The humanitarian movement on Wednesday reported that the COVID-19 pandemic has mobilised more than 200,000 new volunteers who had joined the Red Cross and the Red Crescent across the globe.

According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) the volunteers have been providing food, transport, virus testing and giving psychological support to vulnerable people during the health crisis.

“Though the future can seem bleak and the world divided because of this virus, every individual action of solidarity, of peace, of lending a hand and supporting your community counts,’’ IFRC President Francesco Rocca said in a statement.

Some 78,000 people had signed up as Red Cross volunteers in the United States, while 60,000 and 48,000 had joined in Italy and the Netherlands, respectively.

The Red Cross in Kenya had added 35,000 to its ranks.

Volunteers include nurses, teachers and students, as well as unemployed and furloughed workers.

The IFRC allocated more than 120 million Swiss francs (133 million dollars) to 153 national Red Cross and Red Crescent organisations in the first six months of the pandemic.

NAN