Ukraine and Irish Red Cross learn from each other

A team from Irish Red Cross this week learned how to be prepared for the frontlines from its colleagues in the Ukrainian Red Cross.

Volunteers from the Ukrainian Red Cross arrived in Ireland for the four-day event which began in Limerick and continued through Mallow, Galway and Dublin. The visit brought frontline experience from a country that has faced one of the world’s largest humanitarian emergencies.

Since 2022, the Ukrainian Red Cross has scaled up to meet the needs of millions, mobilising volunteers at pace, expanding branches under pressure to support local communities and delivering aid in the most dangerous conditions. For the Irish Red Cross, the exchange is a chance to learn directly from that experience, preparing for the floods, storms, and emergencies Ireland does face, and strengthening volunteer mobilisation and community engagement for the future.

Irish Red Cross Chair of the Board, Charlie Flanagan, said: “Our Ukrainian colleagues bring lessons earned under the harshest circumstances, how to mobilise volunteers quickly, how to keep branches resilient, and how to support communities through long crises. While we are far from the frontlines of conflict here in Ireland, we are not immune to disaster. By learning from Ukraine, we are building preparedness and resilience here at home.”

Ireland also has valuable lessons to share. 118,000 Ukrainians have come to Ireland under temporary protection. More than 13,000 beneficiaries of temporary protection have been matched with accommodation through the Irish Red Cross Register of Pledges, with more than 6,300 homeowners pledging a spare room in their home in a unique accommodation solution and act of solidarity in the midst of a housing crisis. Irish Red Cross volunteers were heavily involved in welcoming and supporting Ukrainians to adapt and rebuild their lives in local communities throughout Ireland. These volunteer-led projects across the country, are part of the knowledge exchange.

Irish Red Cross Secretary General Deirdre Garvey said: “Ireland’s response was remarkable. Ordinary people opened their homes, Irish Red Cross volunteers supported families in their communities, and branches found creative ways to help. Ukrainians are now volunteering with us too, showing how quickly people want to give back. This exchange is about two-way learning: Ireland learning from a society under pressure, and Ukraine learning from our approach to welcome and integration and humanitarian action.”

The visit reflects the strength of the global Red Cross Movement: sharing best practice across borders so that communities everywhere are better prepared for whatever comes next.