Hellenic Red Cross
Greece adopted the Geneva Convension very early, upon the desicion of Queen Olga. Hellenic Red Cross was founded in October of 1878 with the Presidency of Markos Renieris.
In 1912 the School of Nurses is founded under the directorship of Anna Mesolora, in 1932 the Volunteer Samaritans Corps starts its operations and in 1964 the Social Welfear Sector is also founded. The Youth of Hellenic Red Cross was founded in 1924.
Hellenic Red Cross was activated very early. The Balkan Wars and the 1st World War sent in the battlefields hundreds of Volunteer Nurses, providing assistance to the injured soldiers. Under hard enviroment, the Vlunteer Nurses provided valuable services, many of them died in the field of service applying the high humanitarian values of the International Movement of red Cross and Red Crescent.
During the middlewar, Hellenic Red Cross supported the civilians under the dificult times of poverty and diseases spreading all over the country. The second World War and the German Occupation times, were the next hard field that Hellenic Red Cross provided services in all the war fronts and the during the humanitarian drama following the Axis occupation period.
Following the 2nd World War, Hellenic Red Cross upgraded its structure and provided servces during ajor natural disasters in Greece like the Earthquake of 1953 that flattened Zakynthos Island.
In 1964 the Social Welfare Sector is created, broadening the services of Hellenic Red Cross in a wider area of the Greek society.
Today Hellenic Red Cross is daily present assisting eople through the Sections of Nursing, Rescuers, Samaritans and Lifeguards and Social Welfare. The National Society provides up to date service nationawide, being the main assisting service organization to the State Agencies in Emergencies like the earthquakes in Kalamata, Pyrgos, Grevena, Aigio, Athens and during the recent wild fire crisis in 2007.
Also, Hellenic Red Cross is partner in Humanitarian Assistance programms outside Greece in close collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Afairs and the Ministry of Health. Humanitarian Aid was provided in Sri Lanka, in Pakistan and in Turkey after the earthquake events of 1999, in the Balkans and in Georgia.
Henry Dunant Hospital is also part of the high level of servics provided by Hellenic Red Cross.