Reflection Regarding the Canadian Red Cross The Canadian Red Cross was established on 1996 by Sterling Ryerson. Since the establishment of this NGO, typical to many NGOs, it has been endeavouring to impact the society in a good way, and make changes necessary for the improvement of people’s lives. By looking at the activities of this NGO in the Boer war, World War I, World War II, post-war era, and the new millennia in a larger perspective, we would comprehend the impacts that this NGO has had on the lives of people and changes associated with it. The Boer war (1899) provided the first opportunity for the Canadian Red Cross to assist Canadian soldiers overseas, although as a branch of British Red Cross. This war took place between British Empire and South Africa. A number of Canadian soldiers were sent to this war affair, since Canada was a colony of England. These soldiers were accompanied by a group of volunteers, who were women, and their duty was tending to the wounded and the sick. Participation of the Canadian Red Cross in the Boer war merely affected the lives of a few. It provided relief for the soldiers and allowed volunteers to gain new experiences; however, this assistance made the Canadian Red Cross known to the Canadians, hence solidifying its relations with the latter and gaining their support for subsequent conflicts.
World War I was a significant major turning point for the Canadian Red Cross. Many donations from Canadians flooded in. Volunteers, mostly women, were sent over-seas to help maintain documents on Canadian prisoners, trace missing soldiers, and tend to the injured ones. This organization also enabled women to participate in the war affair from home front by knitting bandages and comfort clothes for the soldiers and packaging food. This act provided women with the satisfaction that they were aiding with the achievement of victory and were responsible for the triumph as well as men and soldiers were. Moreover, it decreased the chances of having shortage on bandages or any other medical equipment. The participation of the Canadian Red Cross in World War I allowed people in home front to participate in the war, and hence, it affected their lives greatly. It also helped save great many soldiers from the danger of death by treating their injuries and curing sickness. By sending supplies, treating the injured and allowing them return to their posts, the Canadian Red Cross allowed victory to be reachable for the Allied forces and has made changes in the course of war. World War II was an international conflict costing the most amounts of lives in history, in which the Canadian Red Cross attempted to save many lives. By the commencement of Second World War, many volunteers were sent overseas. The volunteer Corps included strong-minded and trained women in uniforms, who helped make a huge hospital for the wounded in London called Taplow hospital. The work done by the Canadian Red Cross in World War II was alike to of the First World War; however, there were many more people affected in this war, and not all of the latter were soldiers. The Canadian Red Cross Corps expanded their job to bring compassion and aid to the sufferings of British civilians as well as soldiers, due to bombing outs that were going on throughout England. One of the major changes that this NGO made in WWII was allowing women to drive ambulances, which was against stereotypes if the times. The assistance of this NGO with the war affair affected the lives of citizens. Many of them wanted to be close to the soldiers that were of their family in order to tend to them in cases of an injury, and many aimed to travel to the other side of the world and get a new perspective of life; however, It did not merely affect the volunteers. Many British civilians were benefited by the compassion and help provided by volunteers. Many Soldiers also owed their lives to the Red Cross crew, who sacrificed their pleasure