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 185 countries.
In Brief
Operations Update no. 4; Period covered: 1 August to 30 September 2006; Appeal target: CHF 2,067,057, (USD 1,692,095 or EUR 1,314,375); Appeal coverage: 30.6 per cent.
Appeal history:
- Launched on 29 April 2006 for CHF 2,247,200 (USD 1.9 million or EUR 1.5 million) for 3 months to assist 13,000 beneficiaries.
- Operations Update no. 1 decreased the budget to CHF 2,067,057 on 10 May.
- Operational Update no. 3 extended the operation to 31 October 2006, reporting deadline 31 Jan 2007.
- Disaster Relief Emergency Funds (DREF) allocated: CHF 168,930.
Operational Summary: This operations update requests an extension of the operational timeframe for three months, until January 2007 (reporting deadline March 2007), due to the still existing needs in the field and the arrival of some donations at a later stage of the operation. The additional time will be used according to the action plan prepared by the Romanian RC for continuation of the humanitarian assistance to 1,600 victims of the floods in Dolj and Tulcea counties during January.
At the end of July, both the international water and sanitation delegate and the Regional Disaster Response Team (RDRT) leader ended their missions in Romania. From 1 August, Romanian RC local staff is managing the operation, with continuing support through the regional delegation in Budapest.
In addition to the DREF allocation, contributions to the appeal have been received from the American, British, Japanese, Liechtenstein, Monaco and Netherlands Red Cross Societies. In addition relief goods have been received by the Romanian Red Cross (Romanian RC) on a bilateral basis, and further deliveries are under discussion.
The International Federation undertakes activities that are aligned with its Global Agenda, which sets out four broad goals to meet the Federation's mission to "improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity".
Global Agenda Goals:
- Reduce the numbers of deaths, injuries and impact from disasters.
- Reduce the number of deaths, illnesses and impact from diseases and public health emergencies.
- Increase local community, civil society and Red Cross Red Crescent capacity to address the most urgent situations of vulnerability.
- Reduce intolerance, discrimination and social exclusion and promote respect for diversity and human dignity.
Background
The operation continues in Romania with special focus on relief efforts - distributing food parcels to those still suffering from the effects of the spring flooding, many of whom are not able to return to their homes. This update focuses on Dolj and Tulcea counties, as they are the counties with the largest number of affected persons. Within the reporting period 3,186 food parcels were distributes (2,598 in Dolj and 584 in Tulcea). Solutions to the long term shelter question are still under discussion in the municipalities, including the issue of where to rebuild communities at risk. In the meantime 9,778 people continue to live in tent camps and containers, reliant on external assistance for food, water and hygiene items. Red Cross latrines in Calarasi county are in place. The construction of showers in the camps in Dolj and Calarasi counties are finalized but still awaiting local authorities to link them to the water network and provide heaters. Materials have been prepared for a hygiene promotion campaign, which is expected to get under way once a local Romanian RC coordinator has been recruited and the funding has been secured through local donations.
For further information specifically related to this operation please contact:
In Romania: Romanian Red cross, Mihaela Steriu, Director General, dg@crucearosie.ro, phone: +40 21 317 4032, fax: +40 21 312 84 52
In Budapest Regional Delegation : Slobodanka Curic, Regional DM coordinator, slobodanka.curic@ifrc.org, phone: +387 65 665 747, fax: +387 59 260 383
In Geneva: Erja Reinikainen, Federation Regional Officer, Europe Department, erja.reinikainen@ifrc.org, phone +41.22.730.49.19, fax: +41.22.733.03.95; or
Marina Mazmanian, Federation Regional Assistant, Europe Department, marina.mazmanian@ifrc.org, +41.22.730.44.54, fax: +41.22.733.03.95
All International Federation assistance seeks to adhere to the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO's) in Disaster Relief and is committed to the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response (Sphere) in delivering assistance to the most vulnerable.
For longer-term programmes in this or other countries or regions, please refer to the Federation's Annual Appeal. For support to or for further information concerning Federation programmes or operations in this or other countries, or for national society profiles, please also access the Federation's website at http://www.ifrc.org
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