Summary: CHF 67,867 was allocated from the IFRC’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) on 30 November, 2011 to support the DRC Red Cross national society in delivering First Aid to casualties in case of eventual social and political unrest after the November 2011 presidential and legislative elections.

Ahead of the November 2011 legislative and presidential elections, clashes, social and political tensions were occurring everywhere in the DRC. The Red Cross of DRC had already prepared a contingency plan on elections with support from Movement partners such as IFRC, ICRC and the Belgian Red Cross. The NS needed support for the implementation of that plan. DREF funds were allocated to that effect. With the DREF allocation, the NS trained 250 volunteers who ensured health coverage during and after the presidential and legislative elections. The trained volunteers also sensitized the populations to the culture of peace, explaining the NS’s contingency plan on elections to the Police, the Army, political parties and the civil society in DRC. In addition, the NS pre-positioned first-aid materials in each of the 11 provinces of the country. The materials included 200 first-aid kits, 400 Red Cross aprons and 120 Red Cross jackets. Today, months after the elections, tensions have calmed down, but not everywhere. In fact, thousands are reported to have been displaced internally in North Kivu, and this is generating a new humanitarian crisis that needs intervention.

DG-ECHO and Netherlands and Belgian National Societies and Governments have contributed funds to the complete replenishment of the DREF for this operation. The major donors and partners of DREF include the Red Cross Societies and governments of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the U.S.A., as well as DG-ECHO, the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID), the Medtronic and Z Zurich Foundations and other corporate and private donors. The IFRC, on behalf of the National Society, thanks all for their generous contributions.