all sides, protected by international agreement. Dunant’s visions led directly to the founding of the Red Cross, the signing of the First Geneva Convention, and the adoption of the Red Cross, and later the Red Crescent (in Muslim countries), as an international symbol of protection.
Today the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is the world´s largest voluntary organisation, with a global membership close to 250,000,000, and a National Society in almost every country of the world.