Keynote Address by the President of ERCS
Keynote Address by Ato Abera Tola, President of the Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS), during the handover of 28 trucks and humanitarian equipment worth £5.4 million donated by the UK’s FCDO.
Read the speech below.
Distinguished Guests,
Your Excellency Mr. Darren Welch the Ambassador of the UK to Ethiopia
Representatives of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office,
Members of the Diplomatic Community,
Members of the Governing Board of the Ethiopian Red Cross Society,
Our Dedicated Staff and Volunteers,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning.
It is with deep honor, sincere gratitude, and great humility that I welcome you all to this important occasion as we receive more than twenty trucks and emergency response vehicles that will strengthen the humanitarian capacity of the Ethiopian Red Cross Society.
Your Excellency, please allow me, on behalf of our millions of members and volunteers, our leadership, staff, and the communities we serve across Ethiopia, to express our heartfelt appreciation to the Government and people of the United Kingdom, and particularly to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, for their unwavering friendship, solidarity, and generosity.
The relationship between the peoples of Ethiopia and the United Kingdom is not a relationship born yesterday. It is a long-standing bond built on mutual respect, shared humanity, and standing together during difficult times. Across decades of humanitarian crises, droughts, conflicts, and public health emergencies, the British people have consistently stood beside the people of Ethiopia — not only with words of sympathy, but with meaningful action, compassion, and partnership.
Your Excellency, during the celebration of His Majesty the King’s Birthday, which I had the privilege to attend, you spoke passionately about the enduring friendship and deep human connection between our two peoples. Those words were not merely diplomatic expressions; they reflected a genuine and living partnership that we continue to witness today through this remarkable support.
Today’s handover is not simply about vehicles. These trucks represent hope, dignity, preparedness, and the ability to save lives.
This support will transform the emergency response capacity of the Ethiopian Red Cross Society. It will enhance our operational capacity tremendously and allow us to reach emergency locations within 72 hours, even in some of the most remote and challenging parts of our country. In humanitarian response, time means life. Every hour saved means families rescued earlier, injured people treated sooner, and communities protected before situations deteriorate further.
These vehicles will also significantly reduce our dependence on rented transportation, lowering operational costs and allowing scarce humanitarian resources to be redirected toward food, medicine, shelter, clean water, and lifesaving assistance for vulnerable communities.
But the contribution of FCDO goes far beyond emergency response.
Recently, I traveled to the southeastern part of Ethiopia and witnessed firsthand the profound impact of this partnership on rural health systems. I visited remote health posts equipped with critical facilities and technologies supported through this collaboration — including solar-powered water systems, improved infrastructure, and essential health equipment that are changing the lives of mothers, children, and underserved communities.
In areas where access to healthcare was once extremely limited, hope is now becoming visible.
Beyond health and emergency interventions, the FCDO has also been instrumental in strengthening institutional capacity within the Ethiopian Red Cross Society itself — supporting the recruitment and placement of qualified professionals, enhancing communication systems, and contributing to long-term institutional development initiatives, including support to our School of Humanity, which aspires to nurture ethical, compassionate, and transformative leadership for the future.
This demonstrates a partnership that is not only responding to crises, but also investing in resilience, systems, institutions, and people.
Your Excellency, humanitarian work today is becoming increasingly complex. The world is facing overlapping crises — climate shocks, conflicts, displacement, disease outbreaks, and growing inequality. In such a time, partnerships built on trust and humanity become more important than ever.
The support we celebrate today sends a powerful message: that humanity still matters; that solidarity still matters; and that standing with vulnerable people is a responsibility we all share.
To the Government and people of the United Kingdom, we say thank you.
Thank you for believing in the mission of the Ethiopian Red Cross Society.
Thank you for standing with the people of Ethiopia.
Thank you for investing in humanity, dignity, and hope.
We also reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that this support reaches those who need it most — impartially, transparently, and effectively.
Finally, I would like to thank all our partners, invited guests, members of the diplomatic community, volunteers, staff, and supporters who continue to walk this humanitarian journey with us.
We Live for Humanity!