THE BULGARIAN RED CROSS intransient and contemporary The Bulgarian Red Cross is a voluntary organisation, which is part of the International Red Cross Movement and is guided by its fundamental principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independance, voluntary service, unity and universality. Through its network of volunteers throughout the country BRC supports vulnerable people in disastrous and critical situations. With its training programmes and activities for the benefits of the society it contributes to alleviate and prevent suffering in all of its forms, protects health and life and provides respect for human personality. ”I am honoured to ”I deeply believe in serve the cause the principles and of humanity in an values of the Red Cross Movement, to organisation of long which our organisa- history! I am proud, tion belongs, too. that I am part of the For more than 127 army of Red Cross years thousands workers, which of public figures, volunteers and pro- acts in the name of and for preserving fessionals have been working for it de- human dignity!” votedly in order to serve people. I feel privileged to be one of them!” Christo Grigorov Sofia Stoimenova M.D. President of BRC Director General of BRC History and tradition The first society of the Red Cross in Bulgaria was founded in 1878 in the City of Sliven. In 1884 the Bulgarian Government officially be- came party to the Geneva Convention of 1864 for improving the fate of wounded and sick soldiers during a military conflict. The National organisation was founded in 1885. With Prince Alexan- der Battenberg’s approval of the Statutes of the Bulgarian Red Cross society and its recognition by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Bulgarian Red Cross (BRC) became part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (IRCRCM). The first active appearances of the Bulgarian Red Cross society were Bishop Serafim - the first president during the Serbo-Bulgarian War in 1885-1886, when it assisted for the exchange of prisoners of war and organized dressing stations for the wounded, thus being the fist one in the world to implement the Geneva Convention. The national society gradually extended its activity by providing aid for vic- tims of armed conflicts and natu- ral disasters at home and abroad: in 1900 it opened a school for nurses, founded the Red Cross Hospital; sent nursing missions outside the country; participated in the struggle against contagious diseases in Bulgaria. In 1921 BRC was accepted as a member of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies and founded the Youth Red Cross Movement in Bulgaria; it organised the assistance to the Bul- garian refugees from the Thrace and Macedonia, to the starving population of the Volga River Valley (Russia), to the victims of the big earthquake in Southeast Bulgaria (1928). In 1937 it started Emergency Medical Aid and organised blood donations in this country; during World War II BRC volunteers and medical staff were at the front line, organised were hospitals and sanitary train, created was the Central Medical Squad; there began a mass training of the population for providing first medical aid. In 1947 the sanitary aviation was founded and in 1950 the Mountain Rescue Service (MRS) was transferred to BRC; in 1964 the Water Rescue Service (WRS) was founded etc. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement Today IRCRCM is the largest independent humanitarian organisation in the world with more than 120 millions of members and volunteers in 183 countries. It includes: • the International Committee of the Red Cross - its founder; • the National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies; • the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies ICRC was founded in 1863 at the idea of the Swiss humanist Henry Dunant and it is an independent, private humanitarian institution, which acts as a neutral mediator in situations of armed conflict. According to the provisions of the International Humanitarian Law (IHL), ICRC was granted a mandate by the member-countries of the Geneva Conventions of 1949 to provide protection and help to military and civilian victims of such conflicts. It is also authorised to offer its services in the event of domestic intestine wars or unrest; to visit and bring relief to persons, arrested for political reasons; to transmit informa- tion to the relatives of the victims of armed conflicts and to organise finding Henri Dunant them. The National Societies of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, being official- ly recognised as volunteer organisations in the individual countries for aiding the needy ones, are members of the Inter- national Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC/RC), which was founded in Geneva in 1919. It encourages and assists the founda- tion and development of the National Societies in all countries, organises and coordinates the international aid for the victims of natural disasters and refu- gees outside the places of conflict and assists in the development of national disaster preparedness action plans. Since September 1994 the Federation has a status of a Permanent Observer at the General Assembly of UN. A recognition of the Movement’s hu- manitarian contribution worldwide are the awarded four Nobel Prizes. Emblem The distinctive sign - Red Cross on a white back- ground, was initially created for a specific purpose: to provide protection for the wounded during military activities and for those, who cared for them during war times. Some Societies use red crescent, while the Federation - both signs. Currently the emblem has two major functions: protective one - during war and a distinctive one - in peace times, in order to inform about its belonging to the Movement. The use of the emblem is regulated by the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the Sup- plementary Protocols to them and in a special Regulation of 1991, adopted within the Movement. Fundamental principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement • Humanity. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, which came to existence as a result of the desire to provide help to the wounded on the battle fields without any discrimination, through its international and national forms of manifestation strives for prevention and relief of human suffering in all circumstances. Its objective is to protect human lives and health, as well as to require respect towards human individuals. It assists in establishing mutual understanding, friendship, cooperation and lasting peace between all nations. • Impartiality. The Movement does not demonstrate any preferences in respect to nationality, race, religion, social status or political beliefs. Its only aim is to help people depending on the degree of their suffering and to provide priority for those in gravest situation and need the fastest relief. • Neutrality. In order to preserve everybody’s trust, the Movement cannot participate in any hostile activities and never enters into any disputes of political, racialist, religious or philosophical character. • Independence. The Movement is independent. The National Societies, which are auxiliaries to the state authorities and their humanitarian activity and obeying the effective laws of the respective countries, must always keep their autonomy, so that they could act in accordance with the Movement’s principles at any time. • Voluntary service. The Movement renders a voluntary and gratuitous assistance. • Unity. There can exist only one Red Cross or Red Crescent Society in a country. It must be accessible to all and to extend its humane activity all over the country. • Universality. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a world Movement, where all Societies have equal rights and are obligated to mutually assist each other. The Organisation The Bulgarian Red Cross is an au- tonomous organisation, which is auxiliary to the state in the humani- tarian sphere, in the preparation of actions during martial law, armed conflicts and disasters, for preserv- ing and strengthening the popula- tion’s health and for educating it in the spirit of high morals, compassion and charity (Art. 3, BRC Law). The first law on the Bulgarian Red Cross was adopted by the 37th Par- liament in 1995. The organisation is registered under the Law on legal entities for non-economic purposes as an association for performing activity, beneficial to the public. These two laws, together with the BRC’s Statutes, the Movement’s Statutes and the Statutes of IFRC/RC are the major normative acts, which regulate the rights and obligations of the national association as an unique voluntary organisa- tion, which assists the state in aiding people in need in accordance with the provisions of the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the Supplementary Protocols to them of 1977. BRC has a four-level organisational structure: • Association level - 122 175 members, organised in 2639 Chapters • Municipal level - 270 Municipal organisations • Regional, resp. Metropolitan level - 28 regional organisations • National level - General Assembly - Supreme organ of BRC - National Council - main executive and ruling body The organisation has full-time staff at national and regional level, which forms an administrative- executive body (the Secretariat) Programmes for long term assistance by implementing the ”active community participation” approach Through spreading and implementing the par- ticipatory approach as a major organisational approach, BRC realises various programmes for assistance by encouraging the involvement of local communities in establishing sustain- able mechanisms for self-assistance through local resources mobilisation. Food banks The food bank is a well coordinated mecha- nism for gathering, storing and distribution of food to vulnerable people. The «Food bank» model stimulates volunteering and charity, creates partnerships and support within the community with own resources for a long time. The food banks in Pazardjik, Stara Zagora, Shumen, Dobrich and Lovech periodically provide food parcels to lonely elderly people and children from poor families.