Croatian Red Cross Celebrates 140 Years of Existence

The Croatian Red Cross (HCK) marked the 140th anniversary of its establishment and work on Saturday with various events and a procession of around 200 members through the center of Zagreb, together with the Command for Support of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia, which is celebrating its 16th anniversary.

Just five years after the International Red Cross was established in Geneva, Croatia began organizing the Red Cross, emphasized the president of HCK, Josip Jelić.

In its humanitarian work, HCK has 19 regular programs and 41 programs implemented by 131 local Red Cross societies across Croatia, striving to be as close as possible to those in need, he added. He also highlighted the good cooperation with other emergency services in Croatia.

>>>UNICEF invested 1.69 million kuna to support children with difficulties

Jelić reminded that many people in Croatia need the help of HCK, that more than 100 thousand people receive social assistance, but that is not all. We prepare 530 thousand meals annually in our kitchens, but we deliver about 380 thousand meals to elderly, sick, and disabled people, emphasized the president of the Croatian Red Cross.

The executive president of HCK, Robert Markt, reminded that the humanitarian activities of the Red Cross in Croatia began in 1878, adding that he is happy that this important anniversary is being celebrated and that the membership has gathered, and “no one is endangered.”

Emphasizing that the Command for Support of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia is also celebrating its anniversary, with which the Red Cross joins forces in crises, he noted that they will show what HCK is, what citizens can expect, and where help is provided at Zagreb’s Zrinjevac.

Markt assessed that the Red Cross is “an omnipresent value of Croatian society and the last line of defense of the dignity of the Croatian person” and that they wish to remain so in the future.

After the procession at Zrinjevac, a special program was held showcasing the activities and equipment of HCK.

>>>The Ministry of Demography and UNICEF with a new program against poverty and violence against children

Zagreb residents could measure their blood pressure, blood sugar, height, and body mass index for free, receive expert advice on healthy eating and exercise, learn first aid, socialize and dance with asylum seekers, check if they are prepared for crisis situations, and join ecological activities.

The beginnings of the Croatian Red Cross date back to 1878 when the first voluntary associations in Croatia were established in Zadar, Dubrovnik, and Zagreb, conducting their activities in accordance with internationally accepted decisions from 1863. The Zadar “Institution of the Patriotic Association of Dalmatia for the Support of Wounded and Sick Soldiers” was the first to receive approval from the authorities for its humanitarian activities on October 22, 1878.