Red Cross marks 150 years of helping refugees - PHOTO

It is an organisation which has helped the world's most desperate people for more than a century, and its symbol is instantly recognised as a sanctuary and beacon of hope the world over.Founded 150 years ago, the Red Cross is the world's oldest and largest humanitarian organisation, and has been involved in virtually every conflict and disaster in recent memory.But rather than resting on its laurels for its anniversary, the movement, currently active in countries including Syria, the Philippines and Iraq, has used the date to highlight the plight of refugees to the rest of the world.A series of events including theatre and a photography exhibition will show the Red Cross's involvement in conflicts as far back as the 1950s, though the organisation has been active for much longer.It was founded by Swiss businessman Henry Dunant, who saw the devastation of war in the 1859 in Italy, and formed the organisation four years later in 1863.Its mission is 'to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence and to provide them with assistance.'The workers bring medical supplies and food to disaster areas, as well as helping refugees move through the systems in countries where they seek asylum.Among the most significant interventions of the Red Cross in recent decades were in the Hungarian revolution of 1956, the Vietnam war in the 1970s, the Gulf War in the early 1990s and the Rwandan genocide in 1994.The Red Cross is also heavily involved in providing aid in Dadaab, the world's largest refugee camp.The centre in Kenya is home to 470,000 people and covers an area twice as large as Manchester.They also help in the wake of natural disasters, including the Iranian earthquake of 1962, the major African famine of the 1980s, the Colombian earthquake of 1999 as well as more recent disasters including Hurricans Katrina and Sandy in the US and Typhoon Haiyan in the Phillippines, recovery efforts for which are still in full force.In the UK the organisation has helped in the wake of events such as Lockerbie air disaster in Scotland in 1988, the Easter floods which ravaged the Midlands in 1998. Earlier this year the British Red Cross announced it would start collecting and distributing food to the needy - the first time it has taken such action since the Second World War.Nick Scott Flynn, Head of Refugee Services at the British Red Cross said: 'We wanted to do something that would impact the British consciousness long-term for our 150th year.It’s easy for refugees to be seen in two dimensional terms – a mass of people, a problem, so often a political hot potato. This work will challenge that.'Patrice Shema, a former refugee from Rwanda, participated in the project and said: 'That sense of being a refugee is so strong. It’s been so many years, it stays raw, always there.'I don’t regret it though. It makes you feel more determined to make a home for yourself.'The centerpiece of the anniversary exhibition will be portraits of refugees by Paul Conroy, who was working with Sunday Times war correspondent Marie Colvin when she was killed in Syria last year.He said: 'This project has brought my own experience of recording conflicts over almost two decades, full-circle. Refugees are so often faceless in our minds. These portraits show their individuality.'(dailymail.co.uk)ANN.Az