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Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan Annual Report 2013 (MAAKZ001)

Attachments

Overview

In order to strengthen the specific Red Cross / Red Crescent contribution to development, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) was supporting the Kazakhstan Red Crescent Society’s programmes addressing tuberculosis (TB) and vulnerabilities related to migration during the reporting period.

The TB prevention activities were implemented in Almaty, Taldykorgan and Semey (Semipalatinsk), all aimed at improving treatment outcomes by encouraging treatment adherence through direct observation of treatment, education and psycho-social support. The Kazakhstan National Society reached 190 clients with TB and multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB over the period. Besides, 35,000 people were reached with TB awareness activities in the three mentioned target cities.

In the area of migration the Kazakhstan Red Crescent Society was exerting activities in Astana, Almaty, Taldykorgan, Shymkent, Aktobe, Atyrau, Semey (Semipalatinsk) and Karaganda. The project is part of the regional migration project reaching migrants and potential migrants and their families through information and education centres that form the Central Asian Red Crescent Labour Migration Network. The official launch of the regional project named “Empowering Central Asian Migrants and Returnees to Improve their Living and Protect their Dignity” took place in the capital city of Astana, Kazakhstan, in May 2013. The Kazakhstan Red Crescent provided the following services: legal consultancy, psychosocial support, health promotion, tracing and tailored humanitarian support for the most vulnerable migrants. The services reached 4,648 labour migrants from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan through eight centres and outreach work.

The Kazakhstan Red Crescent Society joined the “Bridging the Digital Divide Initiative” (DDI) of the IFRC and, based on the results of the assessment mission commissioned by the Europe Zone Office exploring the needs and local opportunities of the National Society, a DDI proposal was developed in the reporting period.

Over the reporting period, the Kazakhstan Red Crescent was provided with the required follow-up of the plan of action resulting from the self-assessment within the Organizational Capacity Assessment International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and Certification (OCAC) process. The National Society shared its capacity-building programme for 2013-2015 with a number of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement partners. Based on the results of the STAR1 workshop, held by the American Red Cross, this donor supported selected organisational development activities at the Kazakhstan National Society.

In order to grow Red Cross Red Crescent services for vulnerable people the IFRC’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) supported the Kazakhstan Red Crescent in delivering immediate assistance to 2,000 beneficiaries affected by adverse weather conditions at the beginning of the year. The National Society distributed hot meals to homeless people and street children in the cities of Karaganda, Petropavlovsk and Semey between January and February 2013. In addition, homeless people and street children received non-food items: blankets, warm clothes and footwear. The targeted single women with children and the targeted older people living alone received food packages from the Red Crescent Society as a supplementary ration to be used during the coldest months of winter.

Over the year the IFRC Office in Almaty continued exploring EU opportunities for fundraising. The IFRC submitted two concept notes and project proposals in response to the EU call for proposals titled “Kazakhstan Local Development Grants Component – Non-State Actors.” One of the proposals, “Strengthening capacities of the Red Crescent Society of Kazakhstan and Civil Society Organisations to contribute to local development in Kyzylorda oblast,” was selected for a grant in the amount of EUR 387,843 for three years. The contract was signed in January 2014 with planned activities to commence in May 2014.

In the last quarter of 2013, the IFRC Almaty Office took an active part in preparing an application for the DIPECHO-8 competition. The work on the disaster risk reduction proposal was implemented in close cooperation with the German Red Cross, the Central Asian National Societies and the IFRC`s Europe Zone Office. The Red Cross and Red Crescent partners hired a consultant to develop the application and in December 2013 a meeting was convened to discuss the programming details and the budget with the leadership and the disaster management focal points of the National Societies from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Close links were also maintained with the ECHO regional office based in Almaty. The application was filed in January 2014 with the results of the competition to be expected in May 2014.