Singapore Red Cross Society Explained

Registration Id:S86CC0370E
Status:Incorporated by the Parliament of Singapore on 6 April 1973
Singapore Red Cross Society
Native Name:

Location:15 Penang Lane,Red Cross House, Singapore 238486
Focus:Humanitarian aid
Leader Title:Patron
Leader Name:Tharman Shanmugaratnam, President of Singapore
Leader Title2:Chairperson
Leader Name2:Tan Kai Hoe
Leader Title3:Vice Chairperson
Leader Name3:Tan Poh Hong
Leader Title4:Secretary General
Leader Name4:Benjamin William

The Singapore Red Cross (SRC), formally the Singapore Red Cross Society, is a humanitarian aid and community services charity in Singapore. The SRC is a national member of the Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and forms a part of the International Red Cross Movement.

The SRC provides a range of services and programmes including international aid across the Asia-Pacific region, international humanitarian law advocacy, emergency management, blood donation and community services for the youth, families, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.

The organisation traces its history back to when it was established on 30 September 1949 as part of the British Red Cross Society's Singapore Branch. It was officially incorporated by the Parliament of Singapore on 6 April 1973 and was appointed as the National Blood Donor Recruiter by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) in 2001.

Organisation

The SRC is governed by a 19-member Council headed by a Chairman who is appointed by the President of the Republic of Singapore, the Patron of the SRC. The Council is responsible for pursuing the objective of the SRC as laid down by the Act of Parliament and its Constitution. The Council has four oversight committees providing the relevant advice and expertise; namely the Finance and Investment, Audit, Corporate Governance and Nomination and Human Resource and Compensation Committees.

The general management of the SRC is overseen by the Management Committee, headed by the Secretary General / Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the SRC. Implementation of the policies and directives laid down by the Council is done by the Secretariat which is headed by the Secretary General / CEO. Since 2012, Benjamin William has served as the Secretary General of the Singapore Red Cross.[1]

The Secretariat is organised into three divisions; Operations, Administration and the Red Cross Youth.

Structure

The following are the incumbent appointment holders of the Singapore Red Cross:

AppointmentIncumbent
PatronPresident of Singapore
ChairmanTan Kai Hoe[2]

Divisions

Learning & Development

Blood Donor Programme

Global Engagement

Community Engagement

Care Services

Outreach

Corporate Management

Finance Management

Work

The Singapore Red Cross was involved in the relief effort of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami that occurred on 26 December 2004.[3]

On 26 July 2018, SRC announced S$50,000 in humanitarian aid for victims of the Attapeu dam collapse.[4]

In April 2022, Singapore Red Cross issued warning declaring Sri Lanka's medical crisis as an "unprecedented humanitarian crisis". The Government of Singapore announced that it would provide seed money amounting to USD 100,000 as a relief package to support the Singapore Red Cross's humanitarian public fundraising efforts for the most vulnerable communities in Sri Lanka.[5] [6]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Benjamin William . Singapore Red Cross.
  2. Web site: Ang . Qing . Singapore Red Cross gets new chairman . The Straits Times . 6 January 2021 . 1 December 2020.
  3. Web site: 2005 . INDIAN OCEAN GREAT EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI DISASTER . International Council of Christian Churches . 7 December 2010.
  4. Web site: Singapore Red Cross pledges S$50,000 in aid after Laos dam collapse. Channel NewsAsia.
  5. Web site: US$100,000 to go towards Singapore Red Cross' humanitarian efforts in Sri Lanka: MFA . 2022-04-17 . CNA . en.
  6. Web site: 2022-04-16 . Singapore announces USD 100,000 as humanitarian assistance for Sri Lanka . 2022-04-17 . NewsWire . en-US.