Rio de Janeiro State Branch
Part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, serving the state of Rio de Janeiro.
The Brazilian Red Cross — Rio de Janeiro Branch is the Rio de Janeiro State branch of the Brazilian Red Cross, the National Society of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in Brazil. The Movement brings together the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the National Society of each country, all bound by the same seven fundamental principles.
We are a non-profit organisation, registered under Brazilian tax ID (CNPJ) 08.560.973/0001-97, and officially recognised as a public-interest organisation by Municipal Law 5,153/2010 and State Law 9,984/2023. The work is led by an executive board and thematic coordination teams, and carried out largely by volunteers trained by the branch itself.
We train our own volunteers, including in first aid, run preventive education and support communities across the state through campaigns such as the Winter Clothing Drive and the Impacto das Cores project.
The branch's school, the Escola de Educação e Saúde CVB-RJ (School of Education and Health), is run by O-CVB Filial Rio de Janeiro Ensino Ltda, a company linked to the branch. Its in-person classes are taught in Portuguese in downtown Rio de Janeiro, and its result goes to the upkeep of the headquarters and to the branch's work.
The branch operates from the Red Cross Palace, at Praça da Cruz Vermelha, 10, in the centre of Rio de Janeiro. The building is the historic headquarters of the Brazilian Red Cross and its federal listing was unanimously approved in 2021 by the Advisory Council of IPHAN, Brazil's National Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute.
The branch does not run a clinic, schedule medical appointments or respond to emergencies. In an emergency in Brazil, call 192 (ambulance) or 193 (fire brigade).
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is the largest humanitarian network in the world, and it has three parts. The International Committee of the Red Cross works in armed conflict, with a mandate given to it by the Geneva Conventions. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies coordinates the response to disasters outside conflict. And in each country there is one National Society, auxiliary to the public authorities in humanitarian matters — in Brazil, the Brazilian Red Cross.
This branch is the Rio de Janeiro State arm of that National Society. The emblem is not a brand: it is a protective sign defined in international humanitarian law, and its use is restricted. That is also why the seven fundamental principles below are not a statement of values but the conditions under which the Movement is allowed to work — neutrality and impartiality are what let a Red Cross team reach people that no one else can reach.
Four areas of work, all carried out from the headquarters in central Rio de Janeiro and across the state.
The branch trains its own volunteers, with no requirement of a health background. After registering and a selection interview, those accepted take the CBFI, the initial volunteer training held at the headquarters four times a year, and then join one of the coordination teams — humanitarian action, first aid, disaster risk management, youth, sport, psychosocial support.
The branch trains its volunteers in first aid and brings that preparation to events and field operations.
Collective painting efforts that bring community spaces back into use. The point is as much the work itself as the bond it builds between volunteers and residents.
Collection of coats, blankets and shoes for families in vulnerable situations, received at the headquarters from Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm, and sorted before distribution.
Four ways to take part, depending on what brings you here.
Open to anyone, with no health background required. The working language is Portuguese.
PIX or card, once or monthly, with a Brazilian CPF. From outside Brazil, write to us — the donation page explains how.
Sister National Societies, institutions and companies.
Questions about volunteering, donations, the headquarters or the school? Write to us in English, Spanish or Portuguese.
Write to us in English, Spanish or Portuguese. We answer by e-mail within three business days.
Course pages, enrolment and the payment screen are in Portuguese, because the courses themselves are taught in Portuguese, in person, in Rio de Janeiro.