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China

China: Floods Appeal No. 05EA017 Final Report

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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

Final Report; Period covered: March 2005 to May 2007; Final appeal coverage: 37.9 %

Appeal history:

- Launched on 11 August 2005 for CHF 5,501,604 (USD 4,274,751 or EUR 2,525,539) for 9 months to assist 400,000 beneficiaries.

- Information bulletin 1 to 7 issued prior to appeal launch.

- Interim final report issued on 5 June 2006.

- Disaster Relief Emergency Funds (DREF) allocated: CHF 200,000

Related Emergency or Annual Appeals: 2006-2007 China Appeal MAACN001, 2006-2007 East Asia Appeal MAA54001

Operational Summary:

From May to November 2005, losses sustained by millions of rural farmers due to severe floods and landslides beginning in May in southern and southeastern China were compounded by a host of other natural disasters which coincided with the floods. Millions of people were evacuated and hundreds of thousands of families were left destitute following the loss of their homes, personal belongings and their fields. Nine months on, many of the fields remain covered in silt and are useless for planting. In many cases, elderly parents are looking after young children and working the available farmland while those of working age have headed to the cities to earn money to rebuild their homes or supplement lost income. The Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) through its provincial and county level branches provided local assistance to millions of people both through relief activities, and annual warmth deliveries of household items which took place during the Lunar New Year. The RCSC with support from the Federation's DREF provided initial emergency relief items to some 26,000 families in Guangxi and Guizhou in July; and some 150,000 families have received assistance in Anhui, Guangxi, Hunan, Jiangxi and Sichuan through this Emergency Appeal.

Relief assistance provided to flood-affected families touches upon some of the larger existing socio-economic challenges that are facing China today. Perhaps the greatest impact of the operation has been the psychological support being provided to the expanding vulnerable demographic of elderly headed and female headed households in the rural areas.

The frequency and scope of natural and industrial disasters in China continues to rise creating a greater need for disaster preparedness within communities and Red Cross branches at the local, provincial and national levels. The remaining balance of CHF 51,110 will be allocated to the RCSC's 2006 Federation supported Disaster Management Programme. In an effort to develop the RCSC's capacity for disaster response at the national, provincial and local levels, the RCSC with support from the Federation's Regional delegation will work towards developing a wellfunctioning national disaster response team (NDRT), enhancing RCSC management and leadership in disaster preparedness and response through good use of resources and addressing needs. This initiative will include developing and providing training materials and courses, to inform RCSC staff members on current international standards and practices on disaster planning and disaster response.

For further information specifically related to this operation please contact:

Red Cross Society of China: Wang Xiaohua (director of external relations department); email: rcsc@chineseredcross.org; phone: +86.10.6404.8366, fax +86.10.6402.9928.

Federation East Asia regional delegation in China: Alistair Henley (head of regional delegation); alistair.henley@ifrc.org; phone: +86.10.6532.7162, fax: +86.10.6532.7166.

Federation Secretariat in Geneva (Asia Pacific department): Ewa Eriksson (regional officer); email: ewa.eriksson@ifrc.org; phone: +41.22.730.4252; fax: +41.22.733.0395; or Sandra Rosner (senior assistant); email: sandra.rosner@ifrc.org; phone: +41.22.730.4456; fax: +41.22.733.0395