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China Marks World Red Cross Day
Red Cross organizations have become a key force in China, providing aid to disaster victims and promoting non-governmental exchanges, according to Peng Peiyun, chairwoman of the China Red Cross Society (CRCS).
The Red Cross organizations play an increasingly important role not only in disaster relief, first-aid training, and the promotion of blood donations, but also in non-governmental exchanges, Peng noted at a forum Monday marking World Red Cross Day, which is celebrated every year on May 8.
By the end of last year, 82,000 grassroots Red Cross organizations had been established in China with more than 20 million members. The CRCS collected and allocated 121.28 million yuan (about 14.6 million US dollars) in disaster-relief funds and materials last year.
World Red Cross Day commemorates the contributions of Henry Dunant, founder of the Red Cross movement and the first Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
Since its founding 137 years ago, the Red Cross movement has experienced great development, and Red Cross organizations have formed the world's largest and most united network for aiding humanity.
A ceremony for the issuing of a photo collection featuring 25 Chinese winners of the Nightingale Award, the top honor in international nursing, was also held here as part of the commemorations.
Florence Nightingale, a military nurse in the United Kingdom, was the pioneer of modern nursing, and the Nightingale Award, established at the Ninth International Red Cross Conference in Washington in 1912, is presented every two years.
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