National Society Investment Alliance: First Funding Announcement
The National Society Investment Alliance (NSIA) today announced the results of its first round of funding, with accelerator investments awarded to the Red Cross Societies of Lebanon and Ukraine, and bridge funding awards made to a further eight National Societies (Armenia, Colombia, Comoros, Malawi, Namibia, Uganda and Zambia). Together this represents a combined total of nearly 1.5 million CHF.
Announcing the results of the first funding round, Co-chairs of the NSIA Steering Committee, Dr. Jemilah Mahmood, Under-Secretary General for Partnerships at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and Balthasar Staehelin, Deputy Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said:
“We are delighted to announce this first round of NSIA funding, the culmination of a process that has involved collaboration and cooperation from across the Movement, and demonstrates the demand and potential for investment in National Society capacity.”
To respond to the varied needs of National Societies, NSIA can award up to one million Swiss francs of accelerator funding to any one National Society over a five-year period. In addition, bridge grants of up to 50,000 Swiss francs over 12 months can help National Societies prepare the ground for future investment from NSIA or elsewhere.
To date, NSIA has been supported by generous contributions from the governments of Switzerland, The United States, and Canada.
First Round of NSIA Funding
The first call for proposals received 48 applications from National Societies across all regions, with a range of contextual challenges and organizational development needs. In response, the NSIA Office conducted an independent and objective process of consultation and review, working with colleagues from the IFRC and the ICRC at the national and regional level, as well as the National Societies themselves.
The Steering Committee agreed that the first 10 National Societies that will receive bridge funding are: Armenia, Colombia, Comoros, Lebanon, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Uganda, Ukraine and Zambia. Lebanon and Ukraine will receive the accelerator funding in this first round.
The proposals from National Societies speak to a wide-range of needs, and are underlined by the desire to increase their sustainability, independence and ability to provide relevant services to vulnerable populations. Key themes across the applications include: efforts to increase financial sustainability, develop system and structures at the national and branch level, and improve governance and accountability.
Selected National Societies
Accelerator Funding
The Lebanese Red Cross will use a substantial accelerator investment grant to strengthen its Project Monitoring Evaluation and Reporting (PMER), communications, and fundraising capacity with the aim of meeting more than 70% of its core services costs through local sources by 2023.
Similarly, the Ukrainian Red Cross Society will utilise an accelerator investment to develop its resource mobilization capacities, building on initial planning and analysis and helping the National Society respond to the ongoing crisis in the country.
Bridge Funding
The bridge grant will support the Armenian Red Cross Society to develop a resource mobilization plan, focusing on un-earmarked income generation that is urgently required to meet ARCS programmatic activity needs.
The Colombian Red Cross Society will receive bridge funding to help develop, test and implement new initiatives which will ensure regular income, strengthening the National Society in three crosscutting areas: communication and marketing, reporting and training.
There is a need for the Comoros Red Crescent to enhance staff core competencies with regard to governance and financial management. The bridge grant will therefore allow the development of an investment plan for the National Society to best use potential future investment.
NSIA bridge grant funding will enable the Malawi Red Cross Society to conduct a thorough and detailed assessment of potential national level income sources, subsequently developing an investment proposal to pursue the most promising.
It is expected that through the bridge grant implementation, the Namibia Red Cross will be able to resolve a number a of critical challenges by consolidating its financial statements and systems, increasing financial liquidity and developing a forward-looking strategy.
The Nigerian Red Cross Society will receive bridge funding to help explore the opportunities for developing commercial first aid services in the country, conducting a detailed analysis and developing a business plan for future investment.
The Uganda Red Cross Society will receive bridge funding to work with its operational network of 51 branches to consolidate and improve its first aid training, and explore the possibility to unlock this resource and generate national level income.
With several institutional changes needed within the Zambia Red Cross Society in order to achieve its development goals, a bridge grant will allow the ZRCS to undertake a midterm review of its existing strategic plan and developed and improved strategic and investment plan looking forward.
Cyclone Fani: Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers help communities prepare for landfall
Red Cross volunteers in the Indian state of Odisha are ramping up efforts to warn 20 million people of the imminent and potentially deadly arrival of Cyclone Fani.
Fani is predicted to make landfall on India’s east coast on 3 May. It is expected to bring heavy rainfall and strong winds which could lead to loss of life and injuries, as well as damaging houses, infrastructure and crops. An estimated 1,500 Indian Red Cross volunteers are working within communities to warn people at risk.
The Indian Red Cross is packing emergency kits (with instant rice, tea, sugar, biscuits, candles, matches and water) ready to distribute to people who will seek refuge in the state’s cyclone shelters. Clothing, hygiene kits, buckets, kitchen sets, mosquito nets and plastic sheeting are also being prepared. In the event of a disaster, Red Cross will prioritize support for displaced families, older people, women-headed families, breast-feeding mothers and people living with a disability.
In Bangladesh, an estimated 12.8 million people are at risk given Fani’s current predicted path which takes it across four inland districts on its journey east. Volunteers of the joint Bangladesh Red Crescent/Bangladesh government cyclone preparedness programme are alerting communities about the potential impact of the storm and the possible need to evacuate using megaphones and loudspeakers as well as social media.
In Cox’s Bazar – where an estimated 700,000 people who have fled violence in Rakhine are living in camps – Red Crescent volunteers are going household-to-household to warn people of the risk potentially posed by Fani.
IFRC at centenary climate and health conference in Cannes: a call for ‘inspiration, resolve, leadership’
The major global conference on climate and health organized by the French Red Cross in the Mediterranean city of Cannes ended yesterday. Described as “the first humanitarian COP” by Jean-Jacques Eledjam, President of the French Red Cross, in an opening address, the two-day World Conference on Health and Climate Change was aimed at linking global ambitions to the experience of the Red Cross and Red Crescent network and its partners.
Some 400 officials, academics, humanitarians and other concerned people from the all over the world took part in 15 debates, including Laurent Fabius, President of France’s Constitutional Council who was also president of the COP21 climate talks that secured the 2015 Paris Agreement.
The Cannes conference was timed to commemorate the centenary of the IFRC, created as the League of Red Cross Societies by the American, British, French, Italian and Japanese Red Cross in 1919, shortly after they had also met in Cannes’s historic Théâtre Croisette to coordinate their work.
On Tuesday IFRC Secretary General Elhadj As Sy said he hoped the conference would “start planting the seeds for the next visionary 100 years”.
In a keynote address he began by commiserating with the French people over the fire at the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Mr Sy said it was no longer possible to deny the impact of climate change on the “triptych of people’s lives, livestock and livelihoods”.
It was also going to be “the source of the conflicts of tomorrow [which will] no longer be around mineral resources but a commodity as simple and easy as water”.
Mr Sy told the Cannes audience: “Today the scale and magnitude of the issues of yesterday are in no way comparable. The numbers are not the same; the frequencies are not the same; the severities are not the same.
“We are more equipped today than ever before, but I’m not sure that we have the same sort of inspiration, the same resolve, or the same leadership.” Now, he argued, it was time to “communicate a sense or urgency that people need these things”.
For the Red Cross and Red Crescent, he added, “where it matters most, we have to be there all the time, and all the time beside people in need – before the shocks, before the outbreaks, and also during, and most importantly after”.
Mr Sy also argued that “we cannot always blame climate change” for the “doom and gloom” abroad in the world. “Maybe we should start where it matters most, with each of our individual behaviours,” looking at consumption patterns, how we care for each other, or not, and how we plan our communities and cities.
‘Images and stories’
In other IFRC engagement in Cannes, International Federation President Francesco Rocca, in his opening address on Monday, said global action on climate is growing “and this is a very good sign. But the fact is that interest is not keeping up with the rising risk.
“We in the Red Cross and Red Crescent have the responsibility to raise the profile of the issue of climate change, take action to address the rising risks, and prepare for the important [global] discussions” later this year.
IFRC Director of Health and Care Emanuele Capobianco outlined its four-point policy on plugging gaps to achieve universal health care: expanding human resources and the volunteer base, going the “last mile” to reach the most vulnerable communities, fighting epidemics – some of them now climate-related, and instituting financial protections.
He earlier tweeted that he had travelled to Cannes from Beira, Mozambique with “images and stories that are a stark reminder of why this conference is important.”
Detailing some anticipatory financing mechanisms already in use in the humanitarian sector, such as German-supported forecast-based financing, Under Secretary General for Partnerships,JemilahMahmood said it was vital to leverage finance for “the ‘perfect storm’ of climate change and poverty and their health consequences”. Moving from reactive to anticipatory finance, she argued, was key.
Monday’s opening session heard an impassioned plea for greater ambition on climate from Alex Pinano, President of the Marshall Islands Red Cross, the global Movement’s newest National Society: “We don’t want two degrees. We want 1.5 or we will become the nomads of the Pacific. Our home, our paradise, will disappear.
Huge gap
Climate Centre Director Maarten van Aalst facilitated a specialist workshop on adapting to heat waves in urban areas where participants expressed their strong commitment to raise ambition to address what was described as “among the biggest killers” among natural disasters.
Karine Laaidi of Public Health France said heatwave plans including national early warning had reduced mortality dramatically since 2003, although it was still in the hundreds and even thousands annually.
She said that key interventions included the need to further raise awareness of risk, including among vulnerable elderly, and ensure people look after each other – both areas where organizations like the Red Cross Red Crescent can play a key role.
Discussions also highlighted that there is a huge gap in awareness and even basic data in many developing countries, though mortality and economic impacts are equally significant.
On Monday, Nick Watts of the Lancet Countdown research collaboration told the conference that 157 million more “heatwave exposure events” happened to people globally in 2017 – an increase of 18m over the previous year, with 153 billion hours of labour lost – an increase of 62m.
Report: Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre
Light at the end of the tunnel: displaced persons in Zamai Camp (Cameroon) find a reason to smile
By Mirabelle Enaka Kima, IFRC
The long-awaited day has finally arrived: The lives of internally displaced persons in communities settled at the Zamai camp, in the Far North region of Cameroon are changing for the better.
It was a sunny morning. The smiles on the faces of people at the Zamai IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camp were already showing signs of their joy and excitement as Red Cross volunteers were getting set to start the distribution of farming aid and tools destined to support 150 people in farming activities.
Clad in a special attire, Sherif Moussari is one of the people who received the grant at the Zamai settlement hosting 2562 IDPs.
“I have been waiting for this day for a very long time. Farming has always been my passion and my only source of income to cater for my family. I have not been able to work as I used to do back in my village, and this has affected me and my household. We have never been used to begging from others but being in a foreign land, with no means, we have been living thanks to the generosity of well-wishers.”
Moussari hails from the Mayo Mouskota village in the Far north region of Cameroon. His village and many others along the border between Cameroon and Nigeria have, for the last few years, witnessed armed groups’ attacks, including kidnappings, killings, looting, burning of villages and theft of foodstuff. Moussari sought shelter at the Zamai camp two years ago, alongside his two wives and 12 children aged between two and 20.
To survive in his new host environment, Moussari has been working in people’s farms and keeping the livestock of those who need that kind of service. “I do not earn money for the work I do. I am being paid with foodstuff, which helps me to feed my family. Sometimes when I have much food, I take part of it to the market and retail to be able to buy oil and in some rare occasions I buy meat. For the livestock, my contractor has promised to give me one small ram for each ram that delivers. If he keeps his promise, I should be able, in a few years to come to have my own livestock and start my own animal farm. I just have to be patient and keep working hard,” says Moussari
A livelihood programme launched by the Cameroon Red Cross in three divisions of the affected Far North region, has mobilized 130 volunteers to support targeted families. These volunteers have been trained in farming and livestock techniques.
“At the Zamai camp, we have trained 15 volunteers who in return have extended the training to 150 people supported by the project. Each volunteer will have to follow up a group of 10 people as the latter shall start the farming activities. The volunteers shall assist the families in each of the stages of the farming process; from the reception and distribution of the farming inputs to the preparation of soils, the seeding and plowing, watering fertilization and phytosanitary treatment,” explains Ichaga Saidou, IFRC food security and livelihood supervisor.
Encouraged by Red Cross teams, most potential beneficiaries started a home garden as an experimental stage of the project and as a measure to test their level of commitment to carry out the agricultural project and be eligible to support.
The pilot stage of the project was a success for the Moussari family who, in addition to the home garden, has already identified a piece of land measuring 50 square metres to start commercial gardening. “I am confident that with the support we received we will be more resilient and fully integrated in our new host community,” adds Moussari.
“For 2019, as part of the project, there are plans to extend its actions to support river crops, in addition to commercial gardening and animal farm. However, the two major challenges faced by farmers remain the scarcity of arable land and limited access to water. Most of the land given to displaced families is arid and unproductive and the problem of drying water points is a general concern in the region,” concludes Saidou.
The ongoing project supported by the IFRC and the Swedish Red Cross intends to improve the livelihoods of 540 internally displaced persons and host communities in targeted Mora, Mokolo and Maroua localities through agriculture and livestock farming. The overall intervention is part of the lake Chad basin initiative to provide emergency assistance to vulnerable IDPs from armed conflicts who live in dire conditions in settlements and host families.
Mothers of measles patients at risk as cases continue to rise
By Leena Reikko, IFRC
For the past several weeks, the Philippine Red Cross emergency healthcare unit in the Philippines have been tending to the youngest of patients, children and babies coughing with fever, and whose bodies and faces are covered in red rashes. In early February, the local authorities declared a measles outbreak and since then 355 people have died, most of them children under 5 years of age.
But these patients are not the only ones at risk. Mothers treating their children in hospitals are now threatened by the same virus.
“We are in an acute phase of a chronic humanitarian situation. It is not only one generation that missed the measles vaccination. While the mothers do not have antibodies to pass to their children, they themselves are at risk too,” says Gopal Mukherjee, the health programme manager with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in the Philippines.
Many communities living in overcrowded barangays and in remote areas are also facing a challenge in getting to vaccination centers. Because of this, some parents push vaccinations to later dates, and even forget how important it is to vaccinate. This situation is worsened by the low level of immunity among communities in the Philippines, which makes the virus just as deadly after the peak of the measles crisis. While it is a contagious virus, measles can be easily avoided through vaccination.
“My son was not vaccinated because we have been so busy. It has just not been possible”, says Rosaly Abitona, 35, while she comforts her one-year-old son, John Carl, who had fallen ill a day earlier and taken to hospital.
The development of measles in the Philippines has been alarming. There was a 547 per cent spike from 4,000 cases of measles in 2017 to 21,812 cases in 2018. By the end of March this year, almost 26,000 people have been infected.
The Philippine Red Cross with has carried out mass vaccinations in the worst-affected districts, immunizing more than 15,500 children to date. They are also running campaigns to raise awareness on the importance of vaccinations to stop this virus from spreading further.
Reema from Qatar Red Crescent: I encourage Arab women to be part of the emergency surge system
“My dream is to go back to Cox Bazaar and meet the two years old twins, a boy and a girl called Reema, named after me,” said Reema Al-Merekhi, a volunteer with the Qatar Red Crescent who was deployed in 2017 to Bangladesh to assist displaced communities from Myanmar. By then Reema, assisted the pregnant mother to access life-saving health services when her labor started. “I will never forget the joy I felt when I held the twins in my arms. Even in disasters situations, life continues, and hope prevails,” she said.
Reema is a member of IFRC Field Assessment and Coordination Team (FACT) that is mandated to assist people in need as soon as a disaster happens. She is one of few women from the Middle East who are on the surge list, ready to be deployed whenever needed. “I recommend that Arab women from MENA Red Crescent and Red Cross should be represented in the surge system. It is important for localization and ensuring that MENA national societies can support each other in emergencies.”
Reema believes that the deployment has increased her: “Confidence in myself and my negotiating skill with host and partner national societies and has given me a better understanding of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement. The best moments are when you work with volunteers to assist the people who are in need.”
Initially Reema felt overwhelmed with the scale of the population movement and the scope of the needs. “It was tough, all the displaced people were in need. The number of people arriving to Cox Bazar increased day by day. We had to prioritize our work and use our FACT training and QRC experience to know where to start,” she said.
During her 45-day deployment, Reema undertook emergency needs assessments and supervised distributions to affected communities. During her mission to Cox Bazaar, Reema trained 20 Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BRC) volunteers in emergency needs assessment, ensuring sustainability of quality service delivery after the end of her deployment.
Reema Al-Merekhi attended the IFRC’s Global Surge Meeting in Geneva last month, which brought together 80 participants to discuss progress against the IFRC’s surge optimisation process. Reema, a volunteer with the Qatar Red Crescent since 2013 and a QRC Board Member, was FACT trained in 2016 in Doha.
After violence in Rakhine state, Myanmar, on 25 August 2017, more than 700,000 people crossed the border into Bangladesh. Since then, BRC supported by the IFRC and Red Cross and Red Crescent partners from around the world, has reached more than 250,000 people with emergency help including healthcare, food, water and shelter. More than 160,000 people have received medical care.
“I have seen my children suffering” – tackling chicken pox in Bangladesh’s mega-camp
Three-year-old Mohammed Sofit lies on the cold bare earth inside his family home.
For the past 24 hours he has been suffering from chicken pox – an all too familiar ailment in the sprawling Kutapalong camp, built into steep hillsides close to the Myanmar-Bangladesh border.
While the common childhood illness is generally low risk, chronic overcrowding in the camps near Cox's Bazar mean the disease is able to spread rapidly among the population.
With over 34,500 cases of the disease reported since December, the worry is that this illness risks compounding many other vulnerabilities of the people who live here.
“I have seen my children suffering”
Fatema Khatun, a mother of four, lives nearby in her small shelter in the Kutapalong mega-camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
Among her four children, three are already affected by the recent outbreak of chicken pox.
Fatema’s youngest daughter, one-year-old Nusrat has been suffering from chicken pox for five days. Two of her other children have had the tell-tale itching for two days.
“I wasn’t much worried at the beginning,” said Fatema. “Everyone in my neighborhood was saying it will go away, but I have seen my children suffering for the past few days. That’s when I came here, and it takes an hour of walk to get here.”
Fatema visited one of a handful of Red Cross clinics in the area. They treat a wide variety of health conditions among the people displaced by violence in Rahkine, Myanmar.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the recent chicken pox outbreak is spreading fast in the densely populated settlements in Cox’s Bazar. The nature of the disease, as any parent knows, is that it is very contagious. But it is also particularly miserable condition in the hot, stuffy tents that perch precariously on these hillsides.
“Stay clean and washed”
Abdus Sattar lives in a nearby area of the mega-camp. Two of Abdus’ five children have chicken pox.
Abdus was asked to come to the clinic close to his home on the advice of a Red Cross and Red Crescent community mobilizer. These volunteers, recruited from the camp, go door-to-door to ensure people are getting appropriate and timely information. At present, they are spending a lot of time speaking to families about chicken pox.
“After talking to the doctor, I came to know about the dos and don’ts during this period,” said Abdus. “My children should not scratch the body. We should cut the nails short, stay inside the mosquito net, drink plenty of water and stay clean and washed.”
It has been a month since the beginning of the chicken pox outbreak, and still patients come with a fever, a cough, itching, and scabs. In severe cases these scabs can become infected.
Dr. Faisal from the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society is working in the clinic that saw Abdus. “This disease is a contagious kind,” he said. “We are advising patients to stay in their homes. Non-affected family members should come to the health center to receive advice and medicine.”
Health messages on the wireless
Noor Mohammad usually attends a community safe space run by the Red Cross and Red Crescent to weave fishing nets with his friends. This week the 65-year-old has instead listened to a radio programme, broadcast to community groups on mobile speakers via USB, about the chicken pox outbreak.
“It’s been two days since one of my grandsons has been affected by chicken pox,” said Noor. “Today I have listened to the radio show and got to know what should be done. I also learned that the nails must be trimmed, the person must be kept clean and needs to have a shower once a day. I will go home today and tell my daughter to do the necessary things.”
Caring for a newborn
Back in the home of Mohammed Sofit, his mother Saynuwara sits quietly by his side.
“My husband is working,” she said stoically. “So we have not had time to take him to the clinic.”
Beside young Mohammed lies her young daughter Tamana. She is just 16 days old. Checking the temperature of her son, Saynuwara said:
“I feel a pain in my stomach because we cannot go home. I worry about my children’s future – there is no education here.”
With support from IFRC and sister National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society has been tackling the chicken pox outbreak from the very first day it began. To date, we have provided health care to 1,451 people suffering from the disease at six health facilities in the mega camp. 191 volunteers continue to go door-to-door of 13,370 households and disseminate key messages to 66,850 community members to ensure that people receive correct medical advice for this and other health conditions.
Philippines: Red Cross responds to deadly measles outbreak
More than 8,440 cases of measles – including 136 deaths from the disease - have been recorded in several regions of the Philippines, including the capital city Manila.
In response, the authorities are working with the Philippine Red Cross and the World Health Organization to ramp up public information campaigns and vaccination activities in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, and Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan. The Red Cross is also employing interventions to increase vaccine coverage and care and support for people currently in hospitals.
Although cases of measles have been on the increase in the Philippines in recent years, there was a 547 per cent spike from 4,000 cases in 2017 to 21,818 cases in 2018. More than 200 people died, most of them children.
Forecast-based Financing: Early Action Protocol in place to protect Peru’s alpaca herders
The Red Cross and Red Crescent’s first ever Early Action Protocol funded by IFRC’sForecast-based Action by the DREF – which will useforecast-based financingto support herder families in the high Andes region of Peru – is now in place and ready for activation.
The protocol is designed to help herder families to protect their lives and livelihoods during periods of extreme cold weather. The early action will be activated based on a five-day climate forecast, which will give the Peruvian Red Cross a period of four days to act before the start of an extreme cold wave.
This EAP was developed by the Peruvian Red Cross with support from the German Red Cross, the German Foreign Office, IFRC and the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, and is designed to shift humanitarian action from response to anticipation – a shift that could save lives and dramatically reduce costs compared to traditional emergency relief.
In Sudan, safety of volunteers critical to addressing complex crisis of conflict and climate change
By Rita Nyaga
IFRC senior communications officer
In the early morning of Saturday, 15 April 2023, the city of Khartoum woke up to the sound of gunfire and explosions. Up to two million people fled the city and became displaced either within Sudan or in neighouring countries.
As the conflict in Sudan enters its seventh month, the Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS) continues to support many impacted by the fighting through a network of more than 2,000 volunteers in 18 branches spread across the country.
Before fighting started, the socio-economic, political, and security situation in Sudan was already very tense, impacting the work of volunteers directly and indirectly. With the onset of conflict, the effort to keep them safe, secure and motivated became more critical than ever.
“Safety is the matter of life and death,” says Nagat Farah Khairi, national volunteer coordinator for the SRCS. “ Ensuring the safety and security of staff and volunteers therefore is one of the SRCS’ top priorities.”
“Fortunately, prior to the eruption of war in April 2023, three training courses were organized and attended by more than one hundred volunteers, who received and refreshed their knowledge on safety and security,” Nagat says. “That resulted in them being able to practice it and remain safe in the frontlines of crisis and to continue the provision of humanitarian support. "
These are some of the reasons that volunteer safety and security was one of twelve thematic areas of the SRCS’s ongoing Transformation Process. A total of 111 volunteers attended the training from all states, which took place in May 2022 with support from the Swedish Red Cross.
This training course also aimed to improve the quality and ensure accountability in all aspects of the SRCS’s work with volunteers, strengthening its ability to mobilize, recruit, protect, maintain, and develop its volunteers network.
Six months on, work continues with insufficient funds
Thus, by the time fighting begun, the lessons from this training could be put into practice. Meanwhile, just over six months into the conflict, SRCS volunteers continue to work to ease the plight of people impacted by the conflict. Many of the residents who were left behind in Khartoum and could not afford to leave, have now been locked down for months in a deteriorating situation. They suffer from significant reductions in essential goods and services such as health care, power, water and food. For those who consider leaving, families sometimes must choose whether to leave the elderly behind or remain with them.
People are also being hit by the effects of erratic climate patterns that are also impacting many parts of Africa, resulting in widespread food insecurity, drought and sporadic flooding.
In response, IFRC has launched two appeals to provide support for people now in very vulnerable situations.
• An emergency appeal for CHF 60 million to support the SRCS in scaling up their life-saving activities within the country.
• A regional appeal of CHF 42 million to support the humanitarian response in neighboring countries, including Egypt, Chad, South Sudan, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, and Libya.
Currently, these appeals are largely underfunded with only nine and eight percent respectively. The funds are critical to allowing the volunteers, who are now well experienced in working in this challenging environment, to carry out their essential work supporting communities.
“The SRCS recognizes and values volunteering as a means of creating and supporting community members and who are available to offer support and work in the frontline during emergencies”, says Nagat. “At the SRCS, we value all volunteers for their individual contributions, enthusiasm, and commitment, as well as for the experience and skills they bring onboard”.
IFRC is horrified and dismayed by the loss of life at the hospital in North Gaza
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is horrified and dismayed by the tragic events that unfolded at the Al Ahli Arab Hospital in North Gaza on the evening of 17 October 2023. Hospitals are places of help and refuge; they must be protected at all costs. This is not just a moral obligation but also a legal imperative. Hospitals should be sanctuaries for all, where healthcare workers and civilians alike can seek safety and care.
IFRC leadership responds
Jagan Chapagain, Secretary General of IFRC, expressed his profound concern, saying,
"I'm horrified and dismayed by what's happened at the Al Ahli Hospital in #Gaza. Hospitals are places of help and refuge. They must be protected. It's a moral and legal imperative."
Jagan Chapagain
Secretary General, IFRC
Francesco Rocca, President of IFRC, echoed these sentiments, stating,
“Horrified by what happened at the Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza. The hospital was full of patients and people seeking protection. Civilians, healthcare workers and facilities are protected under international humanitarian law. Even war has rules!”
Francesco Rocca
President, IFRC
Call for humanity
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is catastrophic. With hospitals overwhelmed and medicines running out, fuel, water, and food are in short supply. We urge everyone to exercise restraint, adhere to humanitarian law, and protect civilians. We cannot stress this further. Civilian lives must be protected. Hospitals, doctors and nurses must also be protected.
Further statements
We issued a joint statement from Jagan Chapagain, Secretary General of the IFRC, and Robert Mardini, Director General of the ICRC, on the escalation of hostilities in Israel and Gaza on 14 October 2023. Read the joint statement.
We are also devastated to confirm the deaths of seven members of our network due to the armed hostilities in Israel and the Gaza Strip. Read the statement published on 11 October 2023 (the number was five at the time of the statement).
Stay informed
For real-time updates on the current situation and to gain further insights, we invite you to listen to the latest weekly Red Cross and Red Crescent X (formerly Twitter) Spaces.
For media interviews, please write to [email protected].
Measles crisis in Kyrgyzstan: Red Crescent volunteers take the lead
Amidst a concerning surge in measles cases, the Red Crescent Society of Kyrgyzstan (RCSK), in collaboration with the IFRC, has launched an immunization campaign to combat what has become a significant threat to many communities in Kyrgyzstan.
As of early September, Kyrgyzstan has reported a staggering 1,982 confirmed cases, making measles a major threat to communities in the Kyrgyz Republic and one of the highest measles incidences globally.
A highly contagious disease, and a leading cause of child mortality worldwide, measles is almost completely preventable with vaccination. The first major challenge in tackling the outbreak lies in dispelling misinformation about the disease and vaccinations.
“Tackling measles and other communicable diseases begins and ends in communities,” says Chingiz Djakipov, president of the RCSK, adding that communities play a pivotal role in addressing diseases like measles. ”Something as simple as a vaccine can help prevent many unavoidable deaths and illnesses. But we have a far way to go to tackle vaccine hesitancy in the country,”.
Additionally, the National Society and the IFRC have deployed trained volunteers and staff country-wide to support the government’s national immunization campaign. Their mission includes raising awareness about measles and rubella prevention, dispelling misinformation, alleviating fears, addressing questions, and facilitating access to vaccination points and health services.
As an additional help, IFRC’s Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) allocated 139,000 Swiss francs to bolster the RCSK’s efforts in curbing the outbreak. Over the coming months, the Red Crescent Society aims to reach 70,000 individuals across the most affected regions and cities, including the cities of Osh and Bishkek cities, and the Osh and Chui regions.
“Debunking misinformation about the disease and vaccinations is the first major hurdle to tackling this next outbreak,” says Seval Guzelkilinc, head of IFRC’s Central Asia Country Cluster Delegation. “For many years, the Red Crescent Society of Kyrgyzstan has played a fundamental role in responding to health-related emergencies across the country and it is seen as a reliable and trusted source of information for communities.”
Rising from the ashes in Bangladesh: A new chance at life's dreams after fire in Cox’s Bazar
Amid the vast expanse of bamboo huts in Cox’s Bazar Camp-11, Bangladesh, 14-year-old Mohammad Shahid is in many ways like any average teenager. He loves to play football, he goes to school and he has big dreams for the future.
“I want to be a teacher and educate people in my community when I grow up,“ he says, his voice soft yet filled with determination.
But this young man’s memories carry far more weight than any teenager should. Memories of fleeing Myanmar, only to end up living in a camp with his parents and sister, and himself—forming a close-knit unit amidst a life of challenges, but where danger is never far away.
During one terrifying day, the relative peace of camp life was brutally interrupted by a roaring blaze that tore through their bamboo haven. Shahid remembers the roaring flames consuming the family home and the sounds of despair echoing through the camp.
“During the fire incident we started running around and I went missing,” he recalls. “Then after an announcement through the [public address] speaker, my parents found me. I was searching for my parents and was in anxiety and fear.”
The family was finally reunited, but the house that had protected them from rain, winds and heatwaves was gone, burnt to the ground along with some 2,000 other homes in the camp.
The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society and the IFRC swiftly came to their aid. "We provided them various support to build shelters," says Asmat Ullah, a volunteer with the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society who himself comes from the displaced community in Cox’s Bazar. “When the fires broke out. Many people suffered. We distributed bamboo, tarpaulin and ropes and necessary support to the families who lost their houses.”
A happy ending
Shahid’s family says the loss of their house was a huge blow. But Shahid and his family were able to watch as, slowly but surely, bamboo huts began to rise again. Shahid pitched in; his every effort was filled with dreams of a brighter future.
“Without a home, we might have suffered from storms and excessive heat,” he says. “And that is why my parents and grandparents show their gratitude. Volunteers from the Red Crescent Society came and built a house for us. We are living happily.“
Tania Akter, a Disaster Risk Reduction Officer from the German Red Cross, highlights the significance of these shelters."Considering the camp context, these shelters are the only shelter for them," she says, adding that these structures provide essential stability for all aspects of a healthy happy life amidst an often very unpredictable backdrop.
While the story of the fire ends relatively happily, it’s just one chapter in a story of tremendous upheaval for families like Shahid’s. The young man’s father, Mohammad Hanif, recalls the treacherous journey that led them here. Forced to flee their home in Myanmar, they sought refuge in Bangladesh.
"We got houses, and people love us; we have been living in Camp-11 for the last six years," Mohammad Hanif says, his words laced with gratitude for their newfound community. “If the Red Crescent Society had not built us a house, we would have suffered a lot. We might have suffered a significant loss.”
Shahid, meanwhile, can once again get back to the things he loves most: being with his family, going to school and pursuing his dream to be a teacher, and of course playing football. Running to kick the ball as rain pours down during a recent football match in the alleys of Camp-11, his voice joins the din of laughter and joy. “I love playing football with my friends,” he says, like any teenager might, a radiant smile shining through the falling rain.
Breaking the silence: addressing mental health and fighting stigma in the aftermath of Ukraine's conflict
Since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, millions of people have been displaced from their homes, facing distressing situations that have left them with trauma and loss. The impact of this crisis on mental health cannot be underestimated, with one in five individuals affected by mental health disorders in post-conflict settings, as reported by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The conflict in Ukraine has been devastating, forcing 6,199,700 people to flee their homes as refugees around the world, with an additional 5,088,000 internally displaced within Ukraine itself.
These individuals have endured heartbreaking losses, including the deaths of loved ones, the destruction of their homes, and the loss of their livelihoods. Witnessing traumatic events has further compounded the mental anguish faced by many.
Since the beginning of the conflict, Red Cross and Red Crescent staff and volunteers have been on the ground, assisting people at border crossing points, train stations, and temporary shelters. They have been providing a listening ear, demonstrating empathy, sharing life-saving information, and taking care of vulnerable individuals. In neighboring countries, IFRC member National Societies are witnessing an increasing number of pleas for mental health assistance through their community feedback systems.
To address this massive need for mental health and psychosocial support, IFRC, the IFRC Psychosocial Centre, and National Red Cross Societies in Ukraine and 24 European countries have united their efforts. Since 2022 June, the EU4Health program provides in-person Psychological First Aid (PFA) within Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) services, via helplines and other service platforms, and by building and strengthening the capacities of Red Cross Red Crescent National Society staff and volunteers, frontline responders and other professionals.
“Through this project, we are continuously creating the awareness to all that it is okay to take a break and prioritize your emotional, psychological, and social well-being especially in stressful situations,” says Basilio Muiruri acting Project Coordinator of Health and Care at IFRC Europe.
“As a team together with the national societies’ staff and volunteers, we are emphasizing to the people fleeing Ukraine and those affected inside Ukraine, that indeed they are worthy of happiness and peace of mind, through provision of psychological first aid and basic coping skills.”
As part of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE), the EU4Health programme takes a comprehensive approach to mental health and psychosocial support. Funded by the European Union, EU4Health is committed to restoring hope and healing to the people of Ukraine during their time of greatest need.
In this collaborative project, National Red Cross Societies in Ukraine and 24 European countries have achieved significant milestones in their mission in the last year to provide psychosocial support to individuals displaced from Ukraine. Some key accomplishments include:
Establishment of 27 helplines providing Psychological First Aid and Psychosocial Support services to 68,706 people displaced from Ukraine.
Training of 4,114 staff and volunteers in Psychological First Aid and Psychosocial Support, including 440 who are Ukrainian or Russian speakers.
Engagement of 1,853 staff, volunteers, and first responders in the response to the Ukraine crisis.
Facilitation of 490 meetings between National Societies, key stakeholders, and partners to ensure a coordinated response.
Mental health is a neglected area of public health in the WHO European Region, with over 150 million people suffering from mental health conditions by 2021. Only 1 in 3 individuals with depression receive proper care, according to The Pan-European Mental Health Coalition (who.int). The conflict in Ukraine has led to an estimated 15 million people needing psychosocial support, with millions potentially requiring medical treatment.
Stigma, discrimination, and human rights abuses still hinder access to mental health services. World Mental Health Day on October 10th serves as an opportunity to raise awareness and address gaps in mental health services, with a focus on it being a universal human right in 2023.
The content of this article is the sole responsibility of IFRC and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
Morocco earthquake: Families unite in tragedy, but fear solidarity will fade
Amizmiz is a small town in Morocco, located at the foot of the High Atlas mountain range. Behind the main road that leads up into the mountains, there are hundreds of small, narrow streets full of adjoined houses.
It’s in one of these streets that Khadija, Fatima, Radia and Zineb used to live.
When the earth started to shake on the night of September 8, they were all at home, ready to go to sleep after their nightly prayers.
Within seconds, the walls of their house started to shake and collapse. They rushed out into the street, fortunate to all make it out safely, but lost everything they had.
Khadija, Fatima, Radia and Zineb are part of a community of ten families who are now living under tents, about two hundred metres from where their homes once stood.
They haven’t just lost their homes, they’ve also lost their income. Khadija, Fatima and Radia’s husbands used to work in the local market, the souk, that has also been completely destroyed.
“We are very grateful for all the help we have received so far, the solidarity has been amazing,” says Khadija.
“But we know the solidarity will fade away and soon we will have nothing to eat. We don’t have any income anymore; our husbands can’t work. We don’t know how we will be able to cope in the weeks to come,” she adds.
Khadija and her friends want to go back home. They want their houses to be rebuilt exactly where they were. “A house is life,” explains Khadija.
In an emergency like the September 8 earthquake, it’s often children who suffer most and who need the most support with their mental health recovery.
“They scream in the middle of the night. They have a lot of nightmares. They are also much more sensitive, crying more often. They are scared,” says Khadija.
But despite the tragic circumstances, Khadija and her friends make sure that life goes on, for them and their children.
Between the donations they’ve received, they’ve managed to set up a functioning kitchen to feed the whole community—proving that against all odds, and in the face of so much loss, humanity can prevail.
The Moroccan Red Crescent is supporting Khadija’s community, and many more across the country, by providing essential relief supplies.
Volunteers are also offering psychosocial support to help people process the shock of such a sudden, devastating disaster.
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The IFRC network is in it for the long haul with our response to the September 8 earthquake.
To support people like Khadija who have lost everything, please donate to our emergency appeal today.