Initial Budget: CHF 4,700,000 - Revised Budget: CHF 2,100,000
The Emergency and Description of the Appeal
Cyclones Eline (mid-February, 2000) and Gloria (early-March, 2000) hit the central and northern regions of Madagascar, leaving 184,000 people in need of immediate relief support out of a total of 737,000 affected (estimates provided by the government’s National Relief Council or NRC). While the relief operation was being implemented, a third violent cyclone, Hudah, hit the north of the country on 2 and 3 April, 2000. The NRC estimated that an additional 111,000 people were in need of immediate support, out of a total of 369,000 affected by this third cyclone. One of the worst affected areas was the north-eastern town of Antalaha.
To respond to the basic needs and to provide support to the Malagasy Red Cross Society (MRCS), the Federation launched Preliminary Appeal 06/00 on 17 March 2000. This was followed by a revised appeal on 7 April 2000, intended to achieve the following objectives:
- cover the immediate needs of 100,000 beneficiaries in the most affected regions, primarily through non-food distributions;
- support rehabilitation activities in the most affected regions to enable the victims to resume normal life;
- establish a basic disaster preparedness structure through the Malagasy Red Cross to prevent cholera and to mitigate the after effects of cyclones.
Even though the initial risk of epidemics was very high, particularly in the areas hit by the third cyclone, there was no immediate outbreak of disease. Given the poor economic conditions in the country, the three cyclones exacerbated already existing problems in the areas of agriculture, food stocks, health infrastructure, water and sanitation. There was also considerable ecological and environmental damage.
Objectives, Achievements and Constraints
Objective 1: To meet the urgent needs of the people in the most affected regions by providing relief items (non-food).
Achievements: More than 98,000 people in the targeted areas received the planned non-food relief items, including cholera and emergency health kits and second hand clothes (see summary tables below). Local MRCS branches identified the beneficiaries and organized the distributions, supervised by headquarters staff and supported by Federation delegates.
Place |
Plastic Sheeting
|
Tents (units)
|
Chloramine (tablets)
|
Soap (kg)
|
Brickaville |
2
|
80,000
|
||
Vatomandry |
4
|
120,000
|
||
Manakara | ||||
Vohipeno |
80,000
|
2,000
|
||
Antananarivo |
17
|
80,000
|
2,000
|
|
Antalaha |
100
|
|||
Maroantsetra |
28
|
|||
Mananara | ||||
Andapa |
40
|
|||
Tuléar |
120,000
|
2,000
|
||
Mahabo |
60,000
|
2,000
|
||
Morondava |
60,000
|
2,000
|
||
Total |
91
|
100
|
600,000
|
10,000
|
Place |
Jerrycans
|
Blankets
|
Kitchen Sets
|
Total Number of Beneficiaries
|
Brickaville |
600
|
50
|
3,000
|
|
Vatomandry |
900
|
150
|
4,500
|
|
Manakara |
750
|
150
|
1,550
|
|
Vohipeno |
3,360
|
2,430
|
490
|
4,500
|
Antananarivo |
4,000
|
360
|
170
|
1,500
|
Antalaha |
250
|
1,200
|
||
Maroantsetra |
1,170
|
125
|
8,000
|
|
Mananara |
1,200
|
100
|
8,000
|
|
Andapa |
2,100
|
100
|
10,000
|
|
Tuléar |
3,000
|
18,000
|
||
Mahabo |
4,230
|
18,000
|
||
Morondava |
3,770
|
540
|
108
|
20,100
|
Total |
18,360
|
10,050
|
1,693
|
98,350
|
A number of kitchen sets (307) and jerrycans (1,640) have been kept in the MRC warehouses as an emergency stock. In consultation with the Ministry of Health, cholera kits and emergency health kits were delivered in the following areas:
Place |
Cholera Kits
|
Emergency Health Kits
|
Tuléar |
1
|
1
|
Mahabo |
1
|
1
|
Morondava |
1
|
1
|
Tananarivo |
1
|
|
Vohipeno |
1
|
|
Total |
5
|
3
|
Second hand clothes were distributed by the MRC in the following locations:
Place |
Second Hand Clothes
|
Number of beneficiaries
|
|
Number of bales sent
|
Number of bales distrib.
|
||
Moramanga |
90
|
90
|
7,110
|
Anjiro |
11
|
11
|
800
|
Brickaville |
70
|
70
|
6,432
|
Vatomandry |
80
|
80
|
6,849
|
Antanambao . |
80
|
79
|
5,100
|
Mahanoro |
105
|
104
|
6,792
|
Morondava |
80
|
80
|
4,776
|
Mahabo |
67
|
Stand by
|
-
|
Manakara |
70
|
70
|
5,213
|
Vohipeno |
70
|
70
|
4,905
|
Fianarantsoa |
235
|
235
|
13,215
|
Antalaha |
66
|
66
|
3,680
|
Diego (1) |
80
|
55
|
4,624
|
Antananarivo |
93
|
93
|
6,922
|
Tuléar |
80
|
80
|
6,635
|
Majunga |
90
|
90
|
7,050
|
Total |
1,309
|
1,215
|
90,103
|
(1) In Diego, 25 bales have been kept as an emergency stock
In addition 55 bales of use clothes remain in the MRCS central warehouse in Antananarivo, maintained as emergency stock.
Constraints: The poor infrastructure in the affected regions, in combination with the insufficient operational capacity of the MRCS and the absence of a well-functioning governance and management structure, caused the operation to take longer than originally planned. Planned food distributions were canceled because the MRCS and NRC were not able to sign an agreement detailing their respective responsibilities.
Objective 2: Support cyclone and flood victims in the most affected regions with rehabilitation activities.
Achievements: Schools and Red Cross buildings were rehabilitated; school-kits and class supplies were distributed. Iron sheeting was provided for the rehabilitation of schools in Moramanga and Anjiro in the eastern province of Toamasina. Red Cross buildings were rehabilitated in Antananarivo (national headquarters, provincial branch and kindergarten), Diégo-Suarez (provincial branch, dispensary and kindergarten). The table below summarizes the scope of the rehabilitation activities.
Place
|
School kits*
|
Class supplies **
|
||
Sent
|
Distributed
|
Sent
|
Distributed
|
|
Moramanga |
843
|
843
|
8; + 3 c artons chalk
|
8; + 3 cartons chalk
|
Anjiro |
132
|
132
|
2
|
2
|
Brickaville |
812
|
812
|
10
|
10
|
Vatomandry |
865
|
865
|
10; + 4 cartons chalk
|
10; + 4 cartons chalk
|
Antanambao *** |
795
|
654
|
10; +10 cartons chalk
|
10; +10 cartons chalk
|
Mahanoro |
810
|
810
|
10; +10 cartons chalk
|
10;+10 cartons chalk
|
Morondava |
945
|
945
|
10
|
10
|
Mahabo |
840
|
Stand by
|
10
|
Stand by
|
Manakara |
1,020
|
1,020
|
5; + 5 cartons chalk
|
5; + 5 cartons chalk
|
Vohipeno |
900
|
900
|
5; + 5 cartons chalk
|
5; + 5 cartons chalk
|
Fianarantsoa |
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Antalaha |
1,118
|
1,118
|
10; +13 cartons chalk
|
10;+13 cartons chalk
|
Diego |
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Antananarivo |
5,571
|
5,571
|
10
|
10
|
Tuléar |
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Majunga |
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Total |
14,651
|
13,670
|
100 + 50 c.chalk
|
90+50 c.chalk
|
* Depending on the age of the students, two types of school kits were distributed. Type 1 contained: 1 slate, 1 carton of chalk, 1 copybook, 1 pack of crayons, 2 notebooks, 2 pens, 2 erasures, 2 pencils, 1 pencil sharpener. Type 2 contained 4 exercise books (100 and 50 pages), 2 copy books, 4 plastic covers, 2 erasures, 2 pencils, 8 pens (black, blue, red, green), 1 ruler, protractor, square, and 1 pencil sharpener.
** School supplies were for collective use, with each set consisting of: 1 large ruler, 1 large compass, 1 large square, one large protractor, and cartons of chalk.
** In Antanambao, 141 kits went missing
Constraints: Because of logistical constraints and the lack of MRCS organization, the original plans for the rehabilitation of houses was canceled and the rehabilitation of schools and Red Cross buildings was revised and limited. A budget modification was made in order to increase the number of school-kits and class supplies. Plans for the distribution of seeds were abandoned when the Ministry of Agriculture indicated it was only interested in using available funding without the further involvement of the MRCS.
Objective 3: Establish a basic disaster preparedness structure within the Malagasy Red Cross Society, to prevent cholera and to mitigate the after effects of the cyclones.
Achievements and constraints: Due to internal management constraints, progress in the area of disaster preparedness was very limited. In the absence of a professionally organized management structure the Federation delegates spent considerable time organizing and supervising relief activities and assisting the MRCS with the preparation of its general assembly which took place in November 2000. During the general assembly, the MRC elected a new president and national committee. With most of the old structure still in place, the main priority for the new president was to restore the MRCS’s reputation by taking the basic, necessary steps to become a viable organization. The selection of a new Secretary General (planned for March 2001) will provide an opportunity to set-up a professional management structure within the MRCS.
With the unspent balance (see attached financial report) the Federation plans to support disaster response and good governance and management training as part of a larger institutional and branch development programme. Details of the programme will be shared with those donors whose funds remained unspent during 2000.
Conclusion
The operation received effective media coverage which assisted with the overall support to the appeal. While the relief part of the operation was a relative success the internal MRCS problems affected the rehabilitation and disaster preparedness plans. A follow up programme in the field of branch and institutional development is being discussed with the MRCS. Success in this area will depend on the willingness of the MRCS to adopt effective management practices and to develop a credible governance structure.
Bekele Geleta
Head
Africa Department
Peter Rees-Gildea
Head a.i.
Relationship Management Department
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