Defender marks 70 years of its landmark humanitarian charity partnership with British Red Cross

 

Defender will celebrate a landmark moment in its relationship with the British Red Cross as it marks 70 years of its humanitarian partnership – one of the longest-standing charity partnerships of its kind in the world.

 

Defender can trace its roots back to the very first Series Land Rover, which made its world debut at the Amsterdam Motor Show in April 1948 and entered service with the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in 1954. This year marks 70 years since that first vehicle – a specially adapted model used as a mobile dispensary – went into service in the deserts of Dubai.

Today, Defender’s commitment to supporting communities in crisis continues with the announcement of its latest flagship project, appropriately located in Italy, the birthplace of the world’s largest humanitarian organisation, 160 years ago.

During a celebration to mark the start of the Movement, first envisioned 160 years ago by founder Henry Dunant in Solferino, a specially equipped Defender 130 emergency response vehicle has been handed over to the Italian Red Cross. Fitted with advanced satellite communications hardware, the 130 will provide continuous, nationwide connection and access in some of the most hard-to reach, disaster-hit locations in the country.

The new vehicle has been modified with the support of Italian Red Cross specialists to handle extraordinary emergencies and will ensure the mobilisation of relief efforts is never compromised by cellular network outages – a common issue during environmental disasters, such as floods and mudslides.

The pioneering project incorporates the use of satellite technology through a dish mounted on the roof of the vehicle. The technology is already used in the static emergency units of the Italian Red Cross but will be deployed for the first time on a mobile unit via Defender 130 Outbound, which is ready to tackle the roughest terrain and most challenging conditions.

The vehicle will also be equipped with a winch and tow hook, allowing it to make full use of Defender 130 Outbound’s 3,000kg towing capacity. Defender works with the British Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), helping vulnerable communities prepare for, respond to and recover from crises around the world. Across seven decades, the partnership is estimated to have positively impacted the lives of over two million people in more than 50 countries.

 

Mark Cameron, Managing Director, Defender, said: 

“The long-standing partnership between Defender and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement shows what can be achieved when working together with a lasting commitment. So far, our partnership with the British Red Cross and IFRC has positively impacted more than two million lives around the world. What started in the deserts of Dubai and forest villages of Kenya in 1954 has become part of our DNA. Together, we provide vital assistance for humanity, often when the tarmac runs out and in the harshest of conditions.  I hope we will still be helping those most in need for another seven decades.”

 

Defender will participate in a range of celebrations and fundraising initiatives this year to support the partnership and showcase its ongoing international work.

 

Powered by compassion

With communities facing disasters on top of threats such as food insecurity, conflict and climate change, the work of the partnership has never been more important. Defender is an active participant in six key international projects around the globe.

UK: Defender works alongside British Red Cross teams across the UK, including in North Wales where a specially adapted Defender 130 emergency response vehicle was donated last year to support communities disrupted by extreme weather. Defender also supports those affected by emergencies such as house fires and power cuts, funding volunteer training and essential supplies.

Nepal: Nepal is a global hotspot for natural disasters and Defender is helping communities across eight at-risk regions with the Nepal Red Cross Society. The projects give vulnerable communities the knowledge and confidence to prepare for disasters, to increase their resilience and reduce the impact of emergencies. In two years, more than 15,000 households have been helped.

Italy: Search and rescue is part of Defender’s DNA. Defender funding helps to train hundreds of volunteers, provide essential provisions and arrange vital deployment drills and simulation exercises to enhance international search and rescue capabilities. This ensures Red Cross and Red Crescent personnel can deliver essential support at a moment's notice, wherever crisis strikes.

Australia: Defender supports community disaster resilience in New South Wales, where bushfires and floods threaten vulnerable populations. Supported by Defender, the Australian Red Cross is working in disaster-prone areas to support the set-up of community response teams that play a lead role in emergency management locally. This empowering approach has trained more than 4,000 people. Defenders are used nationwide to help the Australian Red Cross reach remote communities.

Switzerland: Since April 2023, Defender has supported the REDOG search and rescue organisation, part of the Swiss Red Cross, which focuses on the training of rapid deployment search dogs in Switzerland and beyond. Its funding has trained 400 team members – its operatives have deployed 23 dog teams in this time.

Morocco: Through its work with the IFRC, Defender is there when it’s needed most. It supports disaster and emergency relief efforts with vehicles which are currently deployed in Morocco in the aftermath of the 2023 earthquake – the deadliest to hit the country in the last 20 years.

 

Here for humanity, together

Across seven decades, the support for the British Red Cross and IFRC has helped those affected by conflict and natural disasters the world over.

After the first mobile dispensary went into service in 1954, several Series I Land Rovers were dispatched to Kenya to support nurses with providing medical and welfare services to women and children in the forest villages of the Nyeri district.

In 1968, vehicles were sent to Nigeria to support the humanitarian efforts of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies during the Biafran Conflict, while Land Rovers distributed aid in the aftermath of the Andhra Pradesh cyclone in India in 1977.

Between 2008 and 2009, Defenders were involved in hurricane response operations in both the Turks and Caicos and the Cayman Islands. They also supported sanitation projects and training exercises in Tajikistan in 2015. This project alone educated more than 42,000 adults and 4,000 children in basic health and hygiene.

More recently, the relationship between the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and Defender resulted in colleagues helping test the suitability of the latest model for humanitarian work. Fleet experts from the IFRC in Dubai took to the unforgiving desert sand and twisting tarmac of the Jebel Jais highway to evaluate the all-terrain capability and on road composure of Defender prototypes in 2019.

Defender then played a key role during the Covid-19 pandemic, with a fleet of 27 vehicles deployed with the British Red Cross to deliver medicine and food to vulnerable people across the UK. Globally a fleet of 267 Defenders supported the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.