In case you happened to forget, this Sunday is Mother’s Day. While some will be taking their mothers out to brunch and showering them with flowers, we will be celebrating our own mother of the Red Cross: Clara Barton.
This year, it just so happens that Mother’s Day falls on World Red Cross Red Crescent Day. Every year, May 8th marks a time to honor Barton, who founded the American Red Cross while serving as a nurse in the Civil War. Tending to the wounded soldiers on the front lines, she became the president of the American Red Cross in 1881.
This day also marks the anniversary of Red Cross founder Henri Dunant, who was the first to appeal to political leaders of the necessary protection of the wounded and sick he witnessed at the Battle of Solferino in 1859. His persistence turned into the Geneva Conventions and the International Movement of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, serving every region of the world.
Dunant’s vision of an international organization and international treaties served as the building block for Barton’s motivation to protect
As each of you carry on traits and memories of your own mother, we do the same. We carry on the legacy of educating the world on the importance of international humanitarian law (IHL) especially since one in five youth are unfamiliar with the rules of war . The Red Cross offers international virtual IHL classes you can attend, despite what country you live in. Schools across the nation can also incorporate Exploring Humanitarian Law (EHL) curriculum to educate students about human dignity.
While you thank your own mother for her hard work, love and dedication this Sunday, join us in celebrating the legacy of ours.
Next Virtual IHL Class: Wednesday, May 25th
Next EHL Teacher Training: Saturday, May 14th
1 comment:
In honor of World Red Cross Red Crescent Day 2011, we should remember with approval the significant role played by the ICRC in supporting the rights of families to a proper accounting of their war dead. As Resolution 3220 of the UN General Assembly observed, "The General Assembly...Noting with satisfaction resolution V, adopted by the twenty-second International Conference of the Red Cross held at Teheran from 28 October to 15 November 1973, calling on parties to armed conflicts to accomplish the humanitarian task of accounting for the missing and dead in armed conflicts..Appreciates the continuing efforts of the International Committee of the Red Cross to assist in the task of accounting for the missing and dead in armed conflicts." (http://www.missing-cy.org/archive/archive_section_41.html)...Gary Zaetz, nephew of World War II MIA 1st Lt. Irwin Zaetz, United States Army Air Forces
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