Establishment of Red Cross Aruba
Captain Woody Schotborg of the “Koninklijke Nederlandse Indische Leger” arrived in Aruba around 1953. He was a member of the East Indian Red Cross. He was sent by The Netherlands to “East India” to become a Red Cross member in collaboration with the Antilles.
In 1956 he founded Cruz Cora Aruba, but it wasn’t until October 31, 1957 that Cruz Cora Aruba was officially established, the statutes and regulations had to be first processed in Curacao because The Antilles were, at the time, still governed from Curacao.
The official name is “Het Nederlandse Rode Kruis Afdeling Aruba”.
Red Cross Aruba’s First Building
The building that Crus Cora Aruba used was a barrack next to the Riverplate field. Later they used the police station in Oranjestad, especially the classroom to give training.
After that Crus Cora used the school to the south of Elmar in Oranjestad. Sometime after 1960 and 1961 Crus Cora Aruba purchased their first building from the Don Bosco foundation that is in Fergusonstraat (now Pedro Gallegostraat).