This report covers the period 01/01/2009 to 30/06/2009.
In brief
Programme purpose: The programmes herein are aligned with the 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".
The Red Cross Society of Eritrea (RCSE) and Red Crescent Society of Djibouti (RCSD) programmes focussed on strengthening disaster preparedness, response and recovery capacities. Both National Societies (NS) play a leading role to strengthen their respective communities to address the most urgent situations of vulnerability in the country. Red Cross Society of Eritrea programmes focus on Community Based Health Development Programme (CBHDP), Disaster Management (DM) and Principles and Humanitarian Values.
Programmes summary: The year was marked with the change of the Secretary General of the RCSE. The Rural Water and Sanitation Project (RWSP) resumed at the beginning of the year after two years delay. The Netherlands RC takes the lead role in the consortium and has appointed an advisor to the RWSP who arrived in the country at the beginning of 2009. In order to include current needs, the RWSP document was reviewed in consultation with the Zobas through the RCSE branches. A consultant was deployed to conduct the review jointly with the project advisor, RCSE and the International Federation. The reviewed document was signed by the RCSE and forwarded to the Federation for approval before sending it to the European Union (EU).
RCSE participated in the 150th anniversary of the foundation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (RC/RC) in Solferino, Italy that was commemorated under the theme ''Youth on the Move''. The objective of the gathering was to bring international youth and volunteers together to share their experiences and develop a common vision for humanity, address human suffering caused by manmade and natural calamities and work together to alleviate human suffering.
One of the major constraints for the RCSE is being in the process of formation and yet to be officially recognized by the government of Eritrea. The change in the management, specifically the appointment of the new Secretary General (SG) was also another factor which slowed down the implementation rate of the major activities planned in the last two quarters. Due to the above mentioned constraints the first half of the year was more devoted to planning and revising project proposals submitted from the six braches. Financial shortage and lack of pledges from Partner National Societies (PNS) was also another major constraint that affected the community based health development programme.
The Red Cross Society of Djibouti (RCSD) is a leading humanitarian actor in the country with limited resources. Due to the food security needs identified by the assessment conducted in the last quarter of 2008, the RCSD was part of the Horn of Africa food security crisis appeal MDR64003. The overall objective of the programme is to supply food to 15,353 most vulnerable people, rehabilitate water pans, establish water trucking system supported by community hygiene promotion programmes and construction of latrines to avoid outbreak of water borne diseases. Moreover, the programme also tries to address other pressing needs of the vulnerable population such as distribution of tarpaulins to help children, pregnant women, breast feeding mothers and the elderly to stay healthy through the cold and rainy season. The programme is ongoing since its inception early this year. Thus, the RCSD is fully involved and overstretched with this Horn of Africa food insecurity operation. Due to this fact the 2009 implementation rate is low for the other programmes. The Federation supported both NS in disaster response to vulnerable members of community through mobilizing resources and providing training to communities, volunteers and community leaders and the staff. The Federation also contributed in supporting the RCSE and RCSD staff participation to regional workshops to upgrade their capacity.
Financial situation: The total 2009 budget is CHF 2,434,133 (USD 2294170 or EUR 1604094), of which 33 per cent covered. Expenditure overall was CHF 357,479
No. of people we help: Some 60,000 people benefited directly from the Federation supported programme interventions mainly in disaster preparedness and response, health and care, Water and Sanitation (WatSan). In total about 180,000 people from 180 villages are expected to benefit from the programme by the end of the year.
Our partners: Partners who provide financial and technical support to the RCSE include Danish, Netherlands, Swedish, Finnish, Austrian Red Cross Societies, the Federation and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) among others. Other partners include UN agencies such as World Food Programme (WFP). The RCSE works in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources department, National Union of Eritrean Women, National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students, Eritrean Demining Agency and the communities.