Monegasque Red Cross: record number of first aiders trained in Monaco
Monegasque Red Cross trainers attend a number of events and gatherings throughout the year, such as last summer's drowning prevention day. © Monaco Tribune
In our second article reviewing the Monegasque Red Cross’ year in 2023 and looking ahead to future projects, Monaco Tribune looks at the humanitarian actions carried out by the organisation within the Principality.
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At the beginning of each year, the Monegasque Red Cross (MRC) reviews the actions carried out the previous year, on Monegasque soil and beyond. With a record 700 volunteers, the MRC is omnipresent in Monaco and, in 2023, a large share of its budget, about €8M, was allocated to its local operations.
Starting with the welfare aspect, “one of the MRC’s flagship activities,” as its Secretary General, Frédéric Platini, pointed out. In Monaco, Beausoleil and Cap d’Ail, the charity helps 500 households each year through Ticket Service, cheques that can be given out to people in financial difficulties and used as payment vouchers in many stores. “The number one request from these households is food aid,” said Frédéric Platini, adding, “then help with housing expenses such as electricity bills.” In 2023, a third of this aid was distributed in the Principality and the remaining two-thirds in neighbouring municipalities.
“We aren’t seeing a significant increase in the amount of aid, it’s pretty much stable. The only issue we have is that it is always for the same people, who aren’t managing to break the poverty cycle.” It’s a bleak assessment, and the question of how to get out of a precarious situation “given the current system” remains unanswered for now.
Record number of first aiders trained in the Principality
Another core activity of the MRC is the introduction to and training in life-saving skills. And 2023 was a very positive year on that front. “Some 5,000 people attended an introduction or a training course in first aid. It’s a record,” said Claude Fabbretti, Operational Director of Relief and International Action. In proportion to the Monegasque territory and its 40,000 inhabitants, this is a “huge” figure.
The Director mentioned the teams of MRC trainers, both volunteers and employees, but also Monaco’s schools’ participation in the training sessions, with the recent addition of the International School of Monaco. “All the youngsters aged around 12, who attend school in Monaco, follow the PSC1 course,” said Claude Fabbretti. This is a 12-hour basic first aid course. Which was supplemented in September 2023 by the launch of an online e-learning platform and an application, called “Premiers Soins”, with reminders of the right actions to take in case of an emergency.
As well as the courses in schools, the MRC carried out “mass introductions”, of which there were many in 2023. The No Finish Line, the Monaco Trott’N’Roll and the drowning prevention operation organised by the Princess Charlene Foundation in November are the kinds of events where the MRC can initiate and train up to “300 people”.
While the figures are encouraging, the Operational Director wanted to point out that the MRC “needs financial support” in order to continue its training activities as effectively as possible. “Many of these introductory sessions take place on weekdays, during school time, and many of our volunteer trainers work. We need to deploy employees or hire temps,” he said.
- To make a donation to the Monegasque Red Cross, head over to this page.
MRC at the 2024 Olympic Games
Among the 6,000 local beneficiaries of the MRC in 2023, some are helped by the first-aid stations that the organisation mans during Monegasque events. The Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival, the different Grand Prix… It is not unusual to see volunteers, in small groups, watching over the often large numbers of spectators at these events. And there will be two new challenges this year. In July, the Principality will host the last stage of the Tour de France and the MRC will be there, as well as in Paris at the same time. “Our colleagues in the French Red Cross asked us to help out at the Olympic Games,” said Claude Fabbretti, pleased to be able to provide some of the 700 MRC volunteers with the opportunity.
A collaborative effort that can also be seen locally and that the Director of Operations illustrated by the recent incident at Charles III College, where the MRC, firefighters, police and Monegasque Carabinieri “worked together”.
“Mad gamble” paid off
Another aspect of the actions carried out by the Monegasque branch of the Red Cross last year, is the health and prevention section, which continued its efforts in the fields of health education, prevention of drugs, alcohol and HIV, and even the weight of school bags for younger children. Along with certain initiatives, such as the distribution of anti-spike lids for glasses in Monaco’s bars and clubs, the CRM also worked on new projects and in particular on an escape game. “It was a mad gamble,” said Yann Bertrand, the MRC’s Administrative Director, about a project carried out jointly with Fight Aids Monaco and the Women’s Rights Committee. “We trod carefully with the target audience, but it was a huge success.” 180 people came to the event at the Louis-II Stadium in October 2023. The good news is that the MRC, in partnership with the two Monegasque organisations, will be running it again this year.
Another recent success that should be repeated is the two-day blood drive at the MRC’s headquarters on boulevard de Suisse, in partnership with the Princess Grace Hospital Centre and the Blood Donors’ Association. “Over the two days, we received 60 donors, 26 of which were first-timers. It was a great challenge, and we are delighted with the result,” concluded Yann Bertrand.