Uganda: Red Cross to minimize community vulnerability and risk to disasters

2011-2015 Strategic Plan launched, URCS to increase health & care service delivery

Uganda Red Cross Society on Thursday 21st October launched the 2011-2015 Strategic Plan (SP) that will guide the organization’s activity implementation in the next five years. The 2011-2015 Strategic Plan focuses on improved service delivery in the areas of disaster management and health and care.
The SP was launched by Mr. Kasper Engborg, Humanitarian Officer, UNOCHA, during the National Society’s partnership meeting at Speke Resort Munyonyo. The partnership meeting is held on an annual basis with the aim of sharing achievements and challenges encountered in the previous year and plans and budgets for the following year.

Addressing partners at the meeting, the URCS Secretary General, Mr. Michael Nataka, said the 2011-2015 SP is based on an analysis of humanitarian concerns in the country as informed by several studies undertaken at the time and takes into account government programmes such as the recently launched National Development Plan 2010/11-2014/15 as well as policies such as the National Disaster Preparedness Policy.

He said during 2011-2015, URCS will continue with her auxiliary role to improve the health status of vulnerable communities. “The overall focus in this area will be to reduce mortality caused by epidemics and diseases such as HIV&AIDS, malaria and other communicable diseases and disabilities arising from common diseases and health emergencies.”

Mr. Nataka said the causes of injury such as accidents as well as Blood Donor Recruitment, and the program to save lives of those injured in accidents shall continue to preoccupy the National Society, adding that immunization and reproductive health, as well as water and sanitation projects to enable people access safe water shall be scaled-up.

URCS shall also prioritize internal capacity building for effective participation in prevention and response to health emergencies of national and local nature. Given the increasing prevalence of communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases, and HIV&AIDS related OIs, URCS will introduce a treatment access component. Depending on the available opportunity, URCS also plans to participate in provision or delivery of essential health inputs that include curative services, basic and emergency health services, vaccines, medical equipment and health infrastructure.

Mr. Nataka also said that during the implementation of the 2011-15 Strategic Plan, URCS will focus on minimizing community vulnerability and risk to disasters, to avoid or limit the adverse impacts of disasters. “Through risk assessment and identification, risk analysis, planning for risk reduction activities, URCS will plan and implement preventive measures while strengthening community capacity to resist or cope with and recover from disasters. The intent is to enhance effective disaster mapping and prior planning on how best interventions are to be handled,” he said.

Mr. Nataka informed the partners that the Society shall continue to build considerable capacity at national and branch levels for effective response and to ensure community resilience against the worst consequences of human and man-made hazards. In addition, Restoration of Family Links shall be given more focus in 2011-2015 in line with international commitments in this area.

Previously, URCS interventions have tended to focus, almost entirely, on health and disaster management, placing less attention on sustainable livelihood for the poor and most vulnerable.
Under the 2011-2015 SP, economic empowerment, as part of community development, will be scaled up as an intervention aimed at improving livelihoods of disadvantaged people. The target can be identified as youth, IDPs, women, PHA, fisher communities among others.

URCS will also focus on the promotion of International Humanitarian Law in a bid to protect human dignity during times of conflicts.
The Secretary General appreciated the support offered by the various partners to enable URCS to reach out to the most vulnerable in the country.