All around the world, the Red Cross and the Red Crescent have become synonymous with protection and relief.

Whenever and wherever crisis hits, the Red Cross volunteers are there to provide medical assistance, feed the hungry, and lead the stricken to safety. 

Today, we celebrate 156 years of the Red Cross in commemoration of its founder’s birthday, Henri Dunant.

To honor this day, we’ll talk a little bit about the origins for the International Red Cross Committee (IRCR) and how Ria has collaborated with the American Red Cross over the years. 

The birth of the Red Cross

In 1859, Dunant found himself in a crossfire. The Battle of Solferino, fought on what is today Italian soil, left 23 thousand wounded.

No help came for the fallen French, Sardinian and Austrian soldiers who still had a chance to live. That is, until Dunant took matters into his own hands.

He carried the men to a nearby church, enlisting the help of women and children from the village. He sent for supplies and set up tents for treatment.

It became clear to Dunant, and subsequently to the world, that a medical war unit should exist.

When Dunant returned to his native Switzerland, he wrote a book about his experience titled “A Memory of Solferino,” which inspired leaders of the Geneva Convention and gave way to the founding of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in 1863.

Over time, the Red Cross has expanded its reach from battlegrounds to shipwrecks to the wake of natural disasters.

Currently, 80 million people are part of their global humanitarian network with 191 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies reporting to the IRCR.

Collaborating with the Red Cross

At Ria, we share a goal with the Red Cross: to be where we are needed most, no matter how remote that place may be.

This is why we constantly partner with the American Red Cross to help fundraise for disaster relief.

Our customers are very giving, every paycheck arriving with the names of their loved ones already written on them.

Although they live far from their native countries, they are active members of their communities, becoming especially evident when their hometowns are struck by tragedy.

For example, following the 2018 earthquake and tsunami in Palau, Indonesia, our customers in neighboring Malaysia raised over RM9,924 (Malaysian Ringgit) through our donation boxes.

Our employees echo this sentiment and have even been recognized for their charitable efforts hosting blood runs in the States and volunteering with the Spanish Red Cross.

From typhoons to hurricanes, our customers and colleagues have stood alongside their neighbors, community members and countrymen time and time again.

As our societies become more global, our responsibility as an international community becomes all the more evident.

With this, it is also becoming easier to collaborate directly with the Red Cross and other aid and relief institutions.

From our end, we will continue to leverage our network and technology to lend a helping hand in times of need.

Adriana Garcia, Ria Americas’ Customer Life Cycle Manager enters the new American Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle, which is deployed to areas that have been impacted by disasters.

Media, alongside members of the Peruvian Community and Ria Staff, gathered to mark the occasion when more than €17,000 was transferred directly to the Red Cross in Peru to help flood victims of Macao in 2017.