Friday, September 22, 2017

Swtz03 - "International" RED CROSS - Hdqtr, Geneva, Switzerland




The International Red Cross was the hope of Henry Dunant,  a Geneva citizen



It's scope has for many decades reached globally to multiple countries



Private stories are told by people who appear in the darkness
This Burundi gal tells about the mass murder and attempts to escape to Rwanda and Tanzania



Personal items found are documented and categorized to provide information needed in the future




Areas of Involvement  ..  (above,  left to right) :
    
Battlefield  ..  wounded and dying    
Mass humanitarian  ..  Displacement  
Safety ..  
of volunteer Aid Workers      
Hospital  &  Care Centers     
Cultural and Civilian  ..  Protection     
Nuclear Plants  and other  potential accident  or  disaster spots
Safe  ..  Drinking Water   and   
Food  ..  to prevent starvation



Helping Family Members Identify and Find each other




Public Access to   . .   6 Million  . .  Record Cards   (!)




Putting a human face to skeletal bones and ashes




Missing Children  are documented:   kidnapped  .  separated by war  .  flood  .  or whatever




Entrance  . .  to the International Red Cross Headquarters, Geneva Switzerland





Just to prove WE were here !



We are impressed with the "personal" aspect of both 
physical care   and   record keeping.  
Treatment  ..  goes to  "beating hearts" . . no one  is a "number"






Dunant's hope of having a  .  SINGLE  .  UNIVERSALLY  recognized  SYMBOL
over the years has expanded only slightly
The  RED CROSS   is recognized globally
The  RED CRESCENT  is  used throughout the muslim world
The
 RED  CRYSTAL  for portions of the world not identifying with cross or crescent




Red Cross Symbol  is the "REVERSE" of the  Swiss Flag  with a  .. "white" cross  on a  .. " red"  field





The United Nations has  loop-holed  that 
the only 2  "square"  flags  in the world
are  officially  okayed  as long as they  don't exceed the size
of the rest  . .   of the  . .  world flags.


Dunant died at age 82 in Heiden
(N.E. Switzerland above  . .  Lake Constance)
. . born in Geneva
(S.W. Switzerland above  . .  Lake Geneva - Lac Lèman)


   In  1901  he was awarded the  FIRST - ever  . .  NOBEL  PEACE  PRIZE




He wanted no funeral
He donated enough money to a local hospital to make sure there would always be one empty bed ready for a needy person.






In more recent years the 2nd highest peak in Switzerland has been named after Dunant
(near the Matterhorn and the northern Italian border)




That interesting story was just one small puzzle piece of our first day's visit in Geneva.

More to come.
The  SUN  is shining and we've removed a couple layers.    Skies are BLUE.


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