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News Zimbabwe: ICRC agricultural project empowers rural communities 19-10-2009 News release 30-9-2009 News release Section Ensuring economic security for people affected by war Section on how the ICRC provides survival relief, economic support and rehabilitation to boost the economic security of people who have lost the necessary means of production to be self-sufficient. Access to case studies and texts on emergency assistance, agricultural and veterinary rehabilitation programmes.  ref. ML-D-00002-07 "Economic security" activities are designed to ensure that households and communities have access to the means required to meet their essential economic needs. The aim of the ICRC Economic Security Unit is to ensure that the victims of war are able to maintain or regain their economic security at the household level. In practice this is translated into three different types of humanitarian action:
Economic support: to protect the vital means of production of conflict victims, so that they can maintain their productive capacity and economic self-sufficiency at the household level as much as possible; Survival relief: to protect the lives of conflict victims by giving them access to the economic goods essential to their survival when they can no longer obtain these by their own means; Economic rehabilitation: to support conflict victims to restore their means of production, and where possible, regain their economic self-sufficiency.  Key document3-7-2008 Land - a key issue for humanitarian agencies during armed conflictsAccess to land, its use, its management, its ownership and its transfer are key political issues in many armed conflicts, in particular when forced displacement is a wartime strategy. Land is also at the heart of humanitarian activities as farming it can be a way for communities affected by the fighting to recover long-term economic security. (ICRC Activities\Assistance\Economic security) Feature Includes Photo 1-3-2000 The ICRC Economic Security Unit Extract from ICRC special report: assistance (ICRC Activities\Assistance\Economic security) Includes Photo Food crisis16-10-2008 Food crisis: it's not enough just to deliver foodAs the worldwide food crisis deepens, the ICRC's Alain Mourey underlines the need to analyse the root causes, which can vary depending on the region. The author of the ICRC’s nutrition manual explains why it is not enough merely to supply the needy with food rations. (ICRC Activities\Assistance\Economic security) Interview Includes Photo 12-9-2008 Food crisis: the rising human costThe major food crisis that has taken hold in recent months is affecting millions of people across the globe and posing a threat to many more. Escalating prices of primary agricultural produce, together with an unprecedented increase in oil prices, are causing serious hardship, especially for the most vulnerable people. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is concerned about these developments and is gearing up for action. Article published in the Red Cross Red Crescent Magazine, No 2, 2008 (ICRC Activities\Assistance\Economic security) Press article Includes Photo 27-5-2008 Food crisis: the rising human costAs the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement prepares to take action in the face of the unprecedented food crisis. the head of the ICRC's Economic Security Unit, Barbara Boyle Saidi, looks at the underlying causes of the problem and the strategies needed to address it. (ICRC Activities\Assistance\Economic security) Interview Includes Photo Feature8-10-2009 Yemen: stories of women displaced by warTens of thousands of Yemenis have fled the fighting of recent months. Some of them have taken refuge in schools. In Khaiwan Medina in the north of Amran governorate, five families are living in the village school. Each of them occupies one small classroom, with no toilet or window. Most people could take very little as they scrambled to escape the fighting. The ICRC has provided mattresses, stoves, tarpaulins and food. But now the families are under pressure, as the school year is starting and they are being asked to leave. Three women talk about their flight, and about life as a displaced family. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Yemen) Feature Includes Photo 15-9-2009 Sudan: the night Khartoum turned into a lakeIn August, a heavy downpour in Khartoum caused flash floods that left 27 people dead and over 13,800 homeless. The Sudanese Red Crescent, the ICRC and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are providing emergency relief to flood victims. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Sudan) Feature Includes Photo 13-8-2009 Iraq: mine victim takes a small step to a big new futureA new ICRC assistance programme in Iraq is helping war victims to become financially independent. Beneficiaries include people like Mohammad, who lost a limb in a mine blast in northern Iraq back in 1991. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Iraq) Feature Includes Photo 28-7-2009 Iraq: prostheses and a motorcycle revive hope for HassanFather of six, Hassan Majid Rasoul, was once a farmer in Erbil – where he was born in 1951 – until he lost his legs in an attack. He recovered and managed to get on with his life. He shares his story with the ICRC’s Avin Yassin Mohammad. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Iraq) Feature Includes Photo 2-7-2009 Sudan: seed for a better futureLingering conflict and unpredictable climate have conspired to bring misery to Darfur. Communities struggle to survive, sharing their scanty resources with people displaced by fighting. To help restore livelihoods and, ultimately, self-sufficiency, the ICRC provides the population with seed, tools, food and technical expertise. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Sudan) Feature Includes Photo 2-3-2009 Democratic Republic of the Congo: the promise of a new day in North Kivu Though the situation remains volatile, security is gradually improving in some parts of eastern Congo. Thousands of people are taking the decision to return to their homes. The ICRC is helping them to start their lives over. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Congo-Kinshasa) Feature Includes Photo 16-2-2009 Sudan: sowing seeds of hopeIn Sudan’s Northern Darfur region, all eyes are on the coming planting season as the ICRC prepares to distribute seeds to civilians. A successful harvest will feed for several months over 130,000 people in dire straits. The ICRC's Tamara Al Rifai reports. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Sudan) Feature Includes Photo 10-2-2009 Zimbabwe: ICRC extends support to rural areas as cholera persistsThe ICRC is supporting the health authorities' efforts to cope with the cholera epidemic. Since last December it has extended its assistance to rural areas. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Zimbabwe) Feature Includes Photo 23-1-2009 Afghanistan: Sandali stoves, a blessing and a curseIn Afghanistan the Sandali stove is a popular, cheap heating method. But its use is also fraught with danger, such as asphyxiation or accidental burning. The ICRC’s Jessica Barry explains. (The ICRC worldwide\Asia and the Pacific\Afghanistan) Feature Includes Photo 30-12-2008 Kenya: helping restore normality to Mount ElgonThe farming communities in the Mount Elgon region of Kenya were severely disrupted by violence in 2007. Working closely with the Kenya Red Cross Society, the ICRC has been supplying food, seed and farming implements, helping residents of the area to regain their self-sufficiency. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Kenya) Feature Includes Photo 29-12-2008 Liberia: helping women move towards economic self-sufficiencyThe 14-year civil war in Liberia displaced thousands of families and disrupted the economy for years to come. The ICRC Economic Security Cassava Project in south-eastern Liberia is helping to get many Liberian women back on their feet. The ICRC's Richard Kpah reports. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Liberia) Feature Includes Photo 22-12-2008 Central African Republic: living in fear of attacksAs humanitarian aid is distributed to the remote villages in the north of the country, the ICRC's Angela Hoyt finds out how people are coping with the effects of armed conflict, banditry and other problems. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Central African Republic) Feature Includes Photo 18-11-2008 Pakistan: ICRC delivers shelter kits to earthquake victims as temperatures plummetICRC assistance teams, working together with the Pakistan Red Crescent, have delivered nearly 1,200 winterized tents to victims of the 29 October earthquake in Balochistan. They are now in a race against time to deliver more durable shelter kits before winter arrives up in the mountains. (The ICRC worldwide\Asia and the Pacific\Pakistan) Feature Includes Photo 16-10-2008 Afghanistan: feeding families in needThe humanitarian situation remains grim in Afghanistan owing to the protracted conflict and chronic food insecurity, aggravated, among other things, by rising global food prices. With the winter looming, the ICRC has increased its emergency programmes for impoverished populations. (The ICRC worldwide\Asia and the Pacific\Afghanistan) Feature Includes Photo 7-10-2008 Georgia: 200,000 meals cooked in under three weeks.Thousands of displaced people in Gori cannot meet their basic needs. Even preparing meals has become a challenge to them. The Italian Red Cross offers them a lifeline. (The ICRC worldwide\Eastern Europe and Central Asia\Georgia) Feature Includes Photo 24-9-2008 Sri Lanka: ICRC helps displaced people return to traditional livelihoodsThe ICRC is set to distribute seed and fertilizer to small farmers displaced by the armed conflict in order to enable them to generate an income the way they used to – by cultivating their land. (The ICRC worldwide\Asia and the Pacific\Sri Lanka) Feature 10-9-2008 Philippines: a wet Ramadan and a tent for shelterOn the southern island of Mindanao, thousands of civilians fleeing clashes between the Philippine army and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front live precariously. The ICRC’s Iolanda Jaquemet talks to some of the civilians and reports on what the organization is doing to support them. (The ICRC worldwide\Asia and the Pacific\Philippines) Feature Includes Photo 8-8-2008 Central African Republic: the road home is paved with fear and povertySeveral thousand people fled the Central African Republic (CAR) in 2002 and 2003 for the refugee camps of Yoroungou, Chad. Now, they have begun the journey home to their villages in the north-west of the CAR. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Central African Republic) Feature Includes Photo 6-6-2008 Kenya: how livestock can bring enemies togetherPiers Simpkin is ICRC's regional livestock specialist in Nairobi. He speaks to Iolanda Jaquemet of a strange camel killer, of how a cattle virus can bring sworn enemies to the same room, and of ways to help endangered pastoralists across Africa. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Kenya) Feature Includes Photo 27-5-2008 Burundi: fighting forces thousands of people to take to the roadsSince fighting resumed in mid-April, people have been leaving many hillside areas and going back again as the fighting eases. The ICRC and the Burundi Red Cross are helping displaced persons and victims to survive in that setting. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Burundi) Feature Includes Photo 21-5-2008 Uganda: starting again from scratchSecurity has improved in Northern Uganda, and many among the internally displaced are returning to their homes. After years of absence, the challenges are many. Iolanda Jaquemet reports on the returnees' experience, and on the ICRC programmes that aim at helping the more vulnerable start a new life. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Uganda) Feature Includes Photo 15-4-2008 Casamance: women increase their incomes by cultivating their market gardensThe clashes between the Senegalese army and the Movement of Democratic Forces in the Casamance (MFDC) in past years forced the people of the Djibidione rural community in the Fogny area in northern Casamance to flee to Gambia. The ICRC has been present in the region since 2004, when it launched aid programmes to meet the needs of the population. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Senegal) Feature Includes Photo 4-4-2008 Ingushetia: popcorn a winner in NazranThe ICRC recently stopped its direct food aid to displaced persons from Chechnya in this north Caucasian republic. Instead, the organization is supporting economic micro-projects. Luba Rosdoieva was given a popcorn machine; she sells her wares at the market in Nazran, the former capital of the Ingushetian Republic. (The ICRC worldwide\Eastern Europe and Central Asia\Russia) Feature Includes Photo 22-8-2007 Republic of the Congo: former refugees producing cassava and fish galoreWith ICRC support, people in the department of Pool are successfully reviving their fisheries and agricultural activities after years of stagnation due to the succession of conflicts that has plagued the Congo. Communication delegate Valery Mbaoh tells the story. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Congo-Brazzaville) Feature Includes Photo ICRC film31-12-2003 Under the olive treeThe video highlights ICRC's innovative urban voucher programme in providing economic assistance to the most vulnerable sectors of the Palestinian population. It shows the daily burden of a family in the West bank and the deterioration of its living conditions, as a consequence of closure and curfews. The programme gives beneficiaries the flexibility in choosing food and non-food items according to their needs. The ICRC's assistance to destitute Palestinians in Occupied Territories is carefully balanced with intervention calling upon Israel to take measures that will enable this population to resume as normal a life as possible and to respond to their humanitarian needs. (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Films\Assistance) ICRC film ICRC Publication9-10-2009 Micro-economic initiatives: handbookICRC micro-economic initiatives are tailored to individual beneficiaries and designed in close consultation with them. This handbook features lessons that have been learned from previous micro-economic initiatives, describes best practices and proposes ways to meet inherent challenges. Since 2001, the ICRC has launched micro-economic initiatives in over a dozen countries worldwide, from the Balkans to Afghanistan to DR Congo. (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Publications\Assistance) ICRC Publication Includes PDF 16-8-2008 Nutrition manual for humanitarian actionThis manual is an important tool for all humanitarian workers involved in the field of nutrition. In addition to presenting an in-depth explanation of human nutrition, nutrition crisis and nutritional programmes within humanitarian intervention, the manual highlights the importance of maintaining a better understanding of the broader impact of war on all aspects of daily life. It argues that food is not just a means for survival but that it is a basic right for those caught up in the conflict, as defined in international humanitarian law. (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Publications\Assistance) ICRC Publication Includes PDF 7-7-2008 Economic securityThe ICRC's work to promote economic security is intended to ensure that households and communities can cover their unavoidable expenditures and maintain or restore sustainable livelihoods. (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Publications\Assistance) ICRC Publication Includes PDF 10-9-2007 Guidelines for Cash Transfer ProgrammingThe guidelines are aimed at people with an existing understanding and experience of all elements of humanitarian assistance programming. This includes programme managers, disaster managers, desk officers, food security, economic security and livelihood experts. The guidelines are designed to be used by all components of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, whether operating domestically or internationally, whether based in headquarters, in the field or in a branch office. (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Publications\Assistance) ICRC Publication Includes PDF International Review of the Red Cross31-12-2001 The right to food in situations of armed conflict: The legal framework (Info resources\International Review\2001 - No. 844) International Review of the Red Cross Includes PDF Interview11-9-2009 Somalia: drought and conflict limit the country’s vast agricultural potential For almost 20 years, Somalia has been ravaged by war. It is also a victim of the drought that has afflicted the Horn of Africa in recent years. Henri Maindiaux is an agricultural specialist who has just completed a two-year assignment in the country. Here, he explains the programmes developed by the ICRC to re-start agricultural production and ease people’s suffering. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Somalia) Interview Includes Photo 8-6-2009 West Bank: illegal settlements cause hardship for PalestiniansSettler violence and severe restrictions on movement are affecting the daily lives of Palestinians in the southern part of the occupied West Bank, especially in the old town of Hebron. Matteo Benatti has been head of the ICRC's office in Hebron since September 2007. He explains the situation. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Palestine) Interview Includes Photo 13-8-2008 Economic support for thousands of families in Congo-Kinshasa - A major challenge at a time of global food crisisTo cope with the tragic situation in North and South Kivu, the ICRC has nearly doubled its assistance to people affected by the internal armed conflict. Ian Byram, who heads the ICRC’s economic security unit in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, explains the action being taken by the ICRC to meet people’s needs. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Congo-Kinshasa) Interview Includes Photo 28-5-2008 Uganda: building on current successes for long-term stabilityFood and economic security have improved in Northern Uganda over the last three years. But much remains to be done. While witnessing some positive results from the ICRC and other humanitarian programmes, Peter Schamberger, the ICRC's outgoing coordinator for economic security for Uganda, cautions on the need to avoid complacency. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Uganda) Interview Includes Photo Job opportunity2-9-2009 Profession: agricultural engineerIn the field (About the ICRC\Human resources\Skills always in demand) Job opportunity Includes Photo Operational update3-11-2009 Zimbabwe: improving detainees’ living conditions and re-building livelihoods for the most vulnerableThe dire economic situation, compounded by the political violence in Zimbabwe in 2008, has left many people increasingly vulnerable. This is an overview of the ICRC’s main activities in Zimbabwe since the beginning of 2009. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Zimbabwe) Operational update 9-7-2009 Pakistan: better access to food and health care is a priority in Swat, Dir and BunerThe ICRC has considerably increased its operations in response to the crisis in Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province. It is working closely with the Pakistan Red Crescent Society and other partners within the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to assist over 350,000 people affected adversely by hostilities. (The ICRC worldwide\Asia and the Pacific\Pakistan) Operational update Includes Photo Photo Collection8-10-2009 ICRC and Red Crescent aid displaced people in northern Yemen The situation in northern Yemen has deteriorated dramatically in recent weeks, with tens of thousands forced to flee the conflict zones. To meet the most urgent needs, the ICRC and the Yemen Red Crescent Society are distributing food and other essentials to thousands of displaced people and the families hosting them. (Info resources\Photos\Middle East and North Africa) Photo Collection Includes Photo Press article31-8-2006 Food Security – a paradigm shiftIn spite of decades of dedicated effort and billions of dollars in aid, hunger still stalks the world. Why is hunger so entrenched? And what is the Movement doing about it?. – Article published in the Red Cross Red Crescent Magazine, No 2, 2006 (The ICRC worldwide\Africa) Press article Report29-11-2007 Africa: Farming Through ConflictThe brochure, “Farming Through Conflict”, presents fifteen case studies, exclusively of an agricultural nature, that show the diversity of farming practices all over the world. The case studies are intended to go beyond the immediate problems, tragic deaths and broken destinies caused by conflict and to show how people can cope and rebuild their livelihoods. The purpose of the brochure is to illustrate the type of answers that an organisation like ICRC can provide. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa) Report Includes PDF 31-1-2005 Regional livestock study in the Great Horn of AfricaIn August 2002, the International Committee of the Red Cross recognised that it needed to acquire a better understanding of the livestock sector, tension and/or conflict generated by competition over natural resources, and thus be able to respond more appropriately to conflict related emergencies amongst livestock owners. A study was commissioned and this report is the output from the resulting 9-month study from June 2003 to March 2004. (ICRC Activities\Assistance\Economic security) Report Includes PDF Video Collection29-9-2009 Yemen: relief assistance to people displaced by the conflict Fighting has been intensifying in northern Yemen. Often people have no choice but to flee to safer areas. The ICRC and the Yemeni Red Crescent have organized distributions of essentials household items for about 30,000 people so far. On 18 September 2009 aid was handed out in Khaiwan town. (Info resources\Video) Video Collection Includes Video 10-2-2009 Somalia: interview with Mathias Frese, ICRC coordinator for relief activities Mathias Frese has worked in Somalia for many years as the ICRC's coordinator for relief activities and livelihood support. This short film offers a glimpse of his work bringing relief to the victims of flooding in 2006 and to people who had fled their homes in 2007. (Info resources\Video) Video Collection Includes Video 10-12-2008 Pakistan: help for Quetta earthquake victims In October 2008, an earthquake of 6.4 magnitude hit Baluchistan province in south-west Pakistan. In the district of Ziarat, near Quetta, villagers try to save what's left from their wrecked homes. ICRC and Pakistan Red Crescent Society’s volunteers provide tents for the homeless. Some of the injured recall the night the earthquake struck. (Info resources\Video) Video Collection Includes Video 5-8-2008 Somalia: the ICRC responds to the food crisisVulnerable people in Somalia are caught up in the spiral of hardships caused by an intractable conflict, perennial drought and the global food crisis. Food distribution to residents of Danay, in the Galgadud region of Somalia, is part of the ICRC’s effort to help them cope with their plight. As the organization’s Patricia Danzi explains, "we are here to help people who have suffered during the conflict and want to get over that. And we are here to support them." (Info resources\Video) Video Collection Includes Video  |
