The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) is a source of un-earmarked money created by the Federation in 1985 to ensure that immediate financial support is available for Red Cross and Red Crescent emergency response. The DREF is a vital part of the International Federation’s disaster response system and increases the ability of National Societies to respond to disasters.
Period covered by this update: 20 October to 16 December 2011.
Summary: CHF 240,301 was allocated from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ (IFRC)
Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) on 20 September 2011 to support the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) in delivering assistance to some 75,000 beneficiaries, or to replenish disaster preparedness stocks following this operation.
IRCS Odisha state branch volunteers have been in the forefront in assisting vulnerable people since the onset of the disaster and have delivered relief to the affected population very quickly. The relief extended include food, health check up by Red Cross mobile teams, treated water, hygiene promotion, rehabilitation of the water sources and non-food items like dhoti, saree, mats, hygiene kits, towel, bed sheets, tarpaulins, etc. The operation is in its last phase and this DREF operation is extended to 29 February 2012 to document the learning from the operation through a lessons learnt workshop with IRCS headquarters and branch staff and volunteers, and a short documentary for sharing/training. This will help IRCS in the long run to analyse the best practices and the gaps to further improve Red Cross national disaster response mechanism. A final report will be available by 29 May 2012.
DG ECHO, the Netherlands Red Cross and government, and Canadian Red Cross and government have replenished the DREF for this allocation.
The major donors and partners of DREF include the Australian, American and Belgian governments, the Austrian Red Cross, the Canadian Red Cross and government, Danish Red Cross and government, the European Commission Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO), the Irish and the Italian governments, the Japanese Red Cross Society, the Luxembourg government, the Monaco Red Cross and government, the Netherlands Red Cross and government, the Norwegian Red Cross and government, the Spanish Government, the Swedish Red Cross and government, the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DfID), the Medtronic and Z Zurich Foundations, and other corporate and private donors.
IFRC, on behalf of IRCS , would like to extend thanks to all for their generous contributions. Details of the contributions to the DREF can be found on www.ifrc.org/dref.