The Federationís vision is to strive,
through voluntary action, for a world of empowered communities, better
able to address human suffering and crises with hope, respect for dignity
and a concern for equity. Its mission is to improve the lives of vulnerable
people by mobilizing the power of humanity. It is the worldís largest
humanitarian organization and its millions of volunteers are active in
over 183 countries.
In Brief
Appeal No. MAA62001; Programme Update no. 1, Period covered: January to May 2006: Appeal coverage: 38.3%; Outstanding needs: CHF 1,447,000 (USD 1,195,000 or EUR 928,000).
Appeal target: CHF 2,346,000 (USD 1,788,000 or EUR 1,516,000)
Programme summary: From January to May 2006, activities have been carried out in health and care, disaster management (DM), organizational development (OD) and Humanitarian Values. As far as health and care is concerned, the major achievement was the response to the cholera epidemic that occurred in Bafoussam, Cameroon, in April 2006 and the preparedness to Avian Influenza. One of the greatest achievements in health was when the Cameroon Red Cross Society won the best poster (See photo far left) on the occasion of the Global Health Forum, held in Geneva in May 2006. As regards the crisis in Central African Republic (CAR) and Chad resulted in population movement in Cameroon. Training of Red Cross volunteers in Cameroon to respond to the situation was organized. As for OD, the subregional office revised the rules and regulations of the Central African Red Cross Society, taking into consideration comments from the joint commission. In addition, the sub-regional office commended the plan of action developed by the Gabonese Red Cross Society for 2006. Concerning Humanitarian Values, the main activity was the visit to the East province of Cameroon to assess the project on schooling of young and vulnerable girls.
Despite the delay in approving budgets, the overall financial situation of the Appeal is pretty satisfactory. About 67.2% of the budget has already been covered. The funds will be used extensively during the next semester.
Operational developments
The period from January to May 2006 was characterized by conflicts in the Central African Republic (CAR) and Chad. Unidentified groups attacked both the army and the populations in CAR, while a military coup failed in Chad. These events affected the neighbouring Cameroon as there were cross-border population movements into the country. The acting head of the sub-regional delegation, alongside the head of department of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in YaoundÈ, attended urgent meetings organized by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to examine the situation. The Cameroon Red Cross Society (CRCS) also alerted its teams along the borders of CAR and Chad. The sub-regional office organized a training session on population movement management for the CRCS volunteers. A cholera epidemic broke out in Bafoussam, Cameroon prompting the CRCS to conduct a response operation. Preparedness activities to respond to avian influenza were implemented in CAR, Cameroon and Chad.
For further information specifically related to this operation please contact:
In Cameroon: Moulaye Camara, Acting Federation Head of Central Africa Sub-regional Office, YaoundÈ, Email: moulaye.camara@.ifrc.org; Tel +237.221.74.37/38; Mobile +237.950.11.38; Fax +237.221.74.39
In Senegal: Alasan Senghore, Federation Head of West and Central Africa Regional Delegation, Dakar; Email: alasan.senghore@ifrc.org; Tel. +221.869.36.41; Fax +221. 860.20.02
In Geneva: Helene Ruud, Federationís regional officer for Central Africa, Africa Dept.; Email: helene.ruud@ifrc.org; Tel. +41.22.730.49.14; Fax +41.22.733.03.95
All International Federation assistance seeks to adhere to the Code of Conduct and is committed to the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response in delivering quality and accountable assistance to the most vulnerable. For support to or for further information concerning Federation programmes or operations in this or other countries, or for a full description of the national society profile, please access the Federationís website at http://www.ifrc.org
The programmes herein are aligned with the Federation's Global Agenda, which sets out four broad goals to meet the Federation's mission: Reduce the numbers of deaths, injuries and impact from disasters. Reduce the number of deaths, illnesses and impact from diseases and public health emergencies. Increase local community, civil society and Red Cross Red Crescent capacity to address the most urgent situations of vulnerability. Reduce intolerance, discrimination and social exclusion and promote respect for diversity and human dignity.
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