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 183 countries.
In Brief
Interim Final Report; Period covered: 11 August 2005 to 30 April 2006; Final appeal coverage: 39.3 %
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.
- Disaster Relief Emergency Funds (DREF) allocated: CHF 200,000 Outstanding needs: CHF 3,333,972 (USD 2,546,358 or EUR 2,136,080)
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 thr ough 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 90,000 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 well functioning 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.
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.
For further information specifically related to this operation please contact:
In China: Mr. Wang Xiaohua, director of external relations department, Red Cross Society of China, Beijing; email: rcsc@chineseredcross.org ; phone: +86.10.6404.8366, fax +86.10.6402.9928.
In China: Mr. Alistair Henley, head of East Asia regional delegation, Beijing, email: alistair.henley@ifr c.org; phone: +86.10.65327162, fax: +86.10.65327166.
In Geneva: Asia and Pacific department, Ms. Ewa Eriksson, East Asia regional officer, email: ewa.eriksson@ifrc.org; phone: +41227304252; fax: +41.22. 7330395
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
For longer-term programmes, please refer to the Federation's Annual Appeal.
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