Celebrating World Red Cross Red Crescent Day

08/05/2017 – Colombo, Sri Lanka: The Sri Lanka Red Cross Society celebrated World Red Cross Red Crescent Day with various activities across the country. The main event took place in Colombo where students, volunteers & staff held a peace walk from the Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapakse Theater to the J. R. Jayawardena Centre in Colombo 07.

The walk was to raise awarness on the environment and other issues faced by people in Sri Lanka. The Vice President of SLRCS Bharatha Jonikkuhewa along with the National Secretary of SLRCS Nimal Kumar, the Director General of SLRCS Neville Nanayakkara and the Deputy Director General of SLRCS Sudath Madugalle led the walk. Representative from IFRC Sri Lanka and the ICRC Sri Lanka also took part in the event. 

After reaching the Jayawardena Centre a special programme took place in view of World Red Cross Red Crescent Day 2017, led by the Vice President of SLRCS Bharatha Jonikkuhewa.

The Vice President then garlanded a special portrait of Henry Dunant to commemorate his birthday.  The day which celebrates World Red Cross Red Crescent Day.

Then the National Secretary addressed the gathering where he spoke about the strength of the Movement of Red Cross Red Crescent the world over.

Afterwards the representative of IFRC Sri Lanka Gerhard Tauscher spoke a few words encouraging volunteers and staff to strife for more on behalf of the most vulnerable.

Then a special session on mindfulness and leadership was led by the Director General of SLRCS Neville Nanayakkara. Here the Director General emphasized to the youth and students who were gathered for the event the importance of taking up leadership roles within their communities to be better leaders of tomorrow.