Nearly 1 billion people around the world choose to be volunteers. More than 13 million of these join the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, delivering services to vulnerable people with no expectation of financial or material gain. When an emergency strikes, they perform first aid, rescue people from collapsed buildings, drive ambulances, brave flood waters, deliver letters to prisoners, conduct vaccination campaigns and provide comfort to those in need. Volunteers boost community resilience and extend the reach of governments.
The nature of emergency response work means that some volunteers risk their lives.