Volunteers in health – Prisons in Ireland and a village in Timor Leste | Irish Red Cross

Ireland is the first country in the world to introduce Community Based Health and First Aid (CBHFA) in Action through groups of special status Irish Red Cross Volunteer Inmates in a prison setting. The programme operates under a partnership between the Irish Red Cross, Irish Prison Service and Education Training Boards (formally known as the VEC). 

This award winning Irish Red Cross prison programme is a unique approach to raising community health, hygiene awareness and first aid in prisons using groups of special status Irish Red Cross Volunteer Inmates as peer to peer educators.

The programme first began at one prison in June 2009 and has since been extended to 10 of Ireland’s 14 prisons. It is a unique approach to raising community health and hygiene awareness and first aid in prison communities through peer to peer education. 
The programme has benefitted 3,273 prisoners directly and 9,819 indirectly including staff and the families of the prisoners. For more information see www.redcross.ie/cbhfa

The Irish Red Cross mission is to provide care to the most vulnerable at home and abroad in peace, crisis and disaster. To do this by implementing the Red Cross Charter: preventing and alleviating human suffering, protecting life and health, ensuring respect for human beings and continually delivering a high quality humanitarian service to society at home and abroad. 

As Ireland’s leading emergency response charity, staff and volunteers pursue these goals in Ireland and overseas. The Irish Red Cross’ work includes emergency response, health and social care, and building resilience at community level.