It began with a businessman who could not forget what he saw on a battlefield.

After witnessing the suffering of wounded soldiers at Solferino in 1859, Henry Dunant called for volunteer relief societies in every country. On October 26, 1863, an international conference opened in Geneva to turn that idea into reality.

The delegates agreed on resolutions to create national relief committees and adopted a red cross on a white background as their protective sign. A year later came the first Geneva Convention. Today the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is active in almost every country on Earth.

Have you ever donated blood or volunteered with a relief group?

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