Red Cross appeals for funds

THE Namibia Red Cross has appealed to the international community for around N$4,7 million to help it fight HIV-AIDS, deal with disaster management and cover operational costs during the next five years.

The humanitarian organisation’s appeal, sent out at the end of May through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent, said the Namibian branch needs US$724 196 (around N$4,7 million). The Red Cross wants funding to increase the number of home-based care clients from 3 500 to 10 000 – those are terminally ill people who will receive support over a period of five years.They also want to provide holistic support to orphans and vulnerable children and increase the number from 150 to 30 000 over the same period while access to safe water will increase from 25 communities a year to more than 750 over a period of five years.The organisation also wants to increase health promotion activities through mass media on prevalent issues while aiming to achieve greater involvement of people living with HIV-AIDS through economic empowerment.In the appeal, the Red Cross said its HIV-AIDS programmes focused on home-based care (HBC) for the terminally ill, support for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), food security, HIV-AIDS prevention and advocacy, voluntary counselling and testing (VCT), community counselling and support to home-based care (HBC) clients on anti-retroviral treatment (ART).”Addressing other public health problems such as water and sanitation related diseases, malaria and tuberculosis form part of the key activities.Namibia Red Cross also strives to reduce vulnerability and alleviate suffering of people affected by disasters through disaster preparedness and response activities,” the proposal said.Namibia has 57 000 orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV-AIDS, being raised by their grandparents or living in child-headed households.”The most significant needs of OVC are material (clothes and blankets), food, education, shelter and psycho-social support.Apart from HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis has emerged at an alarming rate with the co-infection rate of more than 60 per cent,” the Red Cross said.Tuberculosis, followed by malaria, is the most common cause of death among people living with HIV-AIDS.Malaria epidemics were reported in various parts of the country particularly the northern areas.During the reporting period, Namibia was also severely affected by drought in the northern parts of the country and received support through the Federation of Southern Africa Food Insecurity Appeal launched in October 2005 for seven countries – Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.Through a co-ordinated operation with the national society as the implementing partner, the Red Cross appealed for support for 45 000 people through food assistance and livelihood approaches for nine months.It said it had also embarked on improving governance structures from headquarters to village level, strengthening operating systems and human resource capacity building.The Red Cross wants funding to increase the number of home-based care clients from 3 500 to 10 000 – those are terminally ill people who will receive support over a period of five years.They also want to provide holistic support to orphans and vulnerable children and increase the number from 150 to 30 000 over the same period while access to safe water will increase from 25 communities a year to more than 750 over a period of five years.The organisation also wants to increase health promotion activities through mass media on prevalent issues while aiming to achieve greater involvement of people living with HIV-AIDS through economic empowerment.In the appeal, the Red Cross said its HIV-AIDS programmes focused on home-based care (HBC) for the terminally ill, support for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), food security, HIV-AIDS prevention and advocacy, voluntary counselling and testing (VCT), community counselling and support to home-based care (HBC) clients on anti-retroviral treatment (ART).”Addressing other public health problems such as water and sanitation related diseases, malaria and tuberculosis form part of the key activities.Namibia Red Cross also strives to reduce vulnerability and alleviate suffering of people affected by disasters through disaster preparedness and response activities,” the proposal said.Namibia has 57 000 orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV-AIDS, being raised by their grandparents or living in child-headed households.”The most significant needs of OVC are material (clothes and blankets), food, education, shelter and psycho-social support.Apart from HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis has emerged at an alarming rate with the co-infection rate of more than 60 per cent,” the Red Cross said.Tuberculosis, followed by malaria, is the most common cause of death among people living with HIV-AIDS.Malaria epidemics were reported in various parts of the country particularly the northern areas.During the reporting period, Namibia was also severely affected by drought in the northern parts of the country and received support through the Federation of Southern Africa Food Insecurity Appeal launched in October 2005 for seven countries – Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.Through a co-ordinated operation with the national society as the implementing partner, the Red Cross appealed for support for 45 000 people through food assistance and livelihood approaches for nine months.It said it had also embarked on improving governance structures from headquarters to village level, strengthening operating systems and human resource capacity building.