Lois Hue

As the International Red Cross prepares to celebrate its 150th anniversary with a global campaign in 2009, the Jamaica branch hopes to use the campaign to increase the awareness of the charity and attract more volunteers in the New Year.

Lois Hue, deputy director-general of the Jamaica Red Cross, commended the efforts of the 600 ad hoc volunteers who have offered their services to improve the quality of care and support for vulnerable persons across the island.

Change the world

"We believe that one person can make a difference and one movement can change the world, so that is where we are going with our campaign in 2009," Hue said of the international campaign that will be launched in the New Year.

Last week, Hue delivered an update on the charity's outreach projects at the Hilton hotel in New Kingston. Among a number of humanitarian efforts, Hue emphasised the HIV Global Alliance initiative, launched in 2007, as pivotal in generating awareness about the disease, with which 27,000 Jamaicans have been infected.

"The HIV Global Alliance will work towards one set of goals, one set of common objectives and we will work together to ensure its success," she said.

The objective of the HIV Global Alliance is to provide multilateral financing for projects to deliver better results for vulnerable persons.

Errol Alliman, chairman of emergency services at the Jamaica Red Cross, highlighted the efforts of the charity, which he said often went beyond providing relief and assisting communities after disasters.

"It is not enough to simply put a roof over people's heads or give them a blanket or tarpaulin. What we need to do is get them back on their feet," he said.

Following the passage of Tropical Storm Gustav in August, relief programmes provided farmers in St Thomas and St Mary with seeds, fertiliser, animals and equipment, to restore their livelihoods.

Nurse Shellomie Golding receives a gift basket on behalf of baby Nyoka Wright, from Linley Reynolds, manager of the Bank of Nova Scotia (Sam Sharpe Square branch), during the bank's Christmas treat at the Cornwall Regional Hospital recently. - Photo by Sheena Gayle