Rwanda Red Cross has officially launched ‘Voices to Action’ campaign, as part of the global international drive to gather community voices on what can be done to address current pressing humanitarian challenges.

‘The Voices to Action’, which has been on-going since August 31, aims to bring attention to the humanitarian crisis that millions of people face every day and gather insight on how prepared people feel to tackle local and global challenges.

Apollinaire Karamaga, the Secretary General of Rwanda Red Cross Society, outlined reasons for the campaign while speaking during the official launch in Kigali last week.

‘‘‘Voices to action’ is one of our approaches through which we will be able to meet different people at the village level, get to hear all their concerns and also suggest possible solutions,” he explained.

He noted the campaign will help them raise awareness regarding humanitarian acts, teach young people and get more people on board to be part of volunteering activities.

Rwanda Red Cross Society has rolled out several online and offline initiatives to collect as many as 600 representative voices from Rwanda that will be shared at the forth coming International Convention of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement slated for December 8 -10 in Geneva.

This will also give us space to raise nutritional issues such as low access to clean water, child stunting, death rates and other problems that we face, Karamaga added.

Thoughts and ideas generated through a dedicated website – www.voicestoaction.org – and at community events in different countries will be shared with governments at the Geneva meet–ensuring local voices are represented in the global discussions.

In a statement, Yves Daccord, Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross said the humanitarian situation being witnessed currently is unprecedented.

 "Now more than ever, we must collectively set a strong and focused agenda for future humanitarian action – built on the voices and needs of local communities.”