Chad

There are approximately 48,400 Sudanese refugees living in the Tréguine and Bredjine refugee camps in Chad. The Irish Red Cross has recently committed €10,000 to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to ensure the continuity of quality humanitarian assistance in the camps through the provision of improved water and sanitation facilities. In terms of sanitation, the poor access to and condition of latrines was the major problem in both camps in 2008. The situation was improved from September 2008 following the construction of family latrines and the delivery of hygiene kits to families. Volunteers have been trained in community and personal hygiene matters which has led to sensitizing sessions carried out jointly by volunteers and refugees. This recent donation will continue to improve water and sanitation facilities to refugees and create a better living environment to those fleeing the troubles in Darfur, western Sudan.

Ethiopia

In December 2008 the Horn of Africa Food Insecurity Appeal was launched by the International Federation of the Red Cross with a plan to assist 2.2 million beneficiaries over a five year period in Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia and Kenya. The Irish Red Cross has recently donated €20,000 towards Ethiopia as part of this appeal. Rural areas of Ethiopia are almost completely dependant on rain fed agriculture and the lack of seasonal rain or flooding can completely destroy the plants under cultivation. Therefore, the food insecurity situation in the SNNP region of Ethiopia has been caused by a combination of consecutive flooding and lack of rain which began in mid 2007. In 2007, the main rainy season started very early with very heavy rainfall (which hampered agricultural activity). However, it then stopped abruptly, not gradually as usual and subsequent rainy seasons failed to provide enough rain for the already poorly performing harvests. The flooding, followed by a severe lack of rain starting from June 2007 to March 2008 led to the failure of three harvests in a row. In addition a soaring inflation rate and a global rise in food prices has further increased a severe food shortage affecting large parts of Ethiopia with the SNNP region being one of the worst affected areas. The total number of people targeted for food assistance within Ethiopia is over 12 million and therefore Ethiopia was given priority in the emergency phase of the Horn of Africa Food Insecurity Appeal. To date 21 distribution points have been supplied with food to be delivered to 150,000 beneficiaries.

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is currently facing a deepening humanitarian crisis with adverse socio-economic repercussions which have a direct impact on the wide population. Although the demand for humanitarian services is on the increase due to the on-going social, political and economic crises in the country, cholera still remains a serious threat as the 100,000th case of cholera was officially reported in Zimbabwe at the end of May. So far, cholera has claimed 4,283 deaths in Zimbabwe. The Irish Red Cross has continued to monitor the cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe and has donated €40,000 towards the IFRC appeal. The cholera crisis is still not under control, and the consensus from most stakeholders is that the situation will not be fully resolved until large-scale water supply and sewage infrastructure repair projects are underway. This health crisis was triggered by the weakened public health and municipal services, with local authorities unable to provide potable water, waste collection and adequate sanitation. Given the time required for the necessary large engineering works and the lack of adequate funding for this type of intervention, this situation will take a long time to normalise. Despite these factors, the Red Cross Red Crescent cholera operation has produced significant results since it was launched in December 2008. Seventy-five treatment centres have been supported, 450,000 people have been given access to clean water, 700,000 water purification sachets have been distributed and 700,000 people have been reached with potentially life-saving information materials.

Niger

The Irish Red Cross has pledged €8,000 towards the polio sensitisation campaign in Niger. As of 13 May 2009, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) reported 416 cases of wild polio virus (WPV) globally with 357 of these cases in Africa. The ongoing circulation of wild polio virus (WPV) in Nigeria, and particularly the surge of cases in 2008 present a serious reinfection threat to surrounding countries. Ministries of Health in the affected countries will procure the vaccine and organize the emergency campaigns to ensure that all children under 5 years are reached with oral polio vaccination. However, achieving optimal coverage will require reaching the most remote and hard-to-reach communities. The purpose of the IFRC and Red Cross National Society involvement in this operation is to complement outbreak response activities and fill gaps in national plans. The respective Red Cross National Societies will play a vital role in delivering vaccination messages to communities and linking vaccination teams with beneficiaries. The Irish Red Cross continues to implement a large Livelihoods Program in Niger and will seek to support the Niger Red Cross in the nationwide polio vaccination campaign over the coming weeks and months.

¹ In this instance Bilateral means an operational 'on the ground' partnership directly between the Irish Red Cross and an African Red Cross or Red Crescent National Society

² Longer term programming encompasses engagements beyond the immediate emergency or relief phase