Red Cross winter emergency appeal [Eastern Europe] fwd
Tom Boland (wgcp@earthlink.net)
Fri, 30 Oct 1998 04:58:17 -0400
SOURCE: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
(Geneva, Switzerland, URL: http://www.ifrc.org .)
On September 30, 1998 the International Red Cross issued a winter emergency
appeal to help disadvantaged populations in Belarus, Moldova, the Russian
Federation, and Ukraine. This appeal seeks 25,014,000 Swiss franks in cash,
in-kind contributions, and services to assist 1,631,500 beneficiaries for six
month.
Summary:
This appeal targets over a million and a half of the most vulnerable families
with many children, orphans, pensioners, severely handicapped, homeless among
the populations of Belarus, the Russian Federation, Moldova and Ukraine with
food, hygiene, medical, and winter clothing supplies. The financial crisis
sweeping Russia and its neighbours has left millions of people struggling to
survive in deteriorating economic and social circumstances. The International
Federation acknowledges that the present humanitarian crisis, brought on by
economic and political instability in Russia, is too large in scope for the
needs of the population to be addressed completely. Long-term solutions can
only be provided by economic and political policies. The Red Cross Societies
in all of the affected countries are important and recognised partners of
their respective governments. As auxiliaries to their governments, which
currently cannot cope with such vast needs, the Red Cross can help to
alleviate the human suffering engulfing these countries. The established and
well-experienced distribution network of the Red Cross branches will receive
technical and advisory support from the International Federation throughout
the duration of the winter operation.
The Humanitarian Situation:
Throughout the four countries targeted by this Appeal, at least 73 million
people are living below the poverty line according to some estimates.
Russia's recent economic crisis has begun to take its toll on a population
already battered by the rapid transition to an alternative system, bringing
with it the inevitable human hardships of unemployment, inflation and steady
disintegration of social/medical services. The August collapse of the Russian
rouble against the dollar has meant millions of Russians have lost their
savings (in many cases for the second time this decade). The consequent
effect across Russia's borders to her main economic partners - Belarus,
Ukraine and Moldova - means that their populations, suffering similar
socio-economic dislocation, will also be plunged into deeper poverty.
The banking chaos across Russia, with sharp variations in currency rate
exchanges has fuelled price increases and shortages, as storekeepers hold
back their goods for more favourable prices. Salaries and pensions - if these
have been paid at all - have been reduced by half. Fledgling businesses have
been hard hit, leading to vast redundancies and increasing economic
misfortune. Bottlenecks in payment systems and widespread bankruptcies have
further reduced incomes.
Those caught in the poverty trap include not only people from traditionally
vulnerable groups (elderly, disabled, single parent families, families with
many children and rural dwellers) but also social groups not normally
associated with under-privilege: public employees (teachers, miners, doctors,
workers in institutes) as well as those living in far-off regions previously
subsidised under the Soviet system. Added to this, there has been a marked
deterioration in the state's capacity to provide social security, and health
care over the past decade, resulting in a continuing decline of health among
the population.
The political and economic turmoil in Russia has been accompanied by a number
of natural disasters: floods in Eastern Siberia, droughts in the Urals and
forest fires across large areas of Russia. Vast swathes of fertile soil have
been lost resulting in a considerable reduction in this year's harvest. Many
people lost crops on privately cultivated land, which in many cases
constitutes their only source of food for winter. The outlook for this year's
harvest across all four countries is poor. According to the Food and
Agriculture Organisation, Russia's cereal and pulse crop is now forecast at
about 67 million tonnes, 25% down from last year, reflecting reduced winter
and spring plantings and adverse weather. In Ukraine, rains came too late to
boost the harvest of cereals and pulses, which is expected to be 32 million
tonnes, 6 million tonnes down from last year. In Belarus, rain in late
July/August benefited summer crops, but slowed winter grain harvesting;
cereal output this year is forecast under last year's total. In Moldova,
latest estimates put 1998 cereal production at 2.6 million tonnes, compared
with 3.2 million tonnes last year. Equally, the potato harvest across Russia
has been severely damaged by rain, causing potatoes to rot. Since potatoes
represent 10% of the national calorie intake, the failure of this crop may
adversely affect general nourishment. During the Soviet era, 60% of potatoes
were grown on private plots - today, according to the Ministry of
Agriculture, it is 90%.
Reflecting developments in their countries, all four National Societies are
themselves in transition. Without the state subsidies supplied by the
previous system, each Society has to re-plan its structure, policy and
fundraising. The Red Cross is still generally accepted as one of the foremost
organisations providing assistance to the vulnerable, but there is a large
gap between a genuine desire to help the needy and the means to do so. All
four Societies have an extensive network of branches and chairpersons, most
of whom work on a largely voluntary basis. Many have good relations with the
local authorities. National Society activities currently include visiting
nurses services, blood donor recruitment services, emergency assistance
programmes, and some clothes and food distribution programmes.
The Intended Operation:
Last winter's Emergency Appeal (1997/98), for CHF 22,742,000 to provide basic
food and clothing to more than one million of the most vulnerable people
across Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova, was covered by 48%. The
operation, which achieved most of its institutional objectives (Final Report
in preparation), such as encouraging the National Societies to start national
fundraising campaigns, for example, while falling short of objectives to
provide relief as planned. The experience gained throughout all four
countries has contributed to the preparation and planning of the current
Appeal.
Assessment of Needs:
Assessment missions were carried out in mid-September in regions of the
Russian Federation which were not covered by the Winter Emergency Appeal
1997/98. The teams included representatives from the Federation Delegations,
National Red Cross Headquarters, local Red Cross committees and local social
welfare authorities.
Findings:
People living in the targeted regions are suffering from stress and fear
because of constant price rises for basic consumer goods and medicines. The
prevailing feelings among these populations are hopelessness and desperation.
People failed to stock up properly for the winter because of unpaid salaries
and subsidies, which were in turn almost swallowed up by inflation. Due to
unusually unfavourable weather conditions in the targeted regions, both
private and state harvests will be especially low this year. Financial
stagnation and unsettled bills have caused desperate shortages of fuel for
winter heating in many regions. Children are often the least protected group
in the target areas. The assessment teams found that many children could not
attend school for lack of winter clothes and stationery. Schools cannot
provide free lunches. The Federation's Health Co-ordinator estimates 50% of
children are physically under-developed. In this situation, particularly when
child benefit payments have not been paid for years, families with many
children are considered to be the first priority for assistance.
There is a genuine fear among thousands of people in these regions that they
will not be able to survive the current winter. Extensive relief assistance
in the form of food parcels, soup kitchens, winter shoes and clothes is
required. The assessment teams to the Russian Federation and the National
Societies of Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine concluded that a total of 1.63
million people were at serious risk and would need emergency assistance
beginning as early as October.
Red Cross Objectives:
- to alleviate the impact of cold, malnutrition, disease, stress, and to
protect the dignity of 1.63 million beneficiaries; - to maximise the use of
local resources: human resources, goods and services; - to strengthen local
capacities by providing sustainable infra-structural support and training to
the national headquarters and branches of the local Red Cross societies and
social welfare institutions collaborating with the RRC; - to promote
partnerships between the Operating National Societies and the Participating
National Societies.
The Winter Relief operation will tackle the most basic needs of the target
population by supplying warm winter clothing and footwear for children and
adults, and supplementary parcels of basic food and hygiene items. Soup
kitchens will be established to provide beneficiaries mainly in urban areas
with more than one million hot meals in a six-month period. Institutions
catering for children, the handicapped and the elderly will receive basic
medicaments (nursing kits).
The operation will be conducted throughout the six months of winter. It may
be extended for a further two months (May-June) depending on the weather. The
distribution of winter clothes, shoes and hygiene items will continue
throughout the winter; foodstuffs will be distributed in three rounds (in
December, February and April) when privately grown food stocks have been used
up. Finally, a limited amount of locally-procured seeds will be supplied next
spring to the most vulnerable people in rural areas. An emergency stock
containing food, clothes and footwear will be set up in the Russian Red Cross
(RRC) HQ's warehouse, in order to respond immediately should additional needs
arise.
The target beneficiaries include: priority to families with many children;
single parents, orphans; single and other pensioners; severely handicapped
adults and children both at home and in institutions which the authorities
are struggling to support; unemployed and homeless; remote health stations;
and street children (unofficial estimates suggest there are at least one
million roaming across Russia - with proportionally similar figures in
Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova.)
Besides direct aid, purchasing as many supplies as possible in the affected
countries should assist in stimulating the local economy, while the
experience gained by the National Societies of implementing such a wide-scale
operation will improve their capacity to cope with problems in the years to
come. Resource development seminars will be conducted both before and after
the operation. Those participating will be the heads and executive personnel
from the operating local RC branches. The launch of the Appeal will be
followed by an extensive local fundraising campaign.
Plan of action (for Russia):
- to distribute second hand clothes and shoes to 600,000 beneficiaries; - to
procure and distribute 474,000 family food parcels to 158,000 families (1
parcel every two months), a total of 620,000 beneficiaries; - to procure and
distribute 150,000 hygiene parcels to 50,000 families (1 parcel every two
months), a total of 172,000 beneficiaries; - to procure and distribute 1,000
visiting nurses kits to provide hot meals (soup kitchens) daily in 12
different Oblast/Republics, totalling 1,080,000 meals; - to procure and
distribute seeds and tools to 90,000 families, a total of 306,000
beneficiaries. - to purchase locally 5 vehicles and communication tools; - to
purchase locally 15 computers, printers and software.
Conclusion:
The potentially fatal combination of economic crisis and the winter provide
the blueprint for a growing, but so far silent disaster that places
increasing numbers of people at risk. Despite the complexity and seemingly
insoluble nature of the problems, the international community can
nevertheless help to reduce their effects on individuals by providing
immediate basic material and financial support. For further information,
please contact Michael Schulz, Desk Officer, Europe Department at +41 (22)
730-4320.
How to contribute:
You may contribute to the 1998-98 Russia Winter Appeal by printing the form
from the web site of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies (http//www.ifrc.org) and sending it via mail or fax with
your credit card number and the amount of your donation.
If it is more convenient for you you may also make a bank transfer to IFRC's
bank account: Swiss bank corporation, Geneva Switzerland, a/c no: CO-128,346.
Please use in both of these cases the reference "Helpnow Russia WA", so that
the Red Cross can make sure that your donation will be used specifically for
the relief programs we have in that region.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you wish to receive more information
on our activities or if you would like me to contact your National Society to
send you information on their activities.
Thank you for thinking of the Red Cross. Your support is very much
appreciated. Our work is only possible because people like you care.
Sincerely,
Freddie Beguin
Officer
Revenue Generation Department
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
email: beguin@ifrc.org
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