Vitebsk region Red Cross volunteers provided over 11,000 services during the pandemic
During the pandemic, caring for elderly citizens became a priority for Red Cross staff and volunteers. "People of golden age found themselves in a high-risk zone from the very beginning of COVID-19. To preserve their health, they were advised not to leave their homes unnecessarily. Our volunteers helped them in this forced self-isolation: they delivered food, essential goods, personal protective equipment (PPE), and medications. A total of 11,280 services were provided during this type of assistance in 2020," noted Galina Zhelanova.
In 2020, 365 new volunteers joined the regional organization. They were trained in the intricacies of the medico-social service and in providing services to elderly citizens. "Over 3.7 thousand volunteers are our regular assistants. Of these, 44% are middle-aged and elderly people. They also found themselves in the risk zone due to the pandemic, but despite this, they did not remain aloof from voluntary assistance to those in need. Our elderly assistants were involved in providing remote services. This included psychosocial support by phone, sewing PPE, and informational assistance and consultation. We insured the volunteers, and as time has shown, this was justified and in demand," said the head of the BRCS regional organization. She added that over 1.7 thousand residents of the Vitebsk region benefited from telephone psychosocial support.
Red Cross volunteers also actively assisted medical professionals in healthcare facilities and staff of territorial social service centers of the Vitebsk region. In 2020, PPE worth almost Br187,000 was purchased and transferred to these institutions.
Today, Red Cross volunteers are working in 150 volunteer groups. In addition to providing services to the elderly during the pandemic, they participate in responding to emergencies and crisis situations. The rapid response team of the regional organization of the Belarusian Red Cross includes 37 volunteers. They are trained in first aid, triage and transportation of victims, search and rescue of missing persons in various circumstances, and operation of rescue and technical equipment. Rapid response volunteer teams for emergencies have been formed in Vitebsk and Braslav.
BELTA.