You must have seen ambulances withemblem ofRed Cross and Red Crescenttinted on their sides, rushing forth with loud siren, to the site of incidence after an unsound happening. These ambulances are provided with a group ofwell trained and equipped First Aid professionals, ready to lend a hand to vulnerable people suffering injuries, bleeding, physical and mental disabilities.It is the first form of assistance a casualty receives before being attended to by a doctor or other authorized medical professional. This act of immediate help, securing innocent lives is named as First Aid.

Every year 14th September is celebrated as "World First Aid Day". The day is to promote first aid knowledge and skills in the community. Furthermore, with this year's theme "First Aid for All", it was particularly interesting to combine first aid with activities promoting knowledge of the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement and its fundamental principles and values.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is one of the world's leading first aid providers. The Red Cross idea was born in 1859, when Henry Dunant, a young Swiss man, came upon the scene of a bloody battle in Solferino, Italy, between the armies of imperial Austria and the Franco-Sardinian alliance. Some 40,000 men lay dead or dying on the battlefield and the wounded were lacking medical attention. 

Dunant organized local people to bind the soldiers' wounds and to feed and comfort them. On his return, he called for the creation of national relief societies to assist those wounded in war, and pointed the way to the future Geneva Conventions. 

The Red Cross was born in 1863 when five Geneva men, including Dunant, set up the International Committee for Relief to the Wounded, later to become the International Committee of the Red Cross. Its emblem was a red cross on a white background. The following year, 12 governments adopted the first Geneva Convention; a milestone in the history of humanity, offering care for the wounded, and defining medical services as "neutral" on the battlefield.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) was founded in 1919 in Paris in the aftermath of World War I. The war had shown a need for close cooperation between Red Cross Societies, which, through their humanitarian activities on behalf of prisoners of war and combatants, had attracted millions of volunteers and built a large body of expertise. A devastated Europe could not afford to lose such a resource.

First aid is a humanitarian act that should be accessible to all. With first aid skills volunteers and communities are empowered to save lives without discrimination. The first objective of the IFRC was to improve the health of people in countries that had suffered greatly during the years of war. Its goals were "to strengthen and unite, for health activities, already-existing Red Cross Societies and to promote the creation of new Societies."

One of the staples of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the organization's personnel have become known worldwide for their prompt on-the-spot rendering of the much-needed service in times of distress and war.Absence of first aid during a time of natural disaster or otherwise can result in innumerable lives lost.

The Red Cross on white background was the original protection symbol declared at the 1864 Geneva Convention. Of the 186 national societies which are currently recognized by the ICRC, 152 are using the Red Cross as their official organization emblem. During the Russo-Turkish War from 1876 to 1878, theOttoman Empire used a Red Crescent instead of the Red Cross because its government believed that the cross would alienate its Muslim soldiers.

When asked by the ICRC in 1877,Russia committed to fully respect the sanctity of all persons and facilities bearing the Red Crescent symbol, followed by a similar commitment from the Ottoman government to respect the Red Cross.

After this de-facto assessment of equal validity to both symbols, the ICRC declared in 1878 that it should be possible in principle to adopt an additional official protection symbol for non-Christian countries. The Red Crescent was formally recognized in 1929 when the Geneva Conventions were amended.

After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the Red Crescent was first used by its successor nation Turkey, followed by Egypt. From its official recognition to today, the Red Crescent became the organizational emblem of nearly every national society in countries with majority Muslim populations. The Red Crescent is used by 33 of the 186 recognized societies worldwide.

The Geneva Conventions are rules that apply in times of armed conflict and seek to protect people who are not or are no longer taking part in hostilities, these include the sick and wounded of armed forces on the field, wounded, sick, and shipwrecked members of armed forces at sea, prisoners of war, and civilians.

Decades of conflict in Afghanistan have caused poverty, high death rates and a severe shortage of hospitals, doctors and nurses. Many communities live without basic sanitation or access to safe drinking water.From 2004 to 2011 the British Red Cross supported health clinics in Balkh that hosted 50,000 to 75,000 consultations a year, and which continues to help local people.

And since 2008 the British Red Cross has backed a pioneering health program run by the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) and driven by the work of local volunteers. The program, which is set to run until 2014, reduces demand on the province's health clinics and complements their work. This is encouraging, but insufficient, henceforth expansion of ARCS services at every district and division might relieve the genuine medical problems of the locals, illiteracy stricken population.

ICRC is active in the Afghanistan conflict areas and has set up six physical rehabilitation centers to helplandmine victims. Their support extends to the national and international armed forces, civilians and the armed opposition.

They regularly visit detainees under the custody of the Afghan government and the international armed forces, but have also occasionally had access since 2009 to people detained by theTaliban. They have provided basic first aid training and aid kits to both the Afghan security forces and Taliban members because, according to an ICRC spokesperson, "ICRC's constitution stipulates that all parties harmed by warfare will be treated as fairly as possible".

Groups of local people identify the health issues that need to be tackled in their community which are supported with evidence from the Ministry of Public Health at minor scale. The program volunteers help people to access water and sanitation facilities like wells and latrines (families and neighbors contribute to the labor), teach them first aid, and guide them towards the right health services. Volunteers also spread important health messages, including information on preventing malaria, spotting the signs of pneumonia and advice about contraception, pregnancy and childbirth.

Admitting the enormous significance of first aid, this noble cause must be supported at every level. Everyone has the potential to learn first aid and save lives, provided the government in collaboration with IFRC, expedite the training facilities to every common person. We should advocate for First Aid to be accessible to all in particular to the vulnerable communities and disable people.

First aid is an act of humanity showing willingness to save lives with full respect for diversity and without discrimination.We should celebrate the numbers of lives saved both by first aid volunteers and by laypersons trained in first aid.