Last year the Red Cross in Andalucía attended more than 824,000 people

The Cruz Roja Española (Red Cross) in Andalucía helped more than 824,000 people in the region throughout 2022, thanks to the efforts of more than 40,000 volunteers.

This data, from the organisation's own Activity Report, was presented to the media on Tuesday 13 June by the new president of the Red Cross in Andalucía, Rosario García.

“This presentation of our activity data is an exercise in transparency, with which we want to be accountable to society, and show the fruits of our work” García said. “It is also a magnificent opportunity to thank, on the one hand, the society in general that has supported us on different occasions. And of course to the 40,460 volunteers who make our social and humanitarian work possible, and to the 157,300 people and partner companies that are examples of commitment and solidarity,” she added.

The organisation highlighted that both the number of volunteers and partners increased markedly during the pandemic and in 2022 it has continued to increase. “The flame of solidarity is still burning, despite the many difficulties that volunteers and members are also going through,” García said. The regional president added that the Red Cross is present in 778 municipalities in Andalucía, which is, practically, the entire region.

Of the more than 874,000 people who participated in the Red Cross social projects in Andalucía in 2022, a total of 392,000 received direct attention from the volunteers, and 482,000 participated in awareness-raising activities with the environment.

García said that “2022 has been a year marked by the conflict in Ukraine and the crisis in Ukrainian refugees, in which the Red Cross has demonstrated its strengths for a comprehensive response to a social emergency, as happened with the coronavirus pandemic. The organisation tripled the number of reception places last year, from 625 that were active in February 2022 to 1,526 today.

“We received hundreds of calls from municipalities, police and individuals who used the Red Cross when refugees arrived at their towns.” According to the report, of the 11,730 asylum seekers and refugees attended by the Red Cross in Andalucía during 2022, some 53% were of Ukrainian origin.

The report also highlighted that a total of 168,250 people attended by the Red Cross in Andalucía in 2022 were in a situation of “extreme vulnerability”. This group includes homeless people, among other profiles.

The regional president also highlighted some challenges that the organisation faced in 2022 and that will continue to be relevant in 2023, such as loneliness, considered an “invisible pandemic”, as well as the inequalities caused by the digital divide. Both mainly affect older people, although not exclusively.