BUJUMBURA, September 18th (ABP) – The Burundi Red Cross (BRC) celebrated World First Aid Day on Saturday, September 14, 2024, under the theme “First Aid and Sports”. The day is celebrated every year on the second Saturday of September.
Mr. Gilbert Nshimirimana, Interim Secretary General of the Burundi Red Cross, said that the celebration of World First Aid Day was organized to highlight the importance of access to first aid knowledge.
It offers national Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies an opportunity to position themselves as key players in first aid training and expertise, helping to save lives worldwide, he added.
According to Mr. Nshimirimana, the day is an opportunity to promote and advocate the provision of first aid knowledge and skills to a wider audience.
a wider audience.
Every year, he said, the Burundi Red Cross takes the opportunity to engage with communities through awareness-raising activities to promote and celebrate the importance of first aid.
According to him, sport is not only a source of joy and entertainment. It’s also a space where individuals challenge their physical limits, foster camaraderie and promote community involvement.
However, when practicing sport, there can be an increased risk of injury and medical emergencies, explained Mr. Nshimirimana, indicating that first aid can play a role in sporting environments, ensuring the safety and well-being of athletes, spectators and communities in general.
It is therefore essential to develop first aid training and resources in the sports sector, so that everyone, whatever their age or level, can practice sport in complete safety.
He pointed out that that day is being celebrated at a time when the Burundi Red Cross is halfway through its 2022-2026 strategic plan, which places particular emphasis on institutional and community resilience to prevent and alleviate human suffering through the mobilization of resources and the strengthening of national society bodies and structures.
That strategic plan also aims to put in place one first-aider per household as part of the promotion of the modern household.
He thanked all the partners who continue to support the Burundi Red Cross, including the Belgian Red Cross, the French Red Cross, the ICRC and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. He also thanked the members of the sports associations who had responded massively to the celebration of that day.
Mr. Nshimirimana made a vibrant appeal to the various sports clubs and other organizations to learn first aid for health and safety in their activities.