Indian Red Cross

You can find us over at Flat No. 8 in the St. Joseph Apartments in Altinho, Mapusa. It’s a residential area, so it’s a bit quieter than the main markets in Goa. Being part of the Red Cross means we deal with a lot of different people who need a bit of help or advice. The office is basically just a regular flat that we’ve turned into a workspace. There are always boxes of supplies stacked in the corners and files on every table. It’s not very organized to look at, but we know where everything is. We spend our days answering the phone and talking to folks from the neighborhood. Sometimes we have volunteers coming in to help sort through things. It gets a bit hot in the afternoons, so we keep the windows open for a breeze. We don’t have a big sign outside, just the address. It’s a simple setup for a lot of community work. People stop by for all sorts of reasons, and we try to do what we can. It’s just a few of us here most days, keeping the records straight and making sure the local needs are met. It’s practical, everyday work for the community. We don't have much, but what we have we use to help anyone who walks through the door.