The mayor of Arrecife, Yonathan de León, and the president of the Red Cross in Lanzarote, Raquel Galindo, participated this Monday morning in the raising of the Red Cross flag next to the Casa Consistorial building, as recognition and gratitude from the capital city of the island to all members of the Red Cross. Several councilors of the Municipal Corporation of Arrecife, and volunteers of the NGO, were present at this symbolic act.
Currently, the Canary Islands Red Cross has more than 20,000 volunteers. In 2023 they served more than 137,000 people, of which almost half are social inclusion aid.
More than 200,000 volunteers, workers, members and collaborators make possible every day, in Spain, the solidarity aid of the Red Cross, according to the statistics shared today in this event held in Arrecife.
Yonathan de León publicly expressed the institution's gratitude to the Red Cross for the aid offered in these 150 years of presence in the Canary Islands, and praised the solidarity of this great NGO in all countries where it is present.
The mayor of Arrecife recently had the opportunity to visit the Red Cross facilities in the capital of Lanzarote, where he was able to meet the professionals and volunteers who support the Red Cross with their dedication. Yonathan de León confirmed during his visit the food aid program that the Red Cross channels to families in vulnerable situations.
On the other hand, the mayor of Tías, José Juan Cruz, the first deputy mayor, Nicolás Saavedra, and the president of the Lanzarote Red Cross, Raquel Galindo, raised the Red Cross flag on the facade of the Town Hall this Monday, accompanied by part of the municipal government group and other representatives of the international organization.
José Juan Cruz thanked "enormously" the representatives of the Lanzarote Red Cross and its president "for the commendable work that this organization carries out in the municipality of Tías and in the world, where they have intervened in the great events and emergencies of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. I congratulate you on your work."
The Canary Islands Red Cross invited all the municipalities of the Archipelago to commemorate this anniversary, which evokes the creation of the organization in the Canary Islands on April 1, 1874. "Since its origins, our organization has been developing its activity in accordance with the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement," he says in a notification.
He adds that they are "heirs of a great history", as they have been present in emergencies such as typhoid fevers, the first and second world war, the Spanish civil war, volcanic eruptions, socio-health programs (Spanish post-war period), our ambulances were the first in the islands, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, humanitarian assistance to migrants, the COVID-19 pandemic, large fires, etcetera.
"Always contributing the feeling of proximity thanks to the commitment of volunteers, with projects adapted to local and island needs, and in constant adaptation to the problems and social needs that have been occurring. Before and now, our mission has been to prevent and alleviate human suffering, protect life and health and respect the dignity of people without any discrimination," he concludes. Throughout its history, the Red Cross has collaborated with public and private entities to achieve its objective.
