The Icelandic Red Cross - at home and abroad

The work of Red Cross volunteers complements the Icelandic welfare system and is a key component of the nation's emergency response capacity.

19,000 members
To participate in the humanitarian work of the Red Cross you need to become a member. Altogether there are 50 branches, but the biggest one is the Reykjavík branch with about half the members. The annual fee is 1,200 Icelandic kronur. Voluntary work - mutual satisfaction. The work of the Icelandic Red Cross volunteers is an important part of Icelandic welfare society as well as disaster preparedness and response. Volunteers assist people in need, visit the ill and elderly, and conduct important relief and prevention activities in various fields. The work gives pleasure and strengthens the individuals who take part in it. The Icelandic Red Cross pays special attention to three fields. These are work with mentally handicapped, visiting services, and preventive work with children and adolescents.

Regular donations
The support of regular donors to the International Aid Fund is vital to thousands of people all over the world. Each year the sponsors support one international project. Most sponsors pay 2,500 kronur annually. The preferred form of payment is by credit card because this saves on collection costs.

Red Cross courses
The Icelandic Red Cross runs an extensive training program on first aid, accident prevention, psychological first aid and more. A large number of courses are also held to train volunteers and staff for various assignments locally and internationally.

Some of the society's courses are:
• General first aid
• Psychological support
• Caring for children
• Trainers course for first aid
• Children's accidents
• Course for leaders in emergency response
• Basic Training Course for international delegates
• Basic Red Cross course
• Leadership course
• Method and dialogue (cultural awareness)

Work with the mentally disabled
The Icelandic Red Cross operates seven shelters for mentally disabled. These shelters serve as refuge for those who suffer from mental disabilities, and here they can have a warm meal and participate in various activities. The aim is to reduce the isolation of people with mental disorders and prevent loneliness. The community centres are as follows: Vin in Reykjavík, Dvöl in Kópa- vogur, Lækur in Hafnarfjörður, Laut in Akureyri, Setrið in Husavik and Vesturafl in Isafjordur. Alongside the operation of these shelters, the Icelandic Red Cross promotes better understanding of the situation of the mentally disabled. Studies show that people with mental disorders tend to become isolated from the rest of society.

Home visiting service
Hundreds of people in every part of the country receive visiting  friends from the Red Cross on a regular basis Volunteers who spend a few hours every month visiting the ill and elderly become a source of great joy to those people. Volunteers also visit prisoners, refugees, and others who ask for home visits. The Icelandic Red Cross Reykjavík Branch assists the elderly in five locations, in Múlabær, Hlíðabær, Foldabær, Skógarbær and Víðines. In Foldabær, which is a support centre for people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, there are eight patients who need care and assistance around the clock.

Ambulances
All public ambulances in Iceland - a total of 77 - belong to the Red Cross, which buys, equips and runs them. Many of the local branches were founded by local enthusiasts who wanted to provide an ambulance for their community. Today the ambulances are operated with the aim of ensuring that everywhere in Iceland there are well equipped
ambulances available for emergency transport.

First aid
Every year six to eight thousand people take Icelandic Red Cross first aid courses. According to an agreement with the government the national society supervises first aid education in Iceland, creates education material, and ensures that the most recent methods are always being used. The national society also teaches psychosocial support and organises emergency assistance in response to major accidents and natural disasters.

Red Cross Youth
The Icelandic Red Cross Youth Movement is a venue for young people who want to work in the spirit of humanitarian ideals. Young people within the Red Cross participate in social activities,  support handicapped children and young immigrants, provide first aid at major events, sort and sell used clothes, give courses on the situation of refugees and campaign against violence and discrimination.

The Red Cross Help Line 1717
People who need assistance because of grief, anxiety, depression or suicidal thoughts can call the Red Cross help line free of charge 24 hours a day. The phone line also has a crucial function during times of emergency. More than a hundred volunteers from the Red Cross Reykjavík Branch operate the phone line, having received training to do so. 1717 is a toll free number and the phone call does not appear on the phone bill.

Shelter for homeless women
Konukot (Women's Cottage) is a shelter of the Reykjavík Red Cross Branch for homeless women where they can stay overnight. The shelter is open from 17.00 in the evening until 12.00 in the morning, but it is closed during the day. A light dinner and breakfast are served. The women can do their laundry at the shelter and take a shower, and are offered donated clothes. The women are welcomed and assisted by volunteers and staff who work at the shelter and who also take care of various other related tasks.

Work with immigrants
The Icelandic Red Cross works toward improving the integration of immigrants into Icelandic society. The national society is the representative of the UNHCR in Iceland, advocates for the rights of asylum seekers and assists refugees and others to integrate into Icelandic society. Volunteers assist young immigrants taking their first steps in a new environment and help them with school work. Red Cross support families, who assist refugee families who come to Iceland, have received well-deserved international attention. The Intercultural Centre (Alþjóðahús) plays a key role in integrating recent settlers into Icelandic society.

Disaster response
During national emergencies and mass casualty incidents the Icelandic Red Cross has a clearly defined role as provider of care to those affected. An agreement between the Icelandic Police Civil Protection Department and the Red Cross spells out in detail the roles and responsibilities of each organisation. The role of the Red Cross is mass relief and social assistance, including the management of relief centres and provision of temporary housing. Hundreds of volunteers around the country have been trained as Red Cross disaster response officers.

Response to war, natural disasters and poverty
The humanitarian work of the Red Cross was originally built around providing relief to wounded soldiers. Nowadays, the Red Cross mainly assists ordinary citizens and prisoners of war. The Icelandic Red Cross actively participates in the humanitarian work of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in countries where
there are emergency situations, in areas where the inhabitants are in need of assistance because of war or other disasters. The national society provides funding and personnel for this purpose and co-operates closely with the Movement and other national societies.

International solidarity
The solidarity of the Icelandic people has proved to be at its strongest in the face of natural disasters such as avalanches, earthquakes or volcanic eruptions when the forces of nature play havoc with lives and livelyhoods. In the same way, the strength of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement becomes apparent when wars break out and natural disasters occur. In these cases the various components of the Movement unite to relieve the suffering of the victims and help them to face life after the storm has subsided.

Long-term assistance
When the entire structure of society collapses, reconstruction takes time. In this work the national Red Cross or Red Crescent society can play a key role. The Icelandic Red Cross encourages and supports its sister societies in tackling serious problems in their countries.The Icelandic Red Cross usually sends between 20 and 25 delegates to
international relief work each year. Their missions include assessing needs after natural disasters, organising relief work and providing various services to ensure that the aid reaches those who need it.

Emphasis on Africa
The Icelandic Red Cross emphasizes the importance of responding quickly and effectively to emergencies. In its development work the national society pays special attention to the countries of Southern Africa where there are widespread needs. Through the assistance of the Icelandic Red Cross terminally ill AIDS patients in South-Africa receive support, street children in Mozambique are being helped, and orphans in Malawi are given foster parents.

Branch-to-branch cooperation
Twinning co-operation with other national societies has provided volunteers from all over the country with opportunities to take an active part in the international activities of the Icelandic Red Cross. In this way Icelandic Red Cross branches have supported the operation of health clinics in Lesotho, sent containers with used clothes to Gambia, and participated in various types of communication and support to branches in many countries, with emphasis on Africa, the Balkans and the Baltic countries.