Under the auspices of the Yugoslav Red Cross, the Slovenian branch launched numerous humanitarian activities, including the collection and distribution of aid to refugees and internees of the WWII.

The Slovenian Red Cross also marked the 70th anniversary with the issuing of a commemorative stamp and the Red Cross week, which was observed between 8 and 15 March.

The week featured a humanitarian campaign in which food, personal care products and school accessories for the poor, as well as concerts and blood donation campaigns organised by local units.

Currently, the Slovenian Red Cross is providing food packages to more than 156,400 people, and more than 70% of its work is related to social affairs, according to its secretary general Danijel Starman.

The organisation's latest major campaign was the relief effort following the February ice storm, which involved a total of 650 employees and volunteers.

"The Slovenian Red Cross is very proud of the work of volunteers, who participated both in blood donation campaigns and disaster relief efforts for all these years," Starman told the STA.

The Slovenian Red Cross is organised in 56 regional units and 887 local units, featuring almost 14,700 volunteers, who annually volunteer a total of 578,300 hours.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was founded as a humanitarian institution in Geneva in 1863, by Henry Dunant and Gustave Moynier. It was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on three occasions.

As Slovenians joined the organisation in 1866 as part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the year 2016 will mark 150 years of the work of the Red Cross on the territory of present-day Slovenia.