Update

In brief

Programme purpose:

The overall purpose of the disaster management (DM) programme aligns with the Global Agenda goal 1, that is,. to strengthen the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) capacity in disaster preparedness and disaster response and to enhance cooperation with the government and other stakeholders.

The overall purpose of the health and care programme aligns with the Global Agenda goal 2, which is, to improve the IRCS capacity in planning, to raise awareness on the preventive health needs and by responding to public health emergencies, including HIV/AIDS, through prevention, care and support by strengthening the Red Cross Volunteer (RCV) network.

The organisational development (OD) programme aligns with the Global Agenda goal 3; to focus on strengthening the systems and structures so that IRCS has improved capacity to provide effective services to reduce suffering of the vulnerable.

The humanitarian values programme is align to the Global Agenda goal 4; to promote respect for diversity and human dignity, and to reduce intolerance, discrimination and social exclusion.

Programme summary:

During the reporting period, the country witnessed quite a few emergencies including Avian Influenza (West Bengal) and serial bomb blasts (Rajasthan, Gujarat and Karnataka). In January 2008, avian influenza (Bird Flu) was reported in West Bengal. The state had faced a similar situation in 2007 so the state branch responded in a coordinated manner. The public health in emergency (PHiE) training curriculum of the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) has been well received by other agencies, including the United Nations. In January 2008, the National Society finished the first phase of PHiE training which was initiated in 2006. The HIV programme was implemented as planned with a good implementation rate and earlier this year the mid-term evaluation was carried out by Swedish Red Cross for all the three countries (Bangladesh, India and Nepal). The evaluation supported the programme run by IRCS and provided "A" grading for it. Further the HIV Consortium also met during the reporting period with the eight partners and reviewed the current HIV intervention strategy of the IRCS. Supported by the Federation, the National Society made efforts to adopt the integrated programming approach (IPA) for its programmes in 2008. A pilot project has been initiated in Uttarakhand state branch, which is a disaster prone area. A joint assessment was undertaken by organisational development (OD) and disaster management (DM) programmes to identify the needs of the branch and orient them on integrated planning through the IPA approach. Furthermore, the assessment was aimed to formulating future steps to be taken by the branch including IPA programme design.

The OD programme supported the IPA approach in programming along with taking up importantissues such as the National Society development plan (NSDP) and volunteer management. Finance development has gained momentum with a taskforce formed (National Society and the International Federation) to implement the financial software for enabling good financial reporting. During the reporting period the software was purchased and a plan of action for implementation is being drafted. On the communication front, the draft communication strategy was shared with International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) and has received a few comments, which are being looked into by a sub-group (National Society, International Federation and the ICRC). Under PMER (planning, monitoring, evaluation and reporting) a PPP1 training was organised for the National Society in May 2008 to facilitate the 2009/10 planning process. The training was attended by the programme managers of the National Society, partner national societies (PNSs) and the International Federation.

In 2008 the IRCS elevated its humanitarian values (HV) programme as a separate programme with a dedicated focal point in the national headquarters and the Federation. The National Society aligned its HV programme with Global Agenda goal 4 and wanted the local issues to be represented through this platform. In this regards issues such as female foeticide and gender have been given attention by the National Society along with gender equity issues.

Financial situation: The total 2008 budget is CHF 3,640, 420 (USD 3.4 million or EUR 2.2 million),of which 93 percent is covered. The overall expenditure against the budget was 22 percent. Click here to go directly to the attached financial report

No. of people we help: Approximately 93,000 people benefited from IRCS programmes. Our partners: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, National AIDS Control Organization of India, UN agencies (United Nations Development Programme, UNICEF and the World Health Organization) are the main partners of the IRCS outside of the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement. In country, the National Society has Red Cross partners like American Red Cross, British Red Cross, Canadian Red Cross, Danish Red Cross, German Red Cross, Hong Kong branch of the Red Cross Society of China, Italian Red Cross, Spanish Red Cross, Swedish Red Cross and ICRC.