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On June 27, Dr Caroline Cross was elected President of the French Red Cross. Involved with the Annecy-based French Red Cross since 1987 as a volunteer, Caroline Cross has worked as a first-aider, trainer, national instructor and territorial doctor. For her first trip outside France, the new president chose to visit the French West Indies. First to Saint-Martin, then to Saint-Barthélemy, on Monday December 1, before flying on to Guadeloupe and Martinique. In Saint-Barthélemy, she was delighted to meet the delegation's volunteers.
Accompanied by Gaëlle Nerbard, National Overseas Director, Joëlle Destom, Overseas Administrator, Guillaume Meugnier, Director of Territorial Development, and Fabienne Del Moral, her Chief of Staff, Dr. Cross landed in Saint-Barth. Welcomed by Christine Moizan, provisional administrator of the Territorial Delegation, and former President Jean-Noël Machon, she immediately headed for the Territorial Fire and Rescue Service (Stis) fire station.
"Structural problems strengthen partnerships
After an exhaustive presentation of the actions carried out by the territorial delegation of the Red Cross by Christine Moizan, followed by a summary by Jean-Noël Machon, the President of the French Red Cross discovered the storage area for the association's reserves at Stis. For the Red Cross, Saint-Barthélemy is an exemplary territory," said Dr. Cross. Seeing where they are today, and where they started from not so long ago... If you put that in relation to the population, there's an abundance of activity that works well. All the partnerships have been developed with the Collectivité, with Stis, with the prefecture. They do a fantastic job with very few people, everyone is committed and a huge amount of work is done. We're a long way from seeing this kind of partnership work everywhere. It's a fabulous opportunity to be on Stis's premises to store equipment and work together. "
For Caroline Cross, the Saint-Barth delegation carries "a lot of weight". She explains: "We realize that the lack of premises and the difficulties of finding accommodation create opportunities and partnerships. Because everyone needs to work together to help as many people as possible. There's a common desire across the island. The fact that we don't have easy access to premises means we can create synergies that we might not have if we had our own Red Cross centre. Structural problems strengthen partnerships. "
The need for more managers
While the Saint-Barth delegation has grown from 14 volunteers in 2017 to 38 today (32 women and 6 men), the president nevertheless insists on the importance of attracting even more vocations. "The aim is to further increase the number of volunteers, but above all to increase the number of managers, people who are in a position to take responsibility for governance and activities," explains Dr. Cross. So we can do more and do it better. "In 2025, the Red Cross in Saint-Barthélemy will have 45 members, 63% of whom are in employment. It also has two first-aid trainers and a first-aider.
Caroline Cross continued her visit with a tour of the Maison de la Santé on Saint-Jean, followed by a meeting with elected officials from the Collectivité. First Vice-President Marie-Hélène Bernier, Second Vice-President Francius Matignon and Mélissa Lake. Théis Avignon, elected member of the territorial youth council, presented Dr. Cross with a gift. The President then visited the Red Cross solidarity boutique in Gustavia. If only to get a better idea of the work carried out every week by the volunteers.
The official trip continued in Guadeloupe with an important event. Dr Caroline Cross took part in the inauguration of the new Pirac (Plateforme d'intervention régionale d'Amériques-Caraïbes) regional humanitarian warehouse. A vital facility in the event of a regional crisis. Jamaica, hard hit by the recent passage of Hurricane Melissa, was able to benefit from the organization and structures of the French Red Cross to help its population.
