Today, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is closing its Summer Camp for Vulnerable Children in Kvaisa. Thirty children aged 10 to 15 rested for ten days in the surroundings of the Djava district.
"In times of war, children are the most vulnerable group. The ICRC Summer Camp has gathered children, who belong to displaced families residing in collective centers in Tskhinval. These are children suffering from war-related stresses and other negative consequences of armed conflict," says Marina Tedeti, the ICRC Spokeswoman in Tskhinval.
Amongst the Summer Camp children, two were injured in a February 2009 blast of unexploded ordnance, which they found in a close vicinity to their collective center in Tskhinval. Along with general overview of the ICRC's mandate and its history, the ICRC representatives contributed to raising awareness among the children on the risks of mines and explosive remnants of war through games and group activities.
In 2009, the ICRC marks the 150th anniversary of the battle of Solferino that was the inspiration of the founding of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. This year, the world community celebrates also the 60th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, the bedrock of international humanitarian law.
"I wish there are no more wars in the world, and if there are, that peaceful people would not be subjected to enormous sufferings", wrote a 14-year old Zaur Kachmazov in his short essay.
It has been a year since the ICRC had started its emergency operation in South Ossetia in the aftermath of the August 2008 armed conflict to help the population affected by the hostilities.
Currently, a team of around 80 expatriate and national staff work at the ICRC office in Tskhinval. The ICRC maintains constant dialogue with the authorities, coordinating its efforts in providing humanitarian aid to the population.
