Blood Donation

In modern medicine the physicians have many ways to treat serious diseases. But in all these cases donor blood serves as a " vital " medicine in the hands of physicians to save the lives of patients. Blood and blood contained medicines are widely used when treating different traumas and injuries, in time of complex surgical operations and bleeding in time of childbirth, chronical anemia, oncological diseases, different diseases of inner organs ( heart, kidney, gastro enteric, liver and etc ). Using the blood so widely in the medicine do not meet the need for the blood. Therefore, the establishment of sufficient blood reserves in the country is essential. Volunteer, regular non-remunerated blood donation can play an important role in the organization of sufficient blood reserves in the country. Sympathy of our nation to blood donation, humanity and charity of our nation may add value to this issue.

Branch Development

The main goal : To render more effective and quality services responding to the local needs through capacity building of the Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society branches.

Background :
In 2003, with support of the Netherlands Government/Netherlands Red Cross, the Azerbaijan Red Crescent initiated a pilot branch development project.

Disaster preparedness and disaster response

Disaster Preparedness and Disaster Response Department of the Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society was established in 2000.
One of the strategic goals of the Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society is : "To carry out effective disaster preparedness and disaster response activities by establishing disaster management system of the Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society".
Disaster Preparedness and Disaster Response Department of the Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society is aimed at providing within the limits of its possibility urgent relief items to the people affected by disasters in the country ( natural and man-made disasters, population movement, household fires and etc )

Dissemination of the movement's fundamental principles and basics of the international humanitarian law

The main aim of the Dissemination Program
To ensure dissemination of information about history of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the activities of the components of the Movement : the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the Fundamental Principles of the Movement, information on the rules for proper use of the Red Cross and Red Crescent emblems among different groups of the population as well as structures and volunteers of the Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society.
Background of the Dissemination Program
Since 1997 the Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society has been implementing the Dissemination Program with financial support of the Delegation of the ICRC in Azerbaijan. Since then the volunteers are involved in the Program to ensure widely dissemination of the Dissemination Program among the population. Being disseminated among different groups of the population the Dissemination Program calls people for humanity and lasting peace among all people.

First Aid

The main goal
Is to save the peple in the extremal conditions, accidents, and sudden diseases, to provide first aid till the doctor comes.
Programme activities
1. First aid assistance of the first aid teams to the injured people in the emergancy cases.
2. Raising awareness among the people, teach them to provide right first aid in ime.
Activities in the framework of the program
An integration of the "First Aid" program into the "Disaster Preparedness and Response" and "Health" program is identified in the International Federation's Strategy -2010 as one of the priority activity of the "First Aid" program. First aid instructors organized community based sessions on the 24-25th of July 2002 on the beach of the Mardakan settlement in Baku. The themes were: "Prevention of the people from the drawing, first aid, struggle against the AIDS". Also first aid skills were demonstrated and booklets were distributed in this event. The trainings were organized for the 1684 listeners by the first aid instructors in the 2003. The target groups in the trainings were schoolchildren, their teachers, as well as the National Society stuff and volunteers, IDPs living in the camps, employees of the non-governmental organizations. An event was devoted to the 13th of September-International First Aid Day. The people were demonstrated first aid skills and were distributed booklets.

Health

The Republic of Azerbaijan saw the growth in its socio-economic sector during the past few years. This economic growth contributed to the improvement of living standards of the population.
Medical care in the country has still been providing mainly through hospitals and policlinics. Less attention is given to dispensary and preventive health services. The number of private medical services has increased in the country. However, the profit of population is low. These factors as well as decrease of people's credibility to the quality of medical services make people to refuse from medical assistance even in the cases when this is very necessary. As a result, the health state of the population is worsening.
During the last years the population's concern about the danger of the spread of tuberculosis, malaria, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, breast cancer has increased. At the same time, various diseases emerging from chronic malnutrition are widespread. Sociological researches conducted in the Republic reveal insufficient awareness of population about these diseases.

HIV and AIDS

HIV/AIDS is a global problem and the Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society is part of global efforts to stop its spread. Since 2001, the organisation has been working with peer education among teenagers. In 2003-2006, 795 peer educators reached 45,845 youth, patients of skin-venereal hospital, IDPs from the southern camps.
Also in 2006, more volunteers, schoolchildren, university students and commercial sex workers from Baku and six other regions will be trained as HIV/AIDS peer educators. A number of seminars, workshops and peer to peer discussions on HIV/AIDS will be held these and other groups. In addition, it is planned to organize visits of volunteers to people living with HIV/AIDS and their families in Baku and three other regions to offer them support as well as delivering hygiene kits once a month.

Humanitarian Relief Program

Humanitarian relief is one of the main trends of activities of the Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society defined by the Red Crescent Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the AzRCS Statute.
The main aim of the Humanitarian Relief Program is to assist the most vulnerable people to solve their social problems, providing shelter, food and non-food items to people affected by natural disasters.
Program objectives :
In accordance with the Red Crescent Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Az.RC Statute to provide different kind of assistance to lone elderly people, refugee and IDP families, other vulnerable people and people affected by natural disasters by mobilizing the capacity of the National Society and the power of humanity; guided by humanitarian values to encourage people to help each other;

Humanitarian values

To highlight the activities of the Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society through mass media, to prepare information materials about the basics of IHL, to endeavor to change behavior of people to tolerance, non-discrimination and respect for human dignity by disseminating the Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement.
Background
The National Society's Information and International Relations department has an important role in disseminating " Humanitarian values" program which has been implementing by the Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society since 1999. The program has been implementing in close co-operation with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies which constitutes one of the components of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

Red Crescent Mine action activities

In 1988-1994, local communities living in the districts along the front line had to move from one place to another place as a result of the armed conflict over Azerbaijani territory Nagorny Garabakh between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Sometimes they had to resettle in the areas where mines and Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) left behind. As a result of it they often met with danger of death or wounding because of mines and Explosive Remnants of War. This problem are still remaining. The use of mines during the conflict, as well as widespread of presence of ERW, directly affects local communities, particularly children. Areas which once were safe and familiar to children have become unsafe for play. Though there is a cease-fire over 10 years ( In May 1994 a cease -fire agreement was signed between the conflict parties ) there are many death cases as a result of mines and ERW in front line villages of Azerbaijan.
In the nineties of the XXth century it was the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) first involved in mine action activities in Azerbaijan. The ICRC was carrying out mine education activities among the local communities.

Organizational development

The New Statute of the Azerbaijan Red Crescent and updated Strategic Work Plan for 2003-2005 years were adopted during the XX General Assembly in march 12 2003. The Ministry of Justice consolidates the legal base of the National Society, through approval of its Statute.
In the current year the Society's new structure has also been worked out. Specific works aimed at improving coordination between the Society's Regional Centers and local branches, increasing the number of their members have been done.
Works related with preparation of financial documents, plans, normative documents on organizational affairs, circular letters at the Regional Centers and local branches have been continued.

Tracing service

The aim of the Tracing Service is to reduce suffering of family members, who lost contacts with each other, provide psychological support, assist to exchange of necessary information among relatives during emergencies and afterwards as well as restore family links.
Background :
A Swiss businessman Henry Dunant who witnessed a battle between Austrian and French troops near a village of Solferino in 1859 has been an initiator of the foundation of the Tracing Service. Henry Dunant organized a hospital for the wounded in a church of Kastilyon village. There he assisted the wounded soldiers with writing and delivering letters to their family members. The lists of people killed and missed were also prepared and sent to relevant bodies. Henry Dunant was also informing the family members on burial places of soldiers killed at Solferino battle. All these arose the necessity for an establishment of the Tracing Service. Afterwards the Tracing Service was mentioned in 4 Geneva Conventions and their two Additional Protocols.