Ambassador Gray’s Visit to the Tunisian Red Crescent
On January 13, 2011, Ambassador Gordon Gray visited the Tunisian Red Crescent’s Training Center for Disaster Relief Volunteers in Megrine. Dr. Tahar Cheniti, Secretary General of the Red Crescent gave the Ambassador a tour of the training facilities, as well as the life-support facilities that allow trainees from distant parts of Tunisia to come to train.
The Ambassador was able to speak to several volunteers who offered different examples of how the training center had been effectively used, as well as presenting ideas on future cooperation between the U.S. Government and the Tunisian Red Crescent.
Dr. Brahim Gharbi, the founder of the Red Crescent Association in Tunisia and the current President of the association, presented the Ambassador with a plaque of appreciation for the Embassy’s support to the Red Crescent Association.
The center was built in 2008 with $315,000 in U.S. Department of Defense Humanitarian Assistance funding and has been instrumental in the Red Crescent’s ability to respond to crises in Tunisia. To support the Red Crescent’s efforts to help people in the aftermath of the Tunisian Revolution, the U.S. presented the association with $50,000 on January 25, 2011.