The Federation's mission is to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity. It is the world's largest humanitarian organization and its millions of volunteers are active in over 185 countries.
In Brief
Period covered: January to February 2007
Appeal coverage: 31%.
Appeal history:
- Preliminary Emergency Appeal was launched on 18 May 2006 for CHF 1,206,656 to assist 30,000 beneficiaries for 6 months.
- Revised Emergency Appeal was issued on 22 June 2006 for CHF 1,392,404 (USD 950,000 or EUR 740,000) to assist 1,000,000 beneficiaries for 6 months. This revision also confirmed the Appeal as a full Emergency Appeal.
- Operations Update no. 2 was issued on 31 August 2006.
- Operations Update no. 3 was issued on 25 October 2006.
- Operations Update no. 4, issued on 5 January 2007, extended the operation's timeframe by six months (until the end of June 2007).
- Operations Update no. 5 was issued on 9 March 2007.
- This Operations Update revises the Appeal budget from CHF 1,392,404 to CHF 2,305,164 (USD 1,895,694 or EUR 1,422,940).
- Disaster Relief Emergency Funds (DREF) allocated: CHF 200,165 (USD 164,097 or EUR 124,519).
Outstanding needs: CHF 1,587,919 (USD 1,305,854 or EUR 980,197).
Operational Summary: Presently, the reported cholera cases are over 100 per day, and are likely to remain high until the end of the rainy season in May 2007. A total of 75,627 cases and 2,979 deaths have been reported since 13 February 2006, translating to a case fatality rate of 4%. Between January and February 2007, 8,207 cholera cases and 258 deaths were reported, reducing the case fatality rate to 3%. The provinces with the highest number of new cases shifted from Cunene, Uíge, Huila and Huambo to Luanda, Benguela and Cabinda.
Angola Red Cross activities have targeted mainly Luanda and Benguela provinces. However, they also extend to Bengo, Cabinda, Cunene, Huila, Kwanza Norte, Kwanza Sul, Malange and Uíge provinces.
Over 56,000 families benefited from Red Cross activities in January and February 2007 through social mobilization, provision of clean water and sanitation, and relief distributions. Since the launch of the Appeal in May 2006, 700 volunteers have been trained while 1,500,000 people have been reached. Partnerships are being strengthened with stakeholders, including the government of Angola, United Nations (UN) agencies and international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) operational in Angola.
This operation is aligned with the International Federation's Global Agenda, which sets out four broad goals to meet the Federation's mission to "improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity".
Global Agenda Goals:
- 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.
Background
The cholera outbreak, which started in February 2006, is the worst in Angola's history. From February to September 2006, 15 provinces were affected and in October 2006, an additional province (Cunene) was affected. In January and February 2007, 8,207 new cases and 258 deaths were reported. This brings the cumulative total to 75,627 cases and 2,979 deaths in 16 provinces.
Cholera is more prevalent in impoverished communities which have limited access to hygiene, water and health services, such as over-populated shack dwellings around Angola's major cities. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), only 50% of Angola's 15 million people have access to safe water. The Ministry of Health (MoH) has forecast an increase of cases in the first quarter of 2007. The rainy season is likely to continue to worsen the cholera situation, as water sources become polluted and hygiene conditions deteriorate.
For further information specifically related to this operation please contact:
In Angola: Varter Bombo Guange Quifica, Secretary General, Secretary General, Angola Red Cross, Luanda ; Email: cruzvermelha@netangola.com; Phone: +244.2.33.39.91; Fax: +244.2.39.11.70
In Angola: Martin Acosta, Federaton Representative, Angola Delegation, Luanda; Email: martin.acosta@ifrc.org; Phone: + 244.222.372.868; Fax: +244.222.372.868
In Zimbabwe: Françoise Le Goff, Federation Head of Southern Africa Regional Delegation, Harare; Email: francoise.legoff@ifrc.org; Phone: +263.4.70.61 55; +263.4.72.03.15; Fax: +263.4.70.87.84
In Geneva: John Roche, Federation Regional Officer for Southern Africa, Africa Dept., Geneva; Email: john.roche@ifrc.org; Phone: +41.22.730.44.00, Fax: +41.22.733.03.95
All International Federation assistance seeks to adhere to the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO's) in Disaster Relief and is committed to the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response (Sphere) in delivering assistance to the most vulnerable.
For longer-term programmes in this or other countries or regions, please refer to the Federation's Annual Appeal.
For support to or for further information concerning Federation programmes or operations in this or other countries, or for national society profiles, please also access the Federation's website at http://www.ifrc.org