Monrovia – Jerome Clarke, the president of the Liberian National Red Cross Society (LNRCS) says the lack of financial support from the government is causing serious challenges for them to deliver help to those who need it desperately.
The LNRCS was created by an act from the Legislature with the aim of helping vulnerable people in difficult circumstances at all times.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday at the head office in the preparedness of this year World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day 2021, the president of the LNRCS said having given birth to the Liberian Red Cross Society years back, it is the obligation of the government to support and provide pieces of advice to the institution.
Mr. Clarke said, “But in this instant, over the last four years we have gone through serious constraint; the government support has not been forthcoming, we have made several attempts to ensure that we reawaken the presence of the national society to those who are key stakeholders, who understand what the national society supposed to be doing but we have not gotten any good result and this celebration, we are saying, the government has competing demands and one of such demands are how well your people live, how well they are cared for especially in difficult times.”
He said the Red Cross is at the borders of counties in the Southeastern part of Liberia. The president of the Liberian Red Cross added that there is a situation of Ivorian refugees coming into the coming and they are in dire need but there is no support to go such a distance to take care of the refugees.
He called on President George Weah to put more attention on the society to enable them to meet up with their obligation, something he says will he smooth their operation around the country.
“The government has an obligation to this institution. This is why we have asked that the President takes the lead as Chief Patron to ensure that the requisite allotment be directed to the national society and not pass in another agency –you know what such bureaucracy do to us sometimes,” he said.
Also, the president of the Liberian Red Cross Society as dedicated the celebration of the World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day to staff who he said are actively and selflessly reaching out despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic that has brought fear and disruption into the lives of many people across Liberia and has changed the lives of people who were already affected by existing humanitarian challenges.
“But one the thing that has not changed over the past years is the support provided by the Liberian Red Cross Volunteers who are in communities every day helping with awareness-raising and promotion of hand washing, and encouraging community people on the use of facemask. Their commitment to local action is unstoppable,” he said.