The Afghan Red Crescent's network of volunteers supports vulnerable people even in the country's most isolated regions.

Slow and forgotten disasters

When disease follows poverty, when states lose the ability to protect their people and when climatic catastrophes erode coping mechanisms, slow and complex disasters result. The humanitarian response is further complicated by the fact that intractable social problems often fade from the public eye, becoming "out of sight, out of mind".

Bringing vital aid as millions face famine
Crisis struck southern Africa in 2002, when drought, poverty and HIV/AIDS cast a shadow over the lives of more than 13 million people. In July, the Federation launched an appeal seeking 89.2 million Swiss francs to provide direct support to 1.3 million beneficiaries for 12 months in Lesotho, Malawi, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The Federation was among the first organi-zations to link operationally the food security crisis with the underlying HIV/AIDS pandemic. In close consultation with the World Food Programme (WFP), the Federation provided assistance to 750,000 beneficiaries living with and affected by HIV and AIDS, while WFP focused on general food distributions.

The Norwegian Red Cross Society provided WFP with over 200 trucks and supporting vehicles to reach a further 520,000 people in outlying communities. A large number of local and international organizations benefited, demonstrating the Red Cross Red Crescent commitment to coordinated and complementary support to the needy.

By December, the July appeal was over 50 per cent covered.

Facing bitter winters in Mongolia
Although heavy snowfalls and a severe winter may seem like a rapid-onset disaster, a Federation assessment team sent to Mongolia in November found that the impact of three previous dzuds (severe winter conditions) and droughts have seriously depleted coping mechanisms.

Herders had little or no livestock; there was evidence of increasing destitution due to lack of assets and employment for ex-herders, and increasing numbers of households were migrating to the capital, Ulaan Baatar. Following the assessment, an appeal was launched to assist the long-term survival of 115,000 people. A key objective of this appeal was to build the capacity of the Mongolian Red Cross Society to reduce long-term vulnerability by revitalizing its branches.

A difficult peace
With the signing of a ceasefire agreement in April, Angola ended a 27-year civil war that left 500,000 people dead and displaced some 4 million. Many of the people who took refuge from the conflict are still living a hand-to-mouth existence in the bush.

Today, more than 4 million Angolans still depend on some form of humanitarian assistance. For the Red Cross Red Crescent, the challenge in 2002 was huge. The ICRC, the Federation and the Angola and Mozambique Red Cross, among others, worked together to help the most vulnerable populations, distributing humanitarian aid and contributing to the rejuvenation of the Angola Red Cross.

A chronic catastrophe
Two years ago, Ethiopia experienced one of its most severe droughts since the catastrophe of 1984. In 2002, the rains failed again in large parts of the country, drastically increasing the number of people relying on emergency aid. In November, the Ethiopian Red Cross Society and the Federation began an assistance programme to help 120,500 of the most vulnerable.

Neighbouring Eritrea also suffered from devastating drought in 2002. Towards the end of the year, the Federation launched an appeal to enable the National Society to assist the people of Hagaz, one of the worst affected regions in a country where more than 1 million inhabitants are estimated to suffer from food shortages and malnutrition.