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Hong Kong Red Cross

Hong Kong Red Cross
香港紅十字會
HKRC logo 2-2-4-3-01.jpg
Founded 12 July 1950
Type Aid agency, Non-profit organisation
Focus Protect human life
Care for the health of the vulnerable
Respect human dignity
Location
  • Hong Kong
Origins Created as a branch of the British Red Cross Society
Area served
Hong Kong, Mainland China, the whole world
Services Humanitarian Aid
Members
365 unifourm units with 22,580 members
Key people
Sir Yang Ti-liang (President)
Vincent Lo Wing-sang (羅榮生, Chairman)
Patricia S H Ling (林胡秀霞, Deputy chairman)
Ivy Wu (胡郭秀萍, Deputy chairman)
Revenue
HK$588.17 million (Total recurrent income in 2012/13)
Endowment Public and private donations
Volunteers
22,580
Website www.redcross.org.hk (English and Traditional Chinese)
Red Cross Society of the Republic of China
Traditional Chinese
Simplified Chinese

The Hong Kong Red Cross (Chinese: 香港紅十字會) is the nationalRed Cross society of Hong Kong as part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. It was established officially on 12 July 1950 as a branch of the British Red Cross Society in Hong Kong. Since 1 July 1997, upon the transfer of Hong Kong's sovereignty to the People's Republic of China, the Hong Kong Red Cross has changed its affiliation to become a special branch of the Red Cross Society of China, but remains autonomous from it.

Unlike other Red Cross and Red Crescent societies worldwide, which are notable for their humanitarian effort, Hong Kong Red Cross is better known for blood transfusion in Hong Kong. This may be due to a few disasters threatening and political turmoils in the territory, also its long history of service from 1952. The blood transfusion service runs under the Hospital Authority.

In lack of need in relief services in the territory, the society runs a range of humanitarian services to care for the underprivileged, such as schooling for children in hospitals, organising voluntary services in the ageing communities, organising uniform groups for youths and adults, and conducting first aid courses. In the case of disasters in neighbouring regions, the society raises funding and sends relief forces. In occasional floods in eastern China, earthquakes in China, Indian Ocean tsunami, the staff and volunteers from the Hong Kong Red Cross attended. In the early height of incoming Vietnamese refugees, the society also set up services for them in 1980s.

The society is largely managed by volunteers with some paid staff. For its development, the society organises both uniformed and non-uniformed units for volunteers of all ages. By age, the uniform groups are divided into:

Red Cross Youth Units, or RCY, as members of the International Red Cross Movement, aim at protecting life and health, serving the community and putting the spirit of Humanity in Action. These uniformed units are attached to secondary schools, youth centres and Hong Kong Red Cross Divisional Headquarters, and members are usually aged from 12 to 17.


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