National Society Investment Alliance announces grants to 14 Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies

Following a rigorous review process, the National Society Investment Alliance (NSIA) has allocated approximately 3.1 million Swiss francs in 2025 to support the sustainable development of 14 Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies operating in complex emergencies, protracted crises, and fragile contexts.A joint pooled fund of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the NSIA provides flexible, multi-year funding to support the sustainable development of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies that carry out critical humanitarian work under extremely challenging environments.The NSIA awards grants in two key funding categories: It can allocate up to 750,000 Swiss francs of “accelerator”funding to National Societies over a maximum of five years, and it also awards “bridge grants” of up to 50,000 Swiss francs over 12 months that aim to help National Societies lay the ground for future investment from the NSIA or from other National Society Development (NSD) initiatives.In 2025, the NSIA Office received 32 eligible proposals, 17 for accelerator funding and 15 for bridge grants. The National Societies selected for accelerator funding in 2025 are the following:Colombian Red Cross SocietyJordan National Red Crescent SocietyPakistan Red CrescentSalvadorean Red Cross SocietySomali Red Crescent SocietySouth Sudan Red CrossThese National Societies will receive strategic funding to support their journey toward long-term organizational sustainability and impact. All six National Societies have previously received NSIA grants.The Colombian Red Cross Society will strengthen institutional efficiency and humanitarian impact through a national digital management system, unifying data and governance tools to enhance transparency, coordination, accountability and donor confidence.The Jordan National Red Crescent Society will expand its Commercial First Aid services by establishing a new training center, generating sustainable income while empowering communities, especially refugees, women, and youth, to prepare for and respond to emergencies.The Pakistan Red Crescent Society will expand equitable access to safe blood and diagnostic services by upgrading laboratories and launching new mobile units, ultimately improving healthcare access for underserved communities.The Salvadorean Red Cross Society will establish a new clinical laboratory and imaging center, translating prior NSIA support into a self-sustaining health service that expands access to affordable diagnostics and reinforces the Society’s financial autonomy.The South Sudan Red Cross will drive its digital transformation by deploying new management systems, training staff and volunteers, and strengthening ICT infrastructure to enhance efficiency, accountability, and readiness in humanitarian response.Bridge grants awarded to eight National SocietiesIn addition to the accelerator grants, the NSIA has awarded bridge grants to eight National Societies: Belize Red Cross Society, Bolivian Red Cross, Guatemalan Red Cross, Honduran Red Cross, Lesotho Red Cross Society, Tanzania Red Cross-National Society, Timor-Leste Red Cross Society, Venezuelan Red Cross.2025 bridge initiatives continue to strengthen the foundations of National Societies and setting the stage for larger investments, by improving financial sustainability, governance, and institutional systems.Several initiatives, such as in Venezuela, Bolivia, Lesotho and Guatemala, will focus on restoring operational capacity and developing comprehensive resource mobilization strategies to ensure long-term income generation and donor confidence.Others, such as Timor-Leste and Honduras, plan modernization of commercial first aid services and human resource systems, improving efficiency and transparency, as well as financial sustainability.The Belize Red Cross is redefining its strategic direction through a new strategy and business plan, while Tanzania Red Cross is investing in social enterprise models and education structures to enhance financial resilience and youth engagement.Collectively, these initiatives reinforce the institutional backbone of National Societies and prepare them for future strategic investments, enabling more sustainable, accountable, and locally led humanitarian action.The NSIA continues to be a vital instrument for enabling National Societies to strengthen their sustainable institutions and deliver effective locally led humanitarian action, when humanitarian needs are increasing and funding dropping.As highlighted in the NSIA Annual Report 2024, emerging impacts show that well-targeted investments, even small ones, can generate significant returns, for example, improving governance, financial sustainability, and humanitarian service delivery across crisis and fragile and protracted contexts.Ultimately, NSIA investments offer a transformative opportunity to National Societies operating in the most complex contexts to advance their strategic priorities, strengthen institutions and eventually contributing to more resilient communities, and lasting humanitarian impact.For more information, please click here to visit the NSIA webpage.

Our Renewal matters: for so many, the IFRC network is all that’s left

In Kena, Lesotho, families set out before dawn and walk for hours - over mountains, through rivers - to reach clinics many kilometers away. But in August, I stood in a small, airless room where the pharmacy shelves were bare just a week before.No medicine, no doctors. Just the weight of frustration, exhaustion and quiet despair of those who had come so far - only to return home with nothing. The IFRC has just managed to get some medicines which will last for about 4 months. Then what?I’ve been on a few missions this year to see how the international funding cuts are impacting communities. And the more countries I visit, the more I am left with a terrible realization. What I saw in Lesotho isn’t the exception. It’s becoming the norm.Our IFRC network needs a Renewal to respond.In Somalia earlier in the year, the Somali Red Crescent Society (SRCS) felt as though it was the only organization on the ground. Everyone I met in June was asking for our support. ‘It’s simple’ one woman said to me, only half joking,‘Just makeusthe priority!’.The trouble, of course, is that so many deserve priority.Health is where resilience begins. If people are not healthy, they cannot build their lives or their communities. But health is also where the cracks show first. In the village of Laalays in Somalia, I watched infants receive life-saving vaccines with the help of our volunteers backed, financially, by the IFRC’s Disaster Response Emergency Fund, our ‘IFRC-DREF.’The relief for their parents was real. But these programmes have money only for six months. What happens then to those still waiting their turn? Today, more than 359,000 children in Somalia remain “zero-dose” - never having received even asinglevaccine.In Lesotho, where one small clinic is responsible for 7,000 people, I met Nkopane Maema. Orphaned as a child, Nkopane grew up with support of a Red Cross programme for vulnerable children. Today, he is a certified pharmacist - and he volunteers at the very same clinic that once gave him care. There, the need for medical supplies and guidance continues to grow - yet most humanitarian agencies have pulled out, or are pulling out.This strain is just as vivid in social systems.In South Africa, where I travelled after Lesotho, gender-based violence (GBV) has reached terrible levels. Statistics from the Africa Health Organization suggest that51 percent of women have experienced GBV, while 76 percent of men admit to perpetrating it at some point in their lives.In Botswana, the picture is equally stark. Between July and September 2024,10,191 rapes were reported - an average of 111 per day. Across both countries, youth unemployment remains alarmingly high, fueling cycles of poverty, violence and vulnerability. Budget cuts mean fewer and fewer organizations are able to help.In Johannesburg, at an afterschool care centre run by the South African Red Cross Society (SARCS), I watched children from underprivileged neighborhoods receive a hot meal - for some, it was the only one they would eat all day.Everywhere, needs are growing, budgets are shrinking, and humanitarian agencies are pulling out.And yet, one constant remains: the Red Cross and Red Crescent.National authorities are recognizing this. In Lesotho, we signed a legal status agreement to scale operations rapidly during emergencies. In South Africa, we supported the Red Cross on governance reform and private sector partnerships. In Botswana, we have been asked to help tackle GBV, positioning the National Society as a trusted partner.Excellent. But my feelings are bittersweet. Yes, pride in the dedication of colleagues in our network. But that’s mixed with aggravation at the inability of others because of funding cuts.We want to help. We can. But to do so best, we must change too - to maximize the impact of our limited resources. We must respond to a new, leaner humanitarian world in which, very often, the ‘always there’ local nature of our network gives us a huge opportunity. How to best seize it? To meet an all-too-common threat we must be the common thread that remains. And the IFRC’s ‘Renewal’ is how we will achieve that.After extensive consultation, I've broken down my vision for Renewal into five areas where we must focus:To position ourselves for resources, as a network always working at the most local level, we mustdeepen localizationandprove it through accountability.To strengthen our humanitarian impact, we mustsharpen our focusandfoster deeper collaboration across the network.To influence the causes that matter most, we mustredouble our humanitarian diplomacy effortsandspeak with a totally unified voice.To embrace change and do more with sometimes less, we mustaccelerate digital transformationandembrace ethical adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI).To become an organization that delivers more effectively and efficiently, we mustbuild a more agileandresponsive secretariat with a culture of transformation; a secretariat closer to the communities we serve.To truly help people in a world where needs are growing and resources are shrinking, we need focus, structure and adaptability. If our Renewal gets this right, we’ll not just remain relevant, we’ll reach further than ever. Renewal will mean we’ll be the global local network that continues to deliver, in Somalia, Lesotho and all around the world.

First Aid in Africa: When every second counts, Red Cross driven to save lives

In the bustle of Kampala’s streets, motorcycle taxis – known as boda-bodas – weave between cars, carrying millions of Ugandans every day. Accidents are frequent, and too often, precious minutes are lost before medical help arrives.But something is changing. Riders like Luyambi John, a boda-boda driver from Rubaga division, now carry not only their passengers but also lifesaving knowledge.“We don’t usually know how to help our friends who get involved in road traffic accidents,” John admits. “But the training showed us how togivecardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and call the Red Cross ambulance. Now, I feel I can save a life.”This transformation is no accident. It is the result of Uganda Red Cross Society’s commitment to innovate and find new ways to share first aid skills and ensure that lifesaving skills are no longer the preserve of professionals.Over the past three years, Uganda Red Cross has trained more than 18,000 boda-boda riders through the SAFE STEPS campaign, a unique program that merges road safety awareness with first aid training. In a country where motorcycles are both vital transport and a leading cause of road injuries, the approach is as practical as it is visionary.But Uganda’s ambition does not stop at the roadside. In 2025, it launched the First Aid Blended Learning (FABL) platform, a cutting-edge app designed with Belgian Red Cross. This platform combines self-paced online study with practical sessions in 51 branches across the country, aiming to train 2,500 new first aiders by the end of 2025.“At URCS, we firmly believe that first aid should be accessible to all,” insists Secretary General Robert Kwesiga. “It is a life-saving skill that strengthens emergency response and builds safer, more resilient communities.”And in classrooms across Uganda, the seeds are being sown even earlier. More than 6,400 students have taken part in “Everyday First Aid” quizzes and trainings, turning curiosity into confidence, and ensuring the next generation of Ugandans grows up not only learning math and science, but also how to save a life.But this is just one example of the many innovative ways African Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are helping people act with confidence in the face of crisis. On World First Aid Day (12 August), we highlight a few case studies, from Lesotho, to Central Africa to Cameroon.Lesotho: Safety on the road, security at homeA thousand miles to the south, in the mountain kingdom of Lesotho, a different journey unfolds. Here, the Lesotho Red Cross Society (LRCS) has struck a powerful alliance with local taxi associations. Drivers, once seen only as transporters, are now becoming first responders on wheels, trained to stabilize passengers or pedestrians injured on the road.At the same time, LRCS is reaching into households and villages. Domestic helpers, people with disabilities, and rural volunteers are receiving training designed to fit their realities — practical, relevant, and immediately usable. To reinforce these skills, simulations and awareness campaigns are organized, revealing gaps and building confidence.In a country where winding roads and remote villages can delay ambulances, these efforts ensure that help is never far away. The lesson is clear: first aid thrives when it grows both in the taxis of the capital and in the kitchens of rural homes.Central African Republic: From learners to teachersIn Central African Republic, the story is one of multiplication. With the support of trainers from the Belgian Red Cross, volunteers from different local committees completed an intensive training-of-trainers program.The National President of the Central African Red Cross, speaking at the closing ceremony, reminded them: “These skills must not remain with you alone. They are to be passed on. Training must become a program shared by all committees.”The new approach ensures consistency and professionalism: certificates will now be issued centrally by the Red Cross Secretariat General, guaranteeing that whether one is trained in Bangui or in the smallest village, the standards — and the confidence — remain the same.Here, the focus is on creating a ripple effect: one trained volunteer becomes a trainer, and soon an entire community knows what to do when emergencies strike.Cameroon: Planting the seeds earlyMeanwhile, in Cameroon, the Red Cross has chosen to start young. For the past six years, during every school holiday, children and teenagers gather for hands-on first aid training.This year alone, more than 150 young people took part. They practiced placing a classmate in the recovery position, learned how to stop a bleeding wound, and discovered that saving a life is not beyond their reach.The goal is not only to teach techniques but to instill confidence and reflexes that may one day turn a child into a hero.A continental threadThough the contexts differ — Uganda’s bustling boda-boda drivers, Lesotho’s taxis and households, Bangui's multiplying trainers, Cameroon’s holiday classrooms — the thread is the same. First aid is becoming woven into the very fabric of African communities.Across the continent, Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers are breaking barriers:Technology is making training more accessible.Partnerships are expanding reach into high-risk sectors.Children and youth are being empowered early.Volunteers are evolving into trainers, multiplying impact.Together, these efforts are redefining what it means to be prepared.Because every second countsEmergencies strike without warning. A crash on a highway. A faint in a classroom. A fall in a kitchen. In those moments, the first person on the scene is rarely a doctor — it is a neighbor, a driver, a child.Africa’s Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are ensuring that when that moment comes, the first hands to reach out will know what to do. And in doing so, they are not only saving lives — they are building a continent where resilience begins in every home, every street, every school.

Lesotho Red Cross Society

National Society Investment Alliance (NSIA): Funding announcement 2020

The National Society Investment Alliance (NSIA) has today announced the National Societies to receive investment from the fund in 2020, with the Steering Committee approving Accelerator funding to: The Colombian Red Cross Society The Georgia Red Cross Society The Mexican Red Cross Society The Somali Red Crescent Society The Co-chairs of the NSIA Steering Committee, Xavier Castellanos, Under-Secretary General for National Society Development and Operations Coordination at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and Katrin Wiegmann, Deputy Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said: “We are pleased to announce this second group of National Societies to receive support from the NSIA. We have selected National Societies responding to ongoing crises in some of the world’s major humanitarian emergencies, such as Somalia and South Sudan, as well as Georgia Red Cross Society pursuing an entrepreneurial response to the unprecedented global pandemic that we continue to face. These investments build on those made in 2019, and we are already seeing how such funding can have a catalytic effect, such as in supporting the Lebanese Red Cross’ efforts to mobilize support in response to the double impacts of Covid-19 and the recent Beirut port explosion As we begin to see the value of the NSIA on the ground, there continues to also be demand from National Societies thinking strategically about their development during unprecedented uncertainty. We call on our partners in the Movement and beyond to join us in expanding this important mechanism for supporting strong and principled local humanitarian action.” The IFRC and the ICRC jointly manage the NSIA to provide substantial, multi-year development support to National Societies, especially those in contexts with heightened humanitarian needs. The NSIA helps strengthen the organisational and operational development and capacity of National Societies so they can increase their impact. To respond to the varied development needs of National Societies, the 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 the NSIA or elsewhere. To date, NSIA has been supported by generous contributions from the governments of Switzerland, The United States, and Canada. Second Round of NSIA Funding This second call for proposals received 49 applications from National Societies across all regions, with a range of contextual challenges and organizational development needs. The application process was adapted to take account of exposure to Covid-19 related risks and again involved an independent and objective process of consultation and review against the criteria, working with colleagues from the IFRC and the ICRC at the national and regional level, as well as National Societies themselves. The selected applicants will undergo further due diligence steps, which in the case of Accelerator investments will include the Federation’s Working With Project Partners approach, as well as the meeting of certain conditions linked to their specific applications, such as securing sufficient co-funding. Selected National Societies Accelerator Funding The Colombian Red Cross Society will receive funding to build on the resource mobilsation work conducted under their ongoing Bridge Award, including individual giving and digital fundraising. The Georgia Red Cross Society will receive funds to support the commercial production of sanitizer products at the national level. This funding is conditional on securing loan-based co-finance. The Mexican Red Cross Society will receive funds to invest in systems for Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting, as well as learning, as part of their wider NSD strategy. The Somali Red Crescent Society will receive funds for the redevelopment and commercialisation of their national HQ, as part of a wider NSD strategy, and contingent on co-funding. Bridge Funding The Lesotho Red Cross will receive funds for the development of a Resource Mobilsation strategy and investment plan exploring national level income generating activities The South Sudan Red Cross will receive funds for the initial investment in IT capacities at HQ and branch level, to support remote management, and focused on longer term branch development efforts. The Syrian Arab Red Crescent will receive funds to roll out a new approach to branch development.

Immediate action needed as millions face hunger in Southern Africa, warns the Red Cross

Pretoria/Nairobi/Geneva, 12 December 2019 –Hunger is threatening the lives of 11 million people in Southern Africa due to deepening drought and in the region. Red Cross teams across Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia are scaling up their response to emergency and crisis levels of food insecurity. “This year’s drought is unprecedented, causing food shortages on a scale we have never seen here before,” said Dr Michael Charles, Head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Southern Africa cluster. “We are seeing people going two to three days without food, entire herds of livestock wiped out by drought and small-scale farmers with no means to earn money to tide them over a lean season.” The countries with the most significant increase in food insecurity from last year are Zambia and Zimbabwe, with 2.3 million and 3.6 million people respectively suffering from acute food shortages. Botswana, Lesotho and Namibia have this year declared drought emergencies. In Eswatini, 24 per cent of its rural population is suffering from food shortages. The situation is set to worsen due to late or no rain in the region and crop production is down by 30 percent for the 2019/2020 harvest. In October, the IFRC launched an Emergency Appeal in Zambia to bring relief to those most affected by the persistent drought and is now widening its appeal for emergency funding to cover a further four countries affected by unprecedented levels of drought and hunger. The Red Cross Red Crescent Movement already has ongoing operations on food insecurity in Eswatini, Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe reaching 207,055 people (41,411 households). This newest appeal will broaden its reach to eight southern African countries and will target individuals not reached by other interventions in the region. “There is a major gap in investment in resilience and community-level capacities in countries hardest hit, including Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Eswatini,” Dr Charles said. “As a humanitarian collective, we must take immediate action to respond to millions who face imminent starvation. Even more importantly, it is our responsibility to strengthen communities’ resilience and ability to adapt to the current challenges. Otherwise, we will never end hunger in the region.” The IFRC is calling for 7.7 million Swiss francs to mitigate the food crisis in the region. The overall objective of the multi-country Emergency Appeal is to provide immediate food assistance and livelihood recovery support to the most affected households in the targeted communities for a period of 14 months.

Urgent action needed for countries in Southern Africa threatened by drought

All countries in the Southern Africa are currently experiencing pockets of dryness. Worryingly for the sub-region, Angola, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe have declared state of emergencies due to looming drought. The United Nations Climate Action Summit scheduled for 23 September 2019 in New York, United States of America, presents a timely opportunity for urgent global discussions that will hopefully culminate inconcrete, realistic plans to address thedisproportionate impacts of climate change on developing countries. Southern Africa is one of the regions most affected by serious impacts of climate-induced natural disasters. This year alone, a succession ofcyclonesandfloodshas already resulted in significant loss of life and assets in Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe, and kept humanitarian organisations busy with emergency responses, as well as recovery and rebuilding efforts. Tropical cyclones Idai and Kenneth were different in that they managed to attract global attention because they caused significant devastation during a short period. Climate change-induced natural disasters in Southern Africa are often invisible in the global media, even though they are protracted and threaten the livelihoods of millions. Even lower-level cyclones can cause devastating floods that are quickly followed by debilitating droughts. Many national economies in Southern Africa are agriculturally based and as long as climate change mitigation strategies enshrined in existing globalpoliciesare not wholeheartedly implemented, a significant portion of the 340 million inhabitants of Southern Africa could be food-insecure in the long-term because of famine. The increased mass movement of people from areas affected by climate-induced natural disasters is also more likely. Internal and external migration will necessitate greater coordination among humanitarian organisations to adequately support receiving communities and countries to respond to the added burden introduced by new arrivals. The effects of food insecurity and mass movements are felt most by the vulnerable in our communities, such as the chronically ill and disabled, and women and children. They also place immense pressure on already strained health systems in many countries in the sub-region. With the necessary funds, the Red Cross Movement has the capability and is well placed to address some of the consequences. But urgent action is still needed on the climate change question. Climate change is certain and evident. Its effects are being felt more in less developed nations, especially in southern Africa. Efforts for adaptation are essential not only to decrease the negative consequences but also to increase opportunities for communities to be more resilient in the long-term. Countries in the sub-region are acting to decrease their response times to calamities and improve their communities’ readiness to mitigate impacts of natural disasters. Mozambique is the first country in Africa to have an Early Action Protocol approved; the protocol harnesses the power offorecast-based financingto ensure that humanitarian responses are more responsive and proactive. Malawi’s protocol is under review and Zambia’s is currently in development. The need for humanitarian assistance in Southern Africa in the latter part of 2019 and into 2020 will be greater with the imminent drought. Notwithstanding ongoing local efforts to improve countries’ and communities’ disaster risk management practices and increase their resilience, global stakeholders have a responsibility to definitively act to reduce the need for climate change-induced disaster mitigation efforts in the most affected developing countries. Originally published in the Southern Times Newspaper

Women are the agents of change for climate change in southern Africa

By: Dr Michael Charles Today South Africa marks Women’s Day. Much like the women being commemorated for the march to the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956, women in southern Africa today may well hold the same flint that lights a “new movement” – climate change. Southern Africa is one of the regions projected to experience the most serious consequences of global warming and the El Niño effect. In 2019, we experienced one of the worst disasters the region has ever seen - Cyclone Idai ravaged communities in Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe and continue to rebuild their lives. Urgent action is needed to increase the region’s preparedness for natural disasters. It is only a matter of time until the next disaster strikes. Being female often automatically means that personal susceptibility to sexual and domestic violence, rape and assault in emergency situations is significantly heightened. Women experience additional difficulties because they are typically responsible for sourcing water and preparing food; caring for children, the injured, sick and elderly; and maintaining family and community cohesion. Tackling climate change is, undoubtedly, women’s business. They have a vested interest in avoiding and mitigating the impacts of climate change. It is time that humanitarian actors and policy and decision-makers mainstream gender in policy and practice. It is not a “nice to do”; it is crucial to making real and sustainable differences in the lives of affected people. In 1956, 200,000 South African women declared that enough was enough and acted to defend themselves and the unity and integrity of their families from restrictive laws that required them to carry a pass to reside and move freely in urban areas. Wathint'Abafazi Wathint'imbokodo! Now you have touched the women, you have struck a rock! was the rallying cry of that day, used to signify the women’s unshakeable and unbreakable resolve in the face of adversity as they marched to the Union Building in Pretoria, and sparked change in the course of South Africa’s history. As countries in southern Africa ramp up their disaster risk management and humanitarian organisations work to strengthen community recovery and resilience, women in southern Africa should not just be considered victims and survivors who need special protection and assistance. They are forces for change who can be relied on to represent themselves within their communities and at the highest decision-making levels. I am always inspired by the women I meet responding in disasters, most recently in Cyclone Idai. Women like, Sonia, a volunteer who was working long hours to support women in a shelter, displaced by Cyclone Idai or Flora, who was affected herself by flooding but was dedicated to helping her neighbours rebuild their homes and their lives. Happy Women’s Day, South Africa. May the flame that was lit in 1956 and the fire of women’s empowerment and participation that was built over the decades rage on.