Lao, Thai Red Cross Societies Extend Partnership in Humanitarian Aid
Source: Vientiane Times
The Lao Red Cross and the Thai Red Cross Society have agreed to step up mutual support in the fields of disaster management, organizational development, and other areas.
An agreement was signed by the President of the Lao Red Cross, Associate Professor Dr. Phouthone Muangpak, and his Thai counterpart when a Thai Red Cross delegation visited Laos last week.
On the same occasion, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the two societies for cooperation from 2023-2027, under which the two parties will provide mutual assistance in the fields of management, health promotion, blood donation, advertising, fundraising, managing volunteers and youth, and the transport of officials.
Over the years 2017-2022, the Lao Red Cross and the Thai Red Cross Society actively supported each other through reciprocal visits by their administrators, financial support, equipment, and technical work, cooperation in the field of blood work, information exchange, and research. The Thai Red Cross Society asked the National Blood Institute to engage in shared activities at regional blood centers such as the northern region in Chiang Mai, the central region in Udon, and the southern region in Ubon, to strengthen cooperation in the future. In addition, the Thai Red Cross Society is ready to support the Lao Red Cross in terms of resources and personnel.
The aim of this strengthened partnership is to make the Lao Red Cross more effective and better able to provide humanitarian services to the people of Laos, through collaboration between provincial branches of the Red Cross and the Red Cross Organization as a whole. The Thai and Lao Red Cross societies will do more to help tackle the problems they face and assist each other according to their capacities, from the central to the local levels.
Thailand has provided medicines and medical equipment to the National Blood Centre in Laos worth over 2.9 million baht, supported quality of life projects such as eye tests for students in Vientiane worth 382,000 baht, and provided a vehicle for use in blood donations worth 1.6 million baht. The Thai Red Cross has also given 500,000 baht to support a project to build strength in blood work and has donated 50 second-hand computers and five new ones worth 600,000 baht, as well as contributing to response and relief work to help disaster victims in Attapeu province at the cost of 5 million baht, and also provided many kinds of relief supplies and food.
In 2018, the Thai Red Cross assisted flood victims in Attapeu province worth more than 5.28 million baht, donated an additional 176,000 baht, provided six rescue boats and engines worth over 3.56 million baht, and donated clothing and fans worth over 1.41 million baht.
During their visit to Laos last week, the Thai Red Cross Society delegation handed over boats and medical equipment for blood quality testing worth 1.7 million baht to the Lao Red Cross.
