The Federation's mission is to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity. It is the world's largest humanitarian organization and its millions of volunteers are active in over 186 countries.
In Brief
Final Report; Period covered: 21 June 2005 to 31 March 2006; Final appeal coverage: 112%.
Appeal history:
- Launched on 21 June 2005 for CHF 471, 000 (USD 377, 298 or EUR 304, 404) for 6 months to assist 11, 500 beneficiaries.
- Operations Update no.2 revised the budget to CHF 637,376 (USD 411,649 or EUR 411,649) and extended the timeframe to 31 March 2006.
- The budget was further revised upwards in this report from CHF 637,376 to CHF 747,377 (USD 718,631 or EUR 462,772) to reflect the additional costs incurred by the operation.
- Disaster Relief Emergency Funds (DREF) allocated: CHF 140,000.
Related Emergency or Annual Appeals: Pacific Regional Appeal 2005 (05AA062)
Operational Summary: The Appeal was launched to assist local communities affected by the Manam and Langila volcanic eruptions. In all, the Federation emergency operation, implemented through the Papua New Guinea Red Cross Society (PNGRCS), provided relief shelter assistance to beneficiaries and affected households that exceeded the original targets of the Appeal, specifically for the Manam shelter component. The operation mobilized the communities of displaced people and Papua New Guinea Red Cross volunteers to carry out the self-help relief activities, particularly in shelter construction, making pace of the operation dependent on the commitment of the communities themselves, which reduced the pace of the operation. A part of the response to the emergency appeal amounting to CHF59,830 from AUSAID was channelled to the Bougainville flood operation with agreement from the donor.
The issuance of this Final Report was substantially delayed due to difficulties in determining entitlements and claims to payments for bush materials. The final budget was further revised upwards from CHF 637,376 to CHF 747,377 to reflect the additional costs incurred by the operation.
Background and Summary
The Manam and Langila operation was initiated by the Papua New Guinea Red Cross Society (PNGRCS) to provide assistance to the 15,000 people displaced or affected by the Manam and Langila volcano eruptions. This initiative followed assessments and consultation with key humanitarian actors. The operation aimed to respond to the immediate relief needs of those affected by the Langila volcano and focused on providing them medium term housing in the Manam care centers.
The operation progressed steadily from August 2005 to meet the immediate needs identified in the first assessment. The follow-up assessment in Langila found that there was no further need for intervention. As a result, the efforts of the national society were later channeled fully to the operation in Manam for the remaining duration. The Manam medium-term shelter project was subsequently extended from 31 December 2005 to 31 March 2006 to enable it to fulfill its objective of providing houses to 7,500 IDPs. But it had to end on 15 March 2006 due to a shortage of funds.
The Manam volcano erupted again in early March 2006. However, there were no reports of casualties. Also, it was determined that there is no immediate threat to the surrounding population on the mainland of Bogia. It has become clear that the affected population will not be able to return to their island of origin in the foreseeable future due to the high risk of further eruptions. While final decisions regarding land use still need to be taken, the authorities estimate that the IDPs will remain in the care centres for a few years at least. If negotiations with landowners are concluded successfully, it is likely that the current care centres will become permanent settlements.
Health and hygiene at the Manam care centres remain outstanding issues which need the attention of the authorities. Community health education is lacking in the care centres. People have gone back to their traditional defecation practices and no longer use the pit toilets. Solid wastes are dumped on the seashore and not in refused pits.
Education in family planning and other relevant measures are vital, particularly due to their current status as internally displaced persons. They must be encouraged to take appropriate measures to maintain their health and well-being while in the care centres. There is also a need for education in sexual health, HIV and AIDS. Special attention needs to be given to the youth and sexually active members of the community to reduce their vulnerability to sexually transmitted infections and AIDS.
As mentioned in the last operations update, there is a need to carry out a small-scale health project. The PNGRCS will build on the community-based self reliance workshop conducted in 2002 on Manam island to further the awareness on health-related issues identified in the care centres.
Contact information
For further information specifically related to this operation please contact:
Papua New Guinea Red Cross Society: Ms. Esme Sinape (Secretary General), email: hqpngrcs@online.net.pg;phone, phone: +675 325 2145.
Pacific regional delegation in Suva, Fiji: Mr. Frank Kennedy (Head of regional delegation), email: frank.kennedy@ifrc.org, phone: +91 11 2411 1122, fax: +91 11 2411 1128; Mr. Martin Blackgrove (Disaster management coordinator), email: martin.blackgrove@ifrc.org, phone: +679 999 2487.