Attachments
The Federation's mission is to improve
the lives of vulnerable people by mobilising the power of humanity. It
is the world's largest humanitarian organisation and its millions of volunteers
are active in 178 countries. For more information: www.ifrc.org
Appeal target: CHF 520,787; Appeal coverage:
12%
Overall Analysis of the programme
The Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) has been going through a change and restructuring period over the past few years that has improved its capacity to manage and run effective programmes and activities. The process has turned the national society from an emergency relief orientated organisation into being more responsive to community needs while still retaining the capacity to mount large emergency interventions.
The national society's 2001-2005 strategic development plan is built around three strategic directions to:
- make its programmes more responsive
to grassroots and community-based needs in order to build capacities and
reduce vulnerabilities
- strengthen its headquarters and branches,
decentralise its structures and build a greater degree of self-reliance
- build long-term partnerships and funding
base both within the Red Cross Movement and with organisations in the country
- play a more active advocacy role.
The Federation delegation assists ERCS in resource mobilisation, co-ordination and technical inputs and support. External funding to the national society is provided mainly through bilateral programmes, and has been consolidated within the 2001-2005 Strategic Development Plan of the ERCS which represents the main fundraising tool for the national society. In 2002, the position of Federation Representative for Ethiopia remained vacant between February and October when a new representative was finally recruited.
Separate programme documents on HIV/AIDS, water/sanitation and disaster preparedness have been sent to partners. The Federation did not launch an appeal on behalf of the national society for these programmes in 2002, but focused on an organizational development programme started at the beginning of 2001.
Organizational Development
Objective 1: To develop organisational and management skills at headquarters as well as to establish more effective financial and management information systems.
The computerisation of the national society's accounts was completed in the year and the parallel manual accounting control system abandoned, resulting into the more timely production of financial reports.
The development of management and financial information systems was not followed up as planned, while the review of the training needs of senior and middle managers was delayed. The reorganisation of the national society's Institutional Development Department was postponed to 2003.
Objective 2: To strengthen the branches through a more effective management system.
A draft branch management manual was produced in 2002 and will be finalized in 2003, and as a result, the implementation of recommendations for branch development could not be monitored.
Management system training for branches was postponed to 2003 due to non-completion of the review of training needs (see objective 1).
The organisational capacity of the national headquarters has improved including the information flow and more effective co-ordination based on improved financial and management information systems. Branches have improved their understanding of the local communities and, through an increased capacity to mobilise and use volunteers effectively, implement programmes with measurable impact. However, emphasis still needs to be given to supporting the branches in improving their understanding of strategic planning to increase their capacity to independently manage their own programmes.
Objective 3: To develop and implement more focused and responsive programmes that build on the national society's comparative advantage and have impact at community level.
All activities to achieve this objective have been implemented. Technical assistance was provided for the implementation of the HIV/AIDS and disaster preparedness programmes, and these activities were effectively carried out. Follow up was provided to the integration of ARCHI in health programmes, focusing on volunteer management and closer cooperation with local communities
A workshop for Branch Secretaries and HIV/AIDS Coordinators revised and finalised proposals developed by 17 branches, and developed a common understanding of the goals, implementation strategy, monitoring and reporting modalities of the youth peer education programme and the home and community based care programme. Support was also received from the Regional HIV/AIDS delegate in the preparations for the training of branch coordinators to implementing the national society's HIV/AIDS prevention and care programme.
With the support of the Regional HIV/AIDS Programme Assistant, the Home Based and Community Care programme in Tigray branch of the national society has been documented into a best practice which and shared with other national societies for learning purposes.
The Federation provided support in developing Water and Sanitation and food security programmes and in the resource mobilisation for these programmes. A Water and Sanitation strategy defining the role of the national society's Water and Sanitation team was developed with assistance from the Regional Delegation, which also provided support the follow up of pilot PHAST projects at the branches. Refer to Objective 5 for food security interventions.
Objective 4: To co-ordinate partners and their assistance to the national society and its programmes.
Regular contact was maintained with partners and meetings held with support from the Regional Delegation. The Co-operation Agreement Strategy (CAS) was revised and shared with partners at the end of the year. The Ethiopia Red Cross Partnership meeting is scheduled for March 2003.
However, the absence of a Federation Representative for seven months slowed down the CAS process during much of the year.
Objective 5: To respond to disasters in a timely and effective manner in order to ensure effective co-ordination and resource mobilization.
Following a request by the government for ERCS to assist with a meningitis control programme, the national society mobilised its volunteers to carry out community mobilization activities in two villages in
Dawro Zone for people to be vaccinated by the Ministry of Health. The national society also strengthened its collaboration and established good partnerships with other actors during the campaign, and was highly commended by the Ministry of Health for its critical support in containing the epidemic during an assessment of the campaign conducted by Geneva Senior Medical Epidemiologist and the Regional Health delegate.
The Federation supported the ERCS by carrying out two assessments as part of a disaster response to a drought in Ethiopia, resulting in the joint implementation of an ongoing drought operation from November 2002, in close coordination with the government's Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Commission, the UN agencies in Ethiopia, and other humanitarian agencies. The operation includes a Cash for Work emergency programme in South Wollo for 45,500 beneficiaries, and food distributions in West Harerghe for 75,000 beneficiaries. The national society is also collaborating with the ICRC on emergency interventions in several zones throughout the country. Limited Red Cross action has been carried out in South Wollo and Afar regions, and includes food, health, Water and Sanitation, monitoring, branch capacity building and advocacy.
The Regional Disaster Preparedness/Response department is assisting in monitoring the drought situation while the Logistics and Finance units are supporting the drought operation. The Regional Information delegate gave an extensive coverage of the ERCS response in South Wollo and West Haraghe resulting into the posting of four feature articles on the Federation website.
Through the support of two members of the Working Group on Food Security from the national societies of Sudan and Tanzania, the Ethiopia Red Cross Society was assisted to revise and finalise its draft food security strategy that has been shared with partners. A long-term food security programme has been developed.
The Ethiopian Red Cross completed two emergency programmes at the beginning of 2002 and set up another one in November 2002 in response to the recurrent drought. The national society has established/improved its image as a well coordinated and efficient emergency response organization.
Objective 6: To build on the already established relations with the OAU in order to raise the profile of the Federation.
This objective could not be achieved due to the long absence of a Federation Representative in Ethiopia for the best part of 2002.
Constraints
Though many of the planned activities were not implemented due to the absence of a Federation Representative in country for much of 2002, considerable results were achieved in particular in streamlining national programmes and disaster response.
For further details please contact: Josse Gillijns; Phone: 41 22 730 4224; Fax: 41 22 733 03 95; email: josse.gillijns@ifrc.org
All International Federation Operations seek to adhere to the Code of Conduct and are committed to the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response (SPHERE Project) in delivering assistance to the most vulnerable.
For further information concerning Federation operations in this or other countries, please access the Federation website at http://www.ifrc.org.
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