This report covers the period 1 January to 31 December 2011
Programme outcome
The 2011 disaster management (DM) programme focused on four strategic DM objectives of the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS). These include disaster risk reduction (DRR) for “building safer communities”, national disaster preparedness and response mechanisms, disaster preparedness and response capacity building, and branches interagency coordination.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Strategy 2020 aims to: (1) Save lives, protect livelihoods and strengthen recovery from disasters and crisis; (2) Align itself and provide momentum to these four DM strategic objectives of IRCS.
The expected impacts include effective preparedness and timely response to disasters and crisis, a reduction in number of deaths, losses, damages and other detrimental consequences, and improved restoration of community functioning. In 2011, a new result was added under the organizational preparedness component of the DM programme to support IRCS response to the monsoon disasters in the states of Sikkim and Odisha (formerly known as Orissa).
The overall objective of the health and care programme is aligned with Strategy 2020. It emphasizes enabling healthy and safe living, improving the capacity of IRCS in planning, raising awareness on preventive health as well as response to public health emergencies, including HIV and AIDS, through prevention, care and support by strengthening the National Society’s volunteer network. Trained staff at IRCS national headquarters, as well as state and district branches, significantly contributed to improved project planning, regular monitoring and timely submission of reports. In 2011, the tuberculosis (TB) control project and malaria prevention and control programme have effectively enhanced IRCS’s role as auxiliary to the government, through close collaboration of the society’s health units with government health programmes.
The purpose of the organizational development programme is to improve capacity of IRCS in order to provide effective services to reduce suffering of the vulnerable by integrating it with DM, health and other programmes of the National Society in addition to working closely with the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) and partner national societies. This objective is in line with Strategic Aim 3 of Strategy 2020: promotion of social inclusion and a culture of non-violence and peace by enabling action for which emphasizes on pursuing humanitarian diplomacy to prevent and reduce vulnerability in a globalized world. IRCS is currently in the process of strengthening its organizational structure and systems, and has further increased efforts during 2011. Primary focus was given on strengthening IT infrastructure with emphasis on overcoming the digital divide. Finance system development and branch development at national and branch level respectively were integrated as a continuum of existing programmes. Youth development, capacity building in fundraising and branch development through the integrated programme approach were the new initiatives for 2011.