Social work

Social work

Lithuanian Red Cross has 40 visiting nurses working in 26 local committees. They take care of more than 800 old lonely sick and handicapped people in their homes. Visiting nurses provide social, medical and psychological assistance for free. Lithuanian Red Cross also trained volunteers to assist nurses: 300 for nursing and 270 for psychological help. 

Lithuanian Red Cross together with local municipalities, state and non - governmental institutions regulary arrange visits to their patients, on the ocassion of season holidays, distributing food parcel, nursing materials, other things. People who can walk are invited to communication evening - organized by municipalities and Red Cross volunteers.  These events are breaking the isolation of lonely and sick or handicapped people.

Each year visiting nurses of the national society are invited to the conferences and seminars, to raise their qualification and increase the quality of their services. 

Visiting nurses programme of LiRC is cooperating vith Ministry of Health, Ministry of Social Security, organisations of elderly people. Programme is supported by German, Norwegian, Swedish Red Cross societies and private sponsors.

Visiting nurses also participate in other programmes of national society (Tuberculosis Prevention Programme, etc.)

International cooperation. Humanitarian aid

Lithuanian Red Cross closely cooperate with:
- International Comittee of the Red Cross;
- International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies;
- the Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, British, Canadian and Polish Red Cross societies.

Lithuanian Red Cross (LiRC) is responsible for implementation of Nordic - Baltic strategic workplan from Baltic. Almost all local Red Cross committies have cooperation patners abroad, they implement joint projects - with the aim to strenghten Lithuanian Red Cross society and provide humanitarian support to Lithuanian people. During 2004 local Red Cross committees received different consignments from their partners valued 443543 Lt.  Because of these consigments local committees were able to support 16331 socially vulnerable people in Lithuania.

During 2004 Lithuanian Red Cross headquarters received 3 humanitarian aid consignments. One from German Red Cross (valued 5 766 Lt.) wich consist of fundraising boxes, used computers and second hand clothes. Two others were from Icelandic Red Cross (valued 62 513 Lt.) which consist of second hand clothes. These consignments were distributed among:
- local Red Cross committees -   valued 26 975,54 Lt. (different items)
- Medical support center - valued 86,15 Lt.  (crutches)
- Private persons - valued 97,20 Lt.  (crutches and wheelchairs)
- headquarters - valued 2 555 Lt. (used computers).

Dissemination of International Humanitarian Law

The aim of this programme is to introduce to Lithuanian people Principles of the international Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, to disseminate International humanitarian law, and encourage humanitarian initiatives.
Lithuanian Red Cross society participated in the Commission for the Inplementation of International Humanitarian Law under the Ministry of Defense, providing recommendations and suggestions concerning implementation of humanitarian law.

LiRC continue the project "Exploring humanitarian law" which started in 2000. In the frames of the project an agreement with Ministry of Education was signed on the 20th of November 2002. The subject of agreement was teaching humanitarian law at schools. Lithuanian Red Cross was responsible for preparing and publishing training materails and to arrange training for teachers.