In the current year, the Russian Red Cross (RRC) plans to teach first aid skills to at least 800,000 schoolchildren and students, and at least 5,000 children and teenagers will receive psychosocial support. In 2023, more than 725,000 children and teenagers will receive assistance, support and new skills from the RRC.
In 2024, the RRC Children's and Parents' Centres opened in 10 regions of Russia will continue their work.
«We want to ensure that at least 500 children in crisis receive regular psychological help and psychosocial support. In total, we are aiming for our activities to reach at least 5,000 children. In addition, we will expand our methodology of psychosocial support for children during emergencies. This year we will replicate our practices in at least 25 Regional Branches of the RRC», said Elena Petrova, Senior Specialist of the Psychosocial Support Department of the Russian Red Cross and coordinator of the project "Psychosocial support for children in emergencies".
Other forms of support provided by the Russian Red Cross will also be available to children. In 2023, more than 25,000 children received direct assistance and support from the RRC. They received psychosocial support, humanitarian and voucher assistance.
«Over the past year, we assisted 8,130 children to get ready for school, and over 9,000 more children and teenagers received psychological help and psychosocial support at our Centres for Children and Parents, at Regional Branches and through the RRC's single hotline. Almost 4.1 thousand children received humanitarian and voucher support - parents were able to buy clothes, shoes, medicines and other necessary items for their children», – said Victoria Makarchuk, First Deputy President of the Russian Red Cross.
In addition, 1,250 children evacuated from the Belgorod region in the summer of 2023 received assistance from the RRC. They received humanitarian and psychosocial support. Another 2.6 thousand children whose families are in a difficult life situation received sweet New Year gifts from the Russian Red Cross.
«At the end of 2023, we organised the campaign "His Dreams are in Your Hands". With the funds raised, we bought 2,600 sweet gifts for children from crisis families in 16 regions of the country. The gifts were also given to the beneficiaries of the RRC Centres for Children and Parents», – Victoria Makarchuk added.
It is planned that in 2024 at least 800 thousand schoolchildren and students from all over the country will undergo free first aid masterclasses of the Russian Red Cross. In 2023, about 700,000 schoolchildren and students received similar courses.
