# @americanredcross on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DD72ttBJnzd
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/72589221-americanredcross-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/0b12be7a55.jpg
- **Posted:** 2024-12-23T21:02:12.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** American Red Cross (@americanredcross) — https://gondola.cc/americanredcross

## Caption

"We have to believe in a better world, or else, why do what we do?" According to Hossam Elsharkawi, hope is the driving force behind his humanitarian career. It's something he learned about when he was 3 years old.

"I'm the son of refugees. Don't let the tie fool you. In 1967, when the conflict in Gaza happened, I was with my grandparents and my 2-year-old brother. My grandfather's house was bombed, and we were both injured by glass shrapnel.

It was the ICRC that medevaced us out of Gaza. My earliest childhood memories are of that evacuation — of a Red Cross truck. I have flashbacks of the cross on a white background on a big truck. I remember my grandfather telling me as he handed us to a Red Cross delegate, 'You are the big boy now. Take care of your brother.'

I remember feeling proud, you know, 'I'm going to take care of my brother,' and I remember feeling like I was an adult already at 3."

This experience subconsciously shaped Dr. Elsharkawi's career, "I didn't grow up thinking, 'Oh, at 3 years old, this happened to me.' This is a memory that kind of disappeared and only came back way later."

He currently leads aid efforts for the IFRC in the Middle East and North Africa, focusing on reaching vulnerable people and communities often forgotten during disasters.

"There are good people everywhere. And that keeps me going," Dr. Elsharkawi said. "There is no higher calling than helping others and making a difference, and I see that every day. We make a difference."

Because of Dr. Elsharkawi's work, more communities have access to safe drinking water, emergency medical services, mental health support, and much more.

Dr. Elsharkawi has dedicated his life to saving others. When asked what a Red Cross vest means to him, his answer perfectly illustrates his compassionate spirit, "For me, it's a symbol of humility, hope and dignity for people." 

#StoriesThatInspire

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storiesthatinspire

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