This report covers the period of 01/01/2006 to 31/12/2006 of a two-year planning and appeal process.
In a world of global challenges, continued poverty, inequity, and increasing vulnerability to disasters and disease, the International Federation with its global network, works to accomplish its Global Agenda, partnering with local community and civil society to prevent and alleviate human suffering from disasters, diseases and public health emergencies.
In brief
Programme Summary: In 2006 the priority of the Liberia Federation Delegation in Dakar was to support the Liberian Red Cross Society (LRCS) in scaling-up activities within different programmes and departments to include :
- Fight against HIV and AIDS, with focus on the promotion of good health and hygiene practices in communities;
- Increasing the number of chapters benefiting from the Community-based Health Programme (CBHP) from four to six (Montserrado, Grand Bassa, Margibi, Bong, Bomi and Gbarpolu), through greater community involvement;
- Consolidation and further development of the Child Advocacy and Rehabilitation programme (CAR)
- Development of a more consolidated and responsive Disaster Management structure;
- Working on many Organizational Development issues, with focus on chapter/branch development, while also enhancing the capacities at headquarters level.
Through the CBHP programme, trained LRCS volunteers conducted HIV and AIDS as well as health and hygiene awareness campaigns. Safe drinking water was provided to communities and the water and sanitation (WatSan) unit trained community members in maintaining WatSan facilities such as hand pumps and latrines.
The CAR programme concluded its second training cycle in December, with the graduation of 147 war-affected youth from 10 communities near Monrovia. The objective of the programme was to create positive behavioural change among the participants, through psycho-social support and counselling, as well as to provide educational and skills training.
In order for the National Society to be able to better respond to the many recurrent natural disasters that hit Liberia (storms, flooding and fires) as well as to better understand the context, the LRCS conducted a vulnerability and capacity assessment (VCA) in more than 960 communities throughout the country. The findings will help the National Society prepare for Disaster Management assistance and provide detailed information that will be used in the five-year Strategic Plan that LRCS will develop in early 2007.
Within the Organizational Development programme, focus continued to be on chapter/branch development and training of staff, volunteers and governing board members.
Goal: The overall goal for the Federation Delegation is to support the LRCS in its development towards becoming a well-functioning national society. Through management support and assistance in developing the capacity of its staff and volunteers in the different programme activities, the LRCS will work on decentralizing its activities to the chapters, while developing better coordination and support functions at the national headquarters. The aim is to improve the assistance provided to people living with HIV, war-affected children and other beneficiaries, as well as developing effective disaster preparedness and response mechanisms.
Needs: Total 2006-2007 budget CHF 5,191,256 (USD 4,290,294 or EUR 3,165,400), out of which 33.9 per cent covered.
For more detailed information on 2006 activities, please see Programme Update 1 and 2:
Programme Update no. 1: http://www.ifrc.org/docs/appeals/annual06/MAALR00101.pdf
No. of people we help: Approximately 452,383 people benefited from basic health care, improved conditions for deliveries, supply of essential drugs for the most common diseases provided by trained volunteers and access to health education. A total of 5,400 people have benefited from the WatSan project which covered clean water supply, sanitation through construction of latrines and hygiene promotion campaigns. The Disaster Management programme reached thousands of people mainly through emergency response programmes and community-based disaster preparedness initiatives.
For further information please contact:
In Liberia: Daniel S. Clarke Jr., Secretary General, Liberia National Red Cross Society, Monrovia; email: clarkesumo@yahoo.com or LRCS@yahoo.com; Mobile +231(0) 655 13 35
In Liberia: Steen Frederiksen, Federation Representative, Monrovia; email: steen.frederiksen@ifrc.org; Mobile: +231 655 31 95
In Senegal: Alasan Senghore, Federation Head of West and Central Africa Regional Delegation in Dakar; email: alasan.senghore@ifrc.org; telephone: +221 869 36 41; Fax: +221 860 20 02
In Geneva: Madeleine Lundberg, Federation Regional Officer for West and Central Africa, Africa Department; Geneva email: madeleine.lundberg@ifrc.org; telephone: +41.22.730.4335;Mobile +41 79 217 3312 Fax +41 22 733 03 95