--Interviewing with Mr. Conrad Sauvé, the Secretary General and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Red Cross.
On the 2nd March 2009, during Mr. Conrad Sauvé, the Secretary General of the Canadian Red Cross visits Chinese Red Cross for the first time, the reporter from the RCSC’s website has a special interview with Mr. Sauvé.
The generous donation from Norman Bethune’ countrymen.
At the request of the reporter, Mr. Sauvé introduced the generous aid assisted by the Canadian people, the Government and the Red Cross for the relief operations on Wenchuan Earthquake in China. The Canadian Red Cross offerred more than 45 million Canadian Dollars through the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to the Chinese Red Cross. The Canadian Red Cross’ Donation takes the first place in amount among the responses to the Federation’s appeal. Of which, the Canadian Government donated more than 17 million Canadian Dollars (CD) through the Canadian Red Cross to the public donors who donated the fund under 100,000 CD at the match ratio of 1 to 1. Canada with more than 20 million population has become the highest donor country per person within the Federation.
At the present, Canadian Red Cross has taken part in the recovery projects of building more than 2500 family houses at Sichuan earthquake areas through the International Federation. They sent three field delegates engaging in this work. At the same time, Canadian Red Cross also participated in the local health recovery projects in the disaster areas of Gansu Province.
As mentioning about Canadian generous donation, Mr. Sauvé said what Dr. Bethune contributed to the Chinese people reflected the friendship between Canadian people and Chinese people. Today, the traditional friendship has been carried forward. It is symbolizing the profundity affection between the people of the two countries.
Broad areas for the Red Cross cooperation
Canadian Red Cross has more than 20 years cooperation relations with the Chinese Red Cross. During the visit, Mr. Sauvé and Mrs. Jiang Yiman, Executive Vice President of the Chinese Red Cross on behalf of his/her own national society signed a new three year cooperation memorandum. Mr. Sauvé said during the past 20 years, the main areas for the Canadian Red Cross to cooperate with the Chinese Red Cross were the programs on the natural disaster relief, health on the grass roots and so on. At the present situation, the cooperation between the two societies will stress on the areas of capacity building, youth work and enlargement of bilateral exchanges.
During the memorandum signing ceremony, both Mrs Jiang Yiman and Mr. Sauvé expressed that the cooperation frame of the memorandum clarifies the future cooperation direction, symbolizes the two societies collaboration coming to a new stage and to a broad fields. Mrs. Jiang Yiman also expressed that the Chinese Red Cross will by all means do it well on the recovery work of Wenchuan earthquake relief and bring all the International Red Cross family’s assistance including the Canadians into a full play to let the affected people satisfy and donors satisfy.
Internet playing big function
Mr. Sauvé introduced the work carried out by the Canadian Red Cross on the internet to the reporter. He said that the Red Cross utilizes the internet in broad ways. The Headquarters and its Chapters carried out volunteers training, management and curriculum online. Especially, the Canadian Red Cross has the online fundraising with comparatively advanced management system. The donors can not only donate online, but also can get the receipt from the Canadian Red Cross at once as well as print it out. In this way, it saves the Red Cross’ manpower and material resources as well as gives convenience to the donors. The income from online fundraising has become a very important source for the Canadian Red Cross. During the fundraising campaign on the Indian Ocean Tsunami operations in 2005, Canadian Red Cross got more than 100 million CD donations, while 20% of which was from on line donations.
When the reporter told Mr. Sauvé that China has become the number one country online in the world with more than 300 million population using/vitsiting internet. The reporter also introduced the online work carried out by the Chinese Red Cross. Mr. Sauvé showed his great interests and expressed that the two societies can communicate each other and enhance cooperation through the on line work.
After interview, Mr. Sauvé told the reporter that no matter this visit with limited time, it is very productive. It is quite pity for him that no time to the earthquake affected areas. He will be sure to come next year. He makes an appointment with the reporter to see the people and the results from the assistance given by the Canadian Red Cross at the earthquake affected areas.
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