The Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS) is a membership-based humanitarian organization established under Uganda’s Red Cross Act in 1964. It joined the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in 1965 and works through a network of 51 branches to support communities across the country. Its activities focus on saving lives, strengthening resilience and assisting people before, during and after emergencies.

URCS provides first aid and ambulance services, including emergency response, patient referrals, event standby support and commercial ambulance hire. It offers practical first aid and safety training for individuals, families, workplaces, organizations and schools, with courses covering CPR, fire safety, water quality and youth first aid. Its humanitarian programs include disaster preparedness and response, epidemic and pandemic response, blood donor recruitment, water, sanitation and hygiene, nutrition, maternal and child health, food security, livelihoods and family links restoration. The society also supports girls’ menstrual hygiene through its Keep A Girl in School initiative and promotes youth and women’s livelihoods.