SUMMARY 2009 m. 

The reporting year is a jubilee, 150 - years of International Red Cross movement. Lithuanian Red Cross has turned 90 years on January 10th, and it’s 10 years for Visaginas Committee, which was held exactly 10 years ago, back in 1999.

Whole 2009 for the Lithuanian Red Cross - was held under the slogan "Help us and together we can help others." 

I am very pleased to realize that in 2009 for Visaginas Red Cross was the anniversary. Exactly 10 years ago, in 1999 in Visaginas, committee was organized. I started alone. There was no experience, no staff, no volunteers, the premises or funding. It was very difficult, but today, we have a good performance.

Social Program

       Our kind of activity is granting a constant social, psychological and medical aid to lonely, sick, helpless people. We try to improve quality of supervision for patients including home visiting service for lonely and to invalids, giving to patients means of hygiene, food and medicines.

      In 2008, we had only 2 staff units for the care of specialists who are constantly cared after 26 clients we had. In 2009 because of the financial situation in Lithuania, and after the reduction of staff units, we've got 1 staff specialist care, and with the July of 2009 only 0,5 staff. Services provided by Visaginas RC committee, declined significantly. 520 (in 2008 -1480) visits were done in a year on home care, 400 medical services carried out, 300 social services units (1200 in 2008).

                               All of our clients are lonely people who practically have no relatives in Visaginas and we were the only ones who visit them and offered them services.

Our volunteers come to visit and today, though not always, about 7-8 disabled people. They have long been their closest people whom they trust. And this is the greatest recognition that we need from them. And we do this humane mission. But today, without even a 0.5 rate of a staff member to monitor volunteer activities to attract, train new volunteers, to motivate them – it is very difficult. We tried to get at least part-time paid nurses in our city government, but unfortunately, because of the financial crisis - we were denied in funding. And now we are in a difficult position. If you cannot find even small amounts of funding, we will be forced to announce that the social and nursing services in our committee in 2010 will be ended. 

Prepare volunteers, train them how to care for a severely ill with no money for it - is not possible. This is a responsible and difficult work. Serve, assist, to be psychologically ready for such work with seriously ill patients may not be everyone. We need a concrete plan for attracting and training of volunteers. I do not know whether he was in the Red Cross. Help care for people with illness at home has always been the main focus of the Red Cross. I'm sorry, the Red Cross loses focus of this activity. I do not know how will we work further.

Support Center

In our committee we have constantly working assistance center for low-income people, staffed by volunteers only. In 2009 we have assisted nearly 450 residents of our city and many community organizations.

About 30 people have called us for help, within a month. Nor do they always ask us about financial aid. There were times when they simply wanted to – communicate as human beings, how to get the council to pay attention.

Regarding food

All 2009 we had worked on a project providing food for low-income people. This project is created for people who have little income. Last year we helped 5700 families (9000 people in 2008).

A set of products was great. Last month had to unload and distribute some around 15 tons of cargo. The work is very complicated. Not too easy psychologically as well.

Because our clients - these are people who have a lot of difficulties in their life, many of them homeless. Work with such a contingent is not easy. 

People come to us, many who would like to become a volunteer, but only one remains. Only those who have patience, respect.

We will continue work with this project. Project is complex, but it is essential for our city. Of course here, we have a problem with the room. Because the premise that our government provides for the storage and distribution of products is in poor condition.

It is not heated, there is no water, poor lighting. 

Visaginas Red Cross has long needed more space which would be an office, assistance center, hall for a group of care, room for products - it would be a modern, functioning center. We got a room in September 2009. It was in the building of the city hospital. State placement in very poor condition. Needing major repairs and requiring approximately 450 thousand euros. We could not find such a sum, although looking for funds, and requested assistance from government. We were allocated 300 sq. premises. And when the heating season starts, and we are billed for heating, it was necessary for 2,5 months (from mid-September to December) to pay 900 litas.

As a result, in December we were forced to abandon the premises. And we still have only a small, 67 square meters room, where are all of the activities of Visaginas RC are created. 
 
 

Annual report 2009 – Search and Rescue group 

2009 for our team began pleasant event - signing of the contract about cooperation with Vitebsk branch of the Belarus Red Cross. According to this contract - instructors of our team should train (to pass the knowledge) the Belarus group of fast reaction. 

Visit to England toYork has taken place in February on conference « Are informed, prepared together ». The purpose of conference was informing representatives of the European committees of the Red Cross on methods of preparation and to reduce in consequences of all kinds of accidents. Methods of work with the population of all age.  

In February our team participated in searching a lost men.  

This year the Baltic doctrines passed in Estonia in city Valga. Time of carrying out of the doctrine had specially been chose March since for all time of carrying out of doctrines they were arranged in warm or rather warm season has come it is time to check up preparation of teams for job in winter conditions. 

Legend of doctrines was an accident of several vehicles (cars, a gasoline tank truck, the long-distance bus). As it is usual on such doctrines joint actions of services of police, fire services are fulfilled. In the given situation together with with all listed services were it also involved frontier guards since were refugees in the bus from east countries. Teams standard tasks - rendering of the first medical both psychological help by the victim and to relatives of victims were put. The help to workers of police and frontier guards in registration of refugees and their sending in point of evacuation and then in point of sorting refugees, search of victims is taking place in a status of a shock and lost as a result of accident.  

In spite of the fact that teams had to work in difficult conditions (including weather), all tasks have been executed perfectly well. Once again teams have shown harmonious professional job and the readiness for performance of any tasks no matter what conditions. 

In the beginning of May together with fire saving service of our city we participated in searching of the sunken fisherman on lake Drukshaj. 

July for our team – is time of trainings with our Norwegian instructors. In a course of preparation for trainings the team has been broken in three groups " New ones", « Team leaders » and "Instructors". Each group was engaged under the individual plan.  

Instructors tried the forces in training a team of such skills as first-aid treatment, topography and orientation, transportation of victims. Team leaders raised a level of professionalism in management of a team and at last before group of new comers the task was put "to absorb" the information and try to apply in practice the knowledge they received. 

The large value during trainings was given practical employment in which course skill of all members of a team was perfected. At the end of each day discussions were spent, due to that each member of a team in a course of discussion could express came to light all defects in job.  

Practically right after the trainings the group of our newly made instructors has gone to Belarus in Vidzi for carrying out of trainings with a Belarus team. 

In August our team participated in carrying out a marathon "Milky Way". Our task - was safety of participants on especially dangerous sites of a track. It is possible to say that at this moment a new stage of our activity has begun. 

Not wishing to stay idle, we have achieved arrangements with organizers of the Baltic rallies about our participation in a safety of spectators and participants and if necessary first-aid treatment.

It is necessary to note, that organizers of rally have been much surprised and pleased with our offer on cooperation. Unfortunately the information that there is such team is present only in Red Cross and more in department of civil protection.

In republic there are times of every possible actions, in which we could take part. In fact it is not only the way to apply the knowledge and skills, it is also a way of earnings both for a team and for committee. 

On October the 3^rd, joint training of fire saving service and a team of search and rescue of the Red Cross committee has taken place. Training passed within the framework of the contract about cooperation between our team and a team of department of fire safety. It was the first experience of teamwork on liquidation of an extreme situation and first-aid treatment of the victims, and as the first experience for a team of the Red Cross, on the organization of such action. As legend told - there was an explosion of a building and the local centers of ignition were formed. The amount of victims and a degree of their wounds were not known for both teams. Approaching to a building have been complicated, the degree of destruction of a building was very serious. Firemen evacuated victims from a building, and the team of the Red Cross rendered them first aid and has organized for victims sorting point. As a result seventeen victims were successfully evacuated also by all first aid has been rendered. 

In a course of training elements of interaction of two services have been fulfilled, the moments for the further perfection are revealed. Directions of joint activity became clearer.

     It is possible to speak with confidence that training has passed well. And the most important, that the further teamwork between fire saving service of Visaginas and a team of search and rescue of the Red Cross will proceed in the future.

         The role of victims was played courageously and patiently by the volunteers of youth group of Visaginas committee of the Red Cross.  

Right at the end of October a second trip of a team of instructors to Belarus has taken place.