The Ukrainian Red Cross: Over 54,000 people participated in health promotion activities in 2024
This year, the Ukrainian Red Cross organised more than 12,433 awareness-raising events, reaching 54,088 participants. The activities are designed to support physical health, promote healthy lifestyles, and prevent diseases, particularly in the context of rising morbidity in Ukraine.
The aim of the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention area of work of the Ukrainian Red Cross is to improve the quality of life by engaging communities in addressing health issues and developing skills to care for themselves and their loved ones. Participants in these activities receive information on the following:
- prevention of non-communicable and communicable diseases, including COVID-19;
- the basics of a healthy lifestyle;
- blood donation;
- the importance of immunisation.
These activities are implemented for various age groups, starting from the age of 10, with a particular focus on supporting vulnerable groups.
Additionally, in 2024, 46 volunteers and health consultants were trained to:
- teach people how to measure blood pressure, maintain a balanced diet, and lead a physically active lifestyle;
- conduct motivational interviews to support behavioural changes, such as smoking cessation or dietary adjustments;
- organise practical sessions with physical exercises and recommendations for maintaining health;
- provide information about common diseases, their causes, and prevention.
The programme is currently being implemented in the Kirovohrad, Vinnytsia, and Odesa regions with the support of the Danish Red Cross and the German Red Cross. In 2025, plans are in place to expand the activities to the Kharkiv, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi, Dnipro, Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, and Poltava regions.
Activities in this area include best practices for promoting physical health, motivating change, and raising general awareness of disease prevention.
The Ukrainian Red Cross continues to work towards improving the health of the Ukrainian population, helping people take crucial steps towards a better and healthier life.