08 May 2022
Every year on May 8, we mark World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day to celebrate the dedication, compassion, courage and impact of millions of volunteers who offer help, care and life-saving services to people in their communities.
From the COVID-19 pandemic and severe weather events to wrenching armed conflict, crisis and disaster spared virtually no one in the past couple of years and hit vulnerable people the hardest. Yet one never has to look far to find and be inspired by acts of kindness.
During this turbulent time, hundreds of thousands more people signed up with National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to volunteer in their communities– a network that is now almost 15 million strong. And every day, countless other people step up and reach out to help neighbours and strangers in need.
Big or small, seen or unseen, every individual act of kindness matters. This is why we work and volunteer for the Red Cross and Red Crescent. Kindness brings hope and breeds more kindness. And when all of these small local actions multiply, the impact can be global.
On this World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, amid so much hardship, loss and uncertainty, we return to our founding principle of humanity and encourage people around the world to believe in the power of kindness and #BeHumanKIND.
The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is comprised of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and 192 National Societies with 14.9 million volunteers. It’s estimated that one in every 524 people in the world is a Red Cross or Red Crescent volunteer.