Cyprus Red Cross

Cyprus Red Cross began operating in 1950 as a branch of the British Red Cross, was established as a legal entity under Law 39/1967, was recognised by the International Committee of the Red Cross on 23 February 2012 as the 188th member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and joined the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in 2013.

As the largest humanitarian organisation in Cyprus, the Cyprus Red Cross provides material and moral support to poor people, patients and persons with disabilities, supplies wheelchairs and specialised aids, has continued supporting enclaved communities since 1974, offers first aid training, organises blood donation drives, responds to crises, assists migrants, conducts campaigns on social, environmental and health issues, and carries out humanitarian projects in Cyprus and abroad.

The Cyprus Red Cross Children’s Therapy Centre “Stella Soulioti” in Limassol, founded in 1957, is the organisation’s largest and oldest programme and the only centre of its kind in Cyprus, providing healthcare, therapy and education each year to more than 100 children and young people up to the age of 22 with severe physical disabilities and developmental conditions. The Centre provides physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, sensory integration therapy, music therapy, psychosocial support and technical mobility solutions, operates in cooperation with the Cyprus Ministry of Health, Limassol General Hospital and, since 1998, St James’s University Hospital in Leeds, while also providing adapted education in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth.

Since 1973, the Cyprus Red Cross Youth Department has promoted volunteering and active participation through school educational programmes, the “Saturday Children” programme, the Pancyprian Youth Congress and the Pancyprian Summer Camp, while helping young people develop leadership, organisational and teamwork skills.

In April 2022, the Cyprus Red Cross honoured Meridianbet for its contribution to the charity comedy performances “Friends for Oscars”, held from 24 to 26 November 2021, which raised €15,000 to support the organisation’s Social Welfare Programme.

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