In every December, especially on the 5th of it, the world celebrates the International Volunteer Day. This day is a symbol of gratitude for volunteers to thank them for their humanitarian efforts and also to increase public awareness of their participation in society.
We are a component of the International Movement of Red Cross and Red Crescent, which is the biggest voluntary network in the world as it serves in 180 countries worldwide in national societies such as the Red Crescent. As the voluntary service is one of the fundamental principles we are guided by, such as neutrality, impartiality and independence, volunteer is a cornerstone of SARC’s tasks and activities.
This exhibition contained more than 100 photos which are scenes from the tasks and activities that SARC-Aleppo volunteers carried out in 2014. These scenes reflect volunteers’ persistence on giving to their home land and serving human where ever he is in such difficult circumstance they live in along with other community members which they cannot be separated from.
For many Aleppo branch volunteers, this is not the first crisis they were involved in. Some of the volunteers have spent 15 years in serving humanity by working in the Youth Committee, which its anniversary coincides these days of the year. Iraqi and Lebanese crises are examples of crises that SARC volunteers effectively responded to. However, the current Syrian crisis is the hardest to SARC volunteers as they are part of the community suffering from one of the most complex crises in history. SARC volunteers are committed to the Fundamental Principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality so they deserved the “Peace Prize” they were awarded in the last General Assembly meeting in Sydney.
These principles, which are embodied in scenes, were frozen by camera, but still tell a lot. In the details of every photo, there is a legendary mixture of suffering, tragedy, giving, tender, death, destruction, hope and life. If you look deeply in volunteers’ eyes in those photos and in each detail of their moves, you will see persistence, passion, loyalty and faith, the faith of believing that Human is the supreme. You can see how they insist on Stopping WAR and Spreading LOVE Instead.
