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Red Cross honours branch secretary, volunteer in Zamfara

The Zamfara state branch of the Nigerian Red Cross Society has honoured its branch secretary and a volunteer for their outstanding selfless service to the community in the state.

The selfless service award was presented to Ibrahim Bello Garba and Hajiya Aisha by the branch chairman, represented by the vice chairman, Mallam Shehu Abdullahi during the presentation of the 2023 annual report held in Gusau, the state capital.

The branch secretary Ibrahim Bello Garba was honoured with an award for his giant and selfless services to the community while Hajiya Aisha for demonstrating volunteerism, detected 23 cases of diphtheria and sponsored of medical treatment of some less privileged patients in the state.

Earlier on, the branch secretary Ibrahim Bello Garba while presenting the annual report of Zamfara State Red Cross Society said the branch is growing from strength to strength as a result of support and funding from CDC Atlanta through IFRC.

“The Growth and Development of any society will be determined by the strength and number of members and volunteers registered.

“In the year 2019, Red Cross Society in Zamfara state has registered about six hundred (600) volunteers across eleven (11) LGAs, and in some selected schools in 2020, the number of registered volunteers and members has risen to about eight hundred (800).

“In 2022 and 2023 we have registered about three thousand eight hundred (3,800) volunteers in fourteen (14) LGAs of the state. The enrollment cut across schools’ units, open detachments and professional groups in the state.”

He said the branch maintained its weekly first aid lectures and training in all the fourteen (14) divisions, school units and open detachments across the state.

He further revealed that In July and August 2023, forty-five (45) divisional officers and state coordinators received Training on the Emergency First Aid Team (EFAT) in three LGAs including Anka, Tsafe and Zurmi.

“Ninety volunteers from Gusau, Talata Mafara and Kaura Namoda received training on safer access framework.

“We also trained about eighty-nine officers of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) on basic first aid at Kaura Namoda and Talata Mafura as well as seventy-two (72) participants from special marshals.”

The Zamfara state branch has also conducted fumigation exercises at the Kwata area of Gusau Asibitin Shagari and Kanwuri areas as part of activities marking World Red Cross Day, with sensitisation of over five thousand communities.

“As part of the society mandate to respond to any emergency situation and to meet the immediate needs of the most vulnerable persons across the state, we maintained our Traditional First Aid services, search and Rescue, Awareness creation on prevention, mitigation of Disaster of different types across the state.”

The secretary said the branch EFAT responded on a daily basis to the spontaneous road crashes along the Kaura Namoda, Talata Mafara, and Tsafe road axis as well as within the Gusau metropolis to the tune of one hundred and twenty-two (122) crushes.

“A total of over ten thousand five hundred (10,500) people received different disaster response and mitigation support in the year 2023.

“The branch in collaboration with other relevant stakeholders registered and supported about forty-five thousand (45,000) victims of flood and armed banditry ranging from counselling psychosocial support, livelihood, hygiene promotion, food and nonfood items as well as settlement of medical bills.”

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