African Red Cross & Red Crescent Health Initiative 2001
Toolkits for volunteers
What is the main issue?
Millions of Africans die each year from preventable or curable diseases. Vaccination coverage is low in many countries and large segments of the population do not have access to basic health services. More than 30 million people have died from HIV/AIDS, most of these deaths are occurring in Africa. Malaria, diarrhoeal diseases and malnutrition still cause high rates of preventable childhood deaths.
To reverse the increasing burden of these preventable diseases, it is necessary to reach a vast number of people at the grassroots to give them the knowledge and tools they need to reduce their vulnerability.
How is this being achieved?
The African Red Cross/Red Crescent Health Initiative 2010 (ARCHI 2010) proposes massive and long-term support to promote healthy behaviours at the family and community levels by mobilising its unique network of more than 2 million volunteers across Africa. Building on the wide experience in community-based first aid, ARCHI 2010 is massively mobilising volunteers at the community level where the fight against diseases such as HIV/AIDS will be won or lost.
Who is involved?
51 African National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are coordinating with Ministries of Health, WHO, UNAIDS, UNICEF and other partners to massively scale-up community-based prevention and care interventions.
When was ARCHI 2010 launched?
The ARCHI 2010 strategy was officially launched on 24 September 2000, at the 5th Pan African Conference in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Since then, all National Societies are implementing their long- term HIV/AIDS prevention and care plans and are engaged in strong partnerships to eradicate polio, reduce measles mortality and to fight emerging infectious disease outbreaks such as meningitis, cholera, Ebola and Yellow Fever.
What is the main challenge for full implementation of ARCHI 2010?
African National Societies have a long tradition of working in health and care, especially in epidemic response and First Aid. Today, sustained long- term community action on a large scale is required to combat these killer diseases. National Societies require additional financial resources to expand community-based interventions and their networks of volunteers in order to more significantly impact on HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.
|
Health and community care
