BEIJING: A team wearing signature red vests has become a familiar sight at Saiyuntai, a community in Chengdu, Southwest China’s Sichuan province.
Navigating the streets and lanes, they assist the elderly residents in need, provide one-on-one support to students facing financial difficulties, and help build the community.
These dedicated individuals are volunteers from a local Red Cross branch. Their leader, Qiu Zuowei, described themselves as the “last mile” in connecting and serving the public. “We hope that through our efforts, the warmth of inclusive benefits can reach everyone. “ This is a snapshot of how Red Cross societies in China have integrated their care and rescue services deeply into the daily lives of the public. In a document issued in May 2020, the Red Cross Society of China urged its branches at all levels to enhance the capabilities of their grassroots teams for improved public service.
This year marks the 120th anniversary of the founding of the RCSC. To date, there are around 204,000 Red Cross organizations operating at the grassroots level, with more than 17 million members and 2.93 million volunteers actively engaging in humanitarian services in urban and rural communities. They have become a vital force within China’s volunteer service system.
One Red Cross medical initiative, for example, has invested 2.7 billion yuan (about $380 million) over the past 20 years and successfully saved more than 90,000 children from blood cancer or congenital heart defects. Another initiative designed to empower women in financial difficulties has trained 26,000 women to support them in e-commerce start-ups and employment opportunities.
Over the years, Chinese Red Cross societies have expanded their reach to provide more timely service, including deploying over 65,000 automated external defibrillators nationwide in spaces like subway stations and sports stadiums to treat individuals whose hearts have suddenly stopped functioning.
Red Cross societies also promote first-aid knowledge and have trained more than 15.26 million people in China in essential skills. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
