18 July 2023
In response to the growing number of crises around the world, the pilot programmatic partnership “Accelerating local action in humanitarian and health crises” between the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the European Union was launched in 2022 in more than 25 countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
This project, implemented in a consortium between the French Red Cross, the Spanish Red Cross and the Luxembourg Red Cross, aims to strengthen the operational capacities of the DRC Red Cross.
The end of the first year of this partnership on 31 May 2023 is an opportunity to take stock of the Luxembourg Red Cross’s activities in supporting people on the move and in communicating risk, commitment and responsibility.
During the year, Luxembourg Red Cross teams built 1,000 emergency shelters in the Fizi area of South Kivu for people displaced by flooding caused by rising waters in Lake Tanganyika. Upstream, 1,000 essential household kits containing cooking utensils and hygiene products were distributed. A total of 8,388 people benefited from this assistance.
The Luxembourg Red Cross has also helped to reinforce the capacity of the national society by training volunteers to build emergency shelters and by rehabilitating two storage warehouses. In addition, 20 volunteers were trained in stock management and 35 others in data collection tools to support targeting and satisfaction surveys.
To strengthen the involvement of community members in the design and implementation of projects, 22 volunteers were trained in the CEA method (communication, community involvement and accountability), which recognises and values local people as equal partners. More than 11,500 people have also been made aware of protection issues such as gender-based violence.
Thanks to funding from the European Union, the Luxembourg Red Cross will continue to provide assistance in humanitarian habitats and support for capacity-building in the DRC Red Cross over the next two years.