Attachments
This report covers the period 1 January – 31 December 2013
Overview
During the first half of 2013, the focus has been on enhancing both the leadership and operational aspects of National Societies in the region. In 2013, southern Africa still presented with its unique humanitarian challenges. Hundreds of thousands of its most vulnerable communities continued to have their lives and livelihoods destroyed by annual floods and droughts.
National Red Cross Societies, as auxiliaries to their state, continued to support their governments in dealing with the humanitarian challenges. In 2013, Southern Africa Regional Office (SARO) supported the National Societies (NS) in the region in eight emergency operations (either Disaster Relief Emergency Funding (DREF) or Emergency Appeals). However, the potential impact of the NS to address small and medium scale disasters without international support is being compromised by weak governance and a tendency to be over-reliant on project funds from international donors or IFRC emergency funds. SARO addressed some of the challenges facing the leadership of NS in the region through a series of governance and management induction courses.