Ghana Red Cross Society Organizer calls for recruitment from within

The Berekum District Organizer of the Ghana Red Cross Society (GRCS), Mr. Kweinortey Blemano, says one of the major contributory factors to dwindling volunteerism interest and volunteer sustainability in the society is the recruitment of management and staff from outside the society instead of from within its large cohort of it volunteers.

He told the media in an interview in Berekum that in the past decades, no volunteer has graduated through the ranks to the management position in the Society, saying, the criteria had always given preference to the wider labour market.

Mr. Blemano therefore stressed the critical need for the GRCS recruitment bodies to employ from within the Society to sustain the decades of volunteerism enthusiasm.

According to him, a volunteer could realize his or her service is rewarded when the person gained a full-time job within the National Society, many more volunteers will then be willing to serve longer times in anticipation of becoming full-time staff one day.

"I am very grateful to our current President; Lawyer Gyimah Kwame-Akwafo and his Management Board for at least the first-time employing a volunteer into such a high office of the National Society since its establishment in Ghana in 1958."

This move, in his opinion, would highly rekindle and restore the needed voluntary spirit back into the Society for the remaining volunteers to work hard for the growth, quality services and sustainability of the Red Cross as an organization in Ghana.

Mr. Blemano said an Act of Parliament establishes the GRCS as an auxiliary to Government, with the mandate to intervene in emergency response and in peacetime, contribute to improving people's livelihoods through quality health care services delivery during developmental programmes.

He explained that the spirit of volunteerism was then very high amongst its membership, particularly the youth who formed a majority and contributed a lot to life-saving and developmental activities through total commitment and understanding.

"This can be said to be an ingredient that has contributed to the development of Mother Ghana in even its smallest extent", Mr. Blemano stated.

He expressed worry that the services of the Society are no longer attractive to the youth and even people within the GRCS nowadays.

He therefore pleaded with the authorities to identify the hardworking, experienced, and dedicated volunteers to be given the node when there exists an opportunity to recruit into the GRCS.