Cameroon: Population Movement

Transcription

1 Cameroon: Population Movement Emergency appeal n MDRCM February, 2008 This Emergency Appeal seeks CHF 2,600,000 (USD 2,363,636 or EUR 1,626,169) in cash, kind, or services to support the Cameroon Red Cross Society (CRCS) to provide relief assistance to 10,000 beneficiaries for 6 months, and carry out early recovery activities and transition support for a further 6 months. CHF 300,000 (USD 272,727 or EUR 187,635) was allocated from the Federation s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) to support this operation. Un-earmarked funds to replenish DREF are encouraged. The operational strategy assumes the refugee population in Cameroon has now stabilised but that the situation in Chad remains volatile and the location of Cameroon Red Cross volunteers and Federation staff are distributing food items to assist refugees in Kousseri the vulnerable population may evolve quickly. Therefore the response is driven by the possible need to rapidly change the area of operation. First phase relief requirements are considered to be mostly covered by the initial DREF response and other agencies. Based upon the current situation, this Emergency Appeal responds to a request from the Cameroon Red Cross Society focusing on health and hygiene in Maltam and safe water in Kousseri town to help both the refugees and the local population who have hosted them. Activities to support the early recovery and transition needs of the affected population will be carried out in the medium term to facilitate post-conflict recovery. This operation is expected to be implemented over 12 months, and will therefore be completed by 15 February, 2009; a Final Report will be made available by 15 May, 2009 (three months after the end of the operation). <click here to view the attached Emergency Appeal Budget; here to link to a map of the affected area; or here to view contact details> The situation Large numbers of refugees have crossed into Cameroon from Chad following fighting between rebel and government forces which have left some 600 dead and over 1,000 wounded in Chad.The number of people from N djamena crossing to the Cameroon border town of Kousseri is unclear. The only certain figure of the number is provided by the Cameroon Red Cross Society, which counted 58,902 people entering Kousseri

2 2 Town over the bridge crossing the Chari River between 2 February and the end of 5 February. At present, it is estimated by various sources that there are around 6,000 refugees staying at the temporary site of Madana, located very close to the bridge crossing, and a further 30,000 people living in various small sites and with host families in the town. The vast majority of these people are considered by UNHCR as prima facie refugees. Informal interviews conducted with the refugee population suggest that a core of the refugees wish to remain in Cameroon at present due to fear of further violence in case of an imminent return to Chad. Interviews also indicate that refugees currently located in Kousseri Town would be willing to relocate to Maltam camp under the auspices of UNHCR, 25 kilometers south of Kousseri Town. Relocation will start on 16 February and is expected to take two weeks depending on the number of people who will transfer to Maltam. Estimates of the number of people who will transfer within the envisaged voluntary relocation vary between agencies. However within this Appeal the planning figure is 10,000. It should be emphasized that this planning could vary substantially according to the security situation, which would entail a revision of the plan of action. Kousseri Town public hospital, which has a capacity of 120 beds, is at present fully occupied by war wounded resulting from the fighting in N djamena. In addition to the war wounded, the current consultation rate is 90 patients per day compared to 20 patients per day prior to the crisis, according to the hospital manager. The main pathologies encountered are acute respiratory infection and gastro-enteritis. There is a suspected case of poliomyelitis and serious concerns for meningitis and measles outbreak. The hospital and the four health centers in Kousseri Town are currently being supported by MSF who are providing free health care. The risk of epidemic outbreak will be reduced by a planned vaccination campaign in Kousseri Town targeting 253,000 persons for meningitis, 55,000 persons for measles and 46,000 persons for polio. The remaining requirement for the increased need for health care arising from the population movement is therefore in Maltam and this will be addressed within the current Appeal. While key humanitarian actors with sufficient capacity are proposing to meet the requirement for safe water in Maltam, the water infrastructure in Kousseri Town is not equipped to meet the new needs arising from the refugee influx. Resultant water shortages affect both the refugee and the host population. A single cistern provided by UNICEF is supplying the Madana transit camp. Local water authorities are currently establishing a water pipe from the River Chari to Madana transit camp. MSF has provided a water bladder at Madana transit camp. The increased needs in Kousseri Town will also be addressed through this Appeal. Coordination and partnerships Within the Movement, Federation is coordinating daily with the CRCS and the ICRC in Yaoundé, Kousseri Town, and with the Red Cross of Chad and ICRC in N Djamena. In Cameroon, ICRC is at the moment mostly focusing on activities to restore family links. UNCHR has taken the lead in organising daily coordination meetings for the humanitarian community. UNHCR is also overseeing sectoral coordination meetings. UNHCR represents the humanitarian community in a daily meeting with the Regional Government s Comité de Crise and relays the main matters arising back to the humanitarian community through the second of the two broader daily coordination meetings. Action by Government The Government of Cameroon has provided food and non-food items to Kousseri Town for distribution through the CRCS. The Prefect of the Region has provided free warehousing to the Red Cross in Kousseri Town. Action taken by others WFP is providing 400 MT of emergency dry rations. Non-food items (NFI) have been ordered for 50,000 people by UNHCR and further NFIs are being provided by UNICEF and MSF. Health: vaccination by UNICEF targeting 250,000 persons has been ordered. MSF-France has surgery kits in stock and is providing support for public health structures in Madana transit camp and Kousseri Town as described above. Water Sanitation: MSF- Switzerland and UNICEF are supporting international transport.

3 3 Red Cross and Red Crescent action CRCS initially mobilized 60 volunteers (the figure currently stands at 100 volunteers) to receive and count refugees arriving from Chad between 3 and 5 February. CRCS and the Federation carried out an assessment of vulnerability at Madana transit camp and Cetic sites to identify beneficiaries to enable the distribution of relief goods and conducted an assessment of the water sanitation and health situation to lead to a plan of action. CRCS participated in food distributions for 38,000 beneficiaries (food provided by WFP). ICRC and CRCS conducted Reuniting Family Links ICRC has provided a dressing kit to the nursery of the Cameroon Armed Forces (FAC) garrison in Kousseri. Federation and CRCS have conducted sanitation at Madana transit site the digging of basic latrines and trenches for waste disposal. The Federation and CRCS is carrying out distributions of NFIs for 15,000 persons.. The needs The outstanding sectoral needs which will be met by the CRCS supported by the International Federation within this Appeal are: Immediate needs: Relief items: basic relief items including sleeping mats and blankets, and kitchen sets. Health : basic health care in Maltam Camp and support for vaccination in Kousseri Town. Water and Sanitation : hygiene in Maltam and safe water in Kousseri Town. Transition and early recovery needs: If refugees stay in the camp during a prolonged period, there will be a need to enhance food security and promote fuel efficiency to prevent environmental degradation. The proposed operation Relief distributions (food and basic non-food items) Objective 1: To contribute to reducing the vulnerability of 15,000 refugees in Kousseri Expected results Activities planned 15,000 refugees have Provision of 3,000 sleeping mats and blankets respectively benfitted from NFIs to meet basic needs Distribution of 500 Kitchen sets Provision of first aid services with additional 25 first aid kits Beneficiaries have adequate Contribute to distributions of food provided by WFP. bedding Multidisciplinary training of volunteers on relief, watsan and health in Well trained volunteers accordance to Sphere standards provide effective relief and first aid services. The specific quantities and quality of relief items distributed to beneficiaries are appropriate and in line with Sphere standards; distributions are carried out according to the assessment and selection criteria that identify actual needs and vulnerable groups, and are based on careful registration and a system/process that controls and monitors, and records the movement of such goods.

4 4 Emergency health and care Objective 1: Provide health services to the refugee population to ensure an adequate state of health. Expected Results 1. CMR is maintained at, or reduced to, less than 1/10,000/day. 2. Potential epidemic outbreaks are prevented or identified and controlled early. 3. Cases of malaria are prevented by ITN among children under 5 and pregnant women 4. Serious cases receive adequate treatment following referral 5. Provision of safe water to BHC of at least 5 litres/outpatient 6. Campaign coverage rate > 90% Activities planned Deployment of a Basic Health Care unit in the refugee camp of Maltam targeting 10,000 persons for 6 months in coordination with other partners. Implementation of an epidemiological surveillance for the camp s beneficiaries. Provision of 4,000 ITN to the most vulnerable Referral of patients from the BHC to Kousseri Town Public Hospital in cooperation with health authorities. Provision of safe water to the BHC. Mobilisation of a support team (6 volunteers and RDRT) for the running of the BHC together with the BHC Team Social mobilisation by 60 RC volunteers for a vaccination campaign in collaboration with UNICEF and MSF CH in Kousseri Town. Community outreach activities and health education implemented by the RC volunteers Water, sanitation, and hygiene promotion Objective 2: Provide sufficient water and sanitation to the refugee and host populations in Kousseri and Maltam Camp Expected results Activities planned latrines (1 per 20 Construction of 500 latrines in the camp of Maltam people) are provided for the Maintenance of the toilettes camp population Management of the toilettes in collaboration with the camp population Environmental sanitation with supply of 50 sanitation kits (wheelbarrows, rakes and shovels), 20 sprayers, 600 bottles of chemicals for disinfecting latrines 2. Good hygiene practices are understood and applied by the camp population 3. The population of Kousseri receives sufficient water (15 liters/person/day) Training of 30 CRC volunteers and 60 community volunteers in PHAST methodology. Sensitisation in PHAST by volunteers Creation of community organisations for sanitation and water management in the camp Provision of water bladders and adequate water supply in selected areas of Kousseri town in collaboration with specialised partners (including UNICEF, Oxfam and MSF CH) Provision of potable water recipients, water treatment chemicals (7,500 boxes of chlorine tablets and 10 jars of chlorine) and distribution system: 1,500 Jerry cans (20 litres), 200 buckets, flexible pipes and tank connections;

5 5 Transition support and early recovery Objective 3: Early recovery and transition support activities conducted in Maltam to enhance food security and encourage fuel efficiency. Expected results 1. Pilot projects indicate enhanced nutritional status in selected households 2. Requirement for fuel has decreased substantially and relations with neighbouring communities has improved Activities planned Micro agricultural projects designed to further enhance food security within the population of Maltam Training of refugees in Maltam on the construction of fuel efficient stoves using locally available materials favouring single headed households, the elderly and other vulnerable groups The overall supervision of the operation will be lead by a Head of Operation supported by 6 RDRT members to reinforce the implementation of watsan activities, assist coordination of the two sites (Kousseri and Maltam) and support health activities. An evaluation will be carried out to assess effectiveness and relevance of the operation. Communications Advocacy and Public information Two articles have appeared on the Federation web site (5 and 10 February). International media have responded to contacts and have produced numerous articles citing CRCS and Federation response to the refugee crisis. The Regional Representation in Yaoundé is producing a special issue of La Tribune du Volontaire concerning the refugee operation. Two press releases have been produced on the same subject and an 8 minute video covering the Red Cross response to the refugee operation will be produced with external technical support for visibility and advocacy towards the Government of Cameroon, external partners and other national societies. Dissemination will be conducted towards the Refugee population. Capacity of the National Society The CRCS has 8,100 active volunteers registered in 54 branches in the 10 provinces in Cameroon. The CRCS has a well-established structure consisting of 4 operational departments including a relief department which has been fully active and widely recognised as extremely efficient in the initial emergency phase of the refugee operation. The CRCS has substantial experience of refugee operations in Banyo, in Yaoundé and in the east. The CRC has now deployed 100 trained volunteers and 2 disaster managers in Kousseri Town and a logistics officer in Maroua for onward dispatch of relief goods. The current refugee operation constitutes an excellent opportunity to further develop capacity within the CRC and specifically its disaster management services. Capacity of the Federation The Federation has a Regional Representation in Yaoundé, with a disaster management department which comprises a regional disaster management delegate and a regional disaster management officer. A Federation team was deployed in the field in Kousseri immediately after the start of the disaster. The team included the health coordinator, a watsan delegate, the communications officer, the disaster management officer and the disaster management delegate. At Zone level, the Federation has a strong disaster management team based in Dakar, as well as watsan and health teams, with Regional Disaster Response Teams (RDRT) able to intervene. Budget summary See attached budget (Annex 1) for details. Thomas Gurtner Director Coordination and Programmes Division Markku Niskala Secretary General

6 6 How we work All International Federation assistance seeks to adhere to the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO's) in Disaster Relief and is committed to the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response (Sphere) in delivering assistance to the most vulnerable. The International Federation s activities are aligned with its Global Agenda, which sets out four broad goals to meet the Federation's mission to "improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity". Contact information Global Agenda Goals: Reduce the numbers of deaths, injuries and impact from disasters. Reduce the number of deaths, illnesses and impact from diseases and public health emergencies. Increase local community, civil society and Red Cross Red Crescent capacity to address the most urgent situations of vulnerability. Reduce intolerance, discrimination and social exclusion and promote respect for diversity and human dignity. For further information specifically related to this operation please contact: In Cameroon: Javier MEDRANO, Federation Regional Representative for Central Africa, Yaoundé, javier.medrano@ifrc.org, Phone: (237) OR (237) , Fax: (237) In Senegal: Alasan SENGHORE, Federation Head of West and Central Africa Zone Office, Dakar, Senegal, alasan.senghore@ifrc.org, Phone: (221) , Fax: (221) ; Youcef Ait-Chellouche, DMC, (221) , . youcef.aitchellouche@ifrc.org In Geneva: Neils Scott, Operations Coordinator (West and Central Africa); niels.scott@ifrc.org; mobile: (41) In Dubai: Sera COELHO, Mobilisation Officer, Regional Logistics Unit Dubai, Phone: (971) , Fax: (971) Mobile: (97) , sera.coelho@ifrc.org <Emergency Appeal budget and map below; click here to return to the title page>

7 APPEAL BUDGET SUMMARY Cameroon - Population Movement MDRCM006 ORIGINAL RELIEF NEEDS Shelter Construction Materials Clothing & Textiles 107,500 Food 32,500 Seeds & Plants 25,000 Water & Sanitation 275,250 Medical & First Aid 140,313 Teaching Materials Utensils & Tools 38,750 Other Supplies & Services 10,725 ERU - BHC 850,000 Total Relief Needs 1,480,038 CAPITAL EQUIPMENT Land & Buildings Vehicles Purchase (Motorbikes) 4,200 Computers & Telecom Equipment 25,250 Office/Household Furniture & Equip. Medical Equipment Other Machinery & Equipment TRANSPORT, STORAGE & VEHICLES Storage - Warehouse 12,750 Distribution & Monitoring 73,500 Transport & Vehicles Costs 35,400 PERSONNEL International Staff 146,400 Regionally Deployed Staff 60,000 National Staff 180,000 National Society Staff 95,625 Consultants - EVALUATION 45,276 WORKSHOPS & TRAINING Workshops & Training 20,000 GENERAL EXPENSES Travel 36,000 Information & Public Relations 15,000 Office running costs 34,063 Communication Costs 60,700 Professional Fees 176 Financial Charges 3,000 Other General Expenses 103,623 PROGRAMME SUPPORT Programme Support - PSR 169,000 Total Operational Needs 1,119,962 Total Appeal Budget (Cash & Kind) 2,600,000 Available Ressources Net Request 2,600,000

8 MDRCM February 2008 Cameroon: Population movement OUROULA Woulki MASSAGUET Goulfey CHARI Tilde Goulfey!C NDJAMENA Kousseri Chad Cameroon Nigeria CHARI Logone Birni Ziguague CHARI Km Hinale I!C Displaced population The maps used do not imply the expression of any opinion on the part of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies or National Societies concerning the legal status of a territory or of its authorities. Map data sources ESRI, GRUMP DEVINFO Federation