This report covers the period 1 January 2009 to 30 June 2009.
In brief
Programme summary:
With a large percentage of the population in Mongolia dependent on good weather conditions for their nomadic herding lifestyle, the effects of climate change in recent years has caused increased difficulties and vulnerabilities throughout the nation. Changes in weather patterns and a lack of early warning signs bring about both sudden and slow onset disasters.
While the winter season of 2009 did not bring on any major disasters, dozens of small- and mid-size natural disasters, including heavy snowfall and sand storms, took place in the western area of the country. The Mongolian Red Cross Society (MRCS) regional disaster preparedness centres, jointly with the headquarters, successfully addressed needs of affected families and individuals by distributing food, clothes and other critical items.
Health and care programmes are being well implemented nationwide, contributing to the lives of most vulnerable people within the community. An integrated programme that is a new approach within the MRCS development programme was piloted in health and care and disaster preparedness programmes.
A four-year social care project, "Community-Based Social Care Services for the Most Vulnerable in Mongolia", funded by the EU and the Finnish Red Cross/Finnish government has been initiated in ten locations covering almost half of total country's population. Currently, the MRCS social care programme (bilaterally and multilaterally funded) is run in nine Ulaanbaatar districts and ten provinces.
Organizational development remains a high priority of the National Society, in governance and management issues, including finance and human resource development projects. The MRCS central committee meeting was held in May 2009, and the committee members reviewed the previous year's accomplishment and achievements, as well as current constraints and challenges which they anticipate will remain as future concerns.
Distributions of information and dissemination materials of the MRCS activities, TV advertisements and debates that target the general public continue to take place regularly.
Financial situation: The total 2009 budget has been revised from CHF 1,129,908 to CHF 637,788 (USD 587,623 or EUR 418,298), of which 97 per cent is covered. Expenditure from January to May was 44 per cent of the whole 2009 budget.
No. of people we help: The estimated number of MRCS beneficiaries throughout Mongolia in 2008 was 190,000, approximately seven per cent of the population. This includes direct beneficiaries, both through the International Federation and bilaterally funded activities, such as trainings and other targeted activities, as well as the indirect beneficiaries receiving information and/or participating in more broad activities, through the media, newspapers, public campaigns.
Our partners: The Mongolian Red Cross Society works with over than 40 partners including the Australian Red Cross, British Red Cross/ British government (Department of International Development (DFID)), the Red Cross Society of China, Finnish Red Cross/Finnish government, German Red Cross, Icelandic Red Cross, Japanese Red Cross, Republic of Korea Red Cross, New Zealand Red Cross, Netherlands Red Cross, and the Norwegian Red Cross/Norwegian government. Other partners are the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the World Health Organization (WHO), Ministry of Health, National Blood Transfusion Centre and its departments in provinces, Ulaanbaatar city Municipality Office, Youth for Health NGO, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), National Centre for Communicable Disease (NCCD), National Journalists Association/Journalists Union, Deseret International Charities, Mongolian National Radio and Television Broadcasting Agency, Mongolian Educational Channel, local prison authorities, National Youth Association, National Students Union, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, National Centre for Diseases with Natural Foci, the Ministry of Social Welfare and Labour, Traffic Authority, Border/Customs Control, local health departments, traffic police, the National AIDS Foundation (NAF), the National AIDS Committee (NAC), the National Voluntary Counselling and Testing VCT Working Group, and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
The International Federation, on behalf of Mongolian Red Cross, would like to express gratitude to above mentioned partners for their generous support.