Contribution to IFRC Emergency Covid-19 Appeal - West Balkan/medical equipment



Contract partner: IFRC - International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies - Genf Country: Europa, regional/länderübergreifend Funding amount: € 1.000.000,00 Project start: 31.01.2020 End: 31.12.2021

Short Description:

Overall goal


The project aims to curb the spread of COVID-19 through support to medical facilities and assistance to vulnerable populations affected by the outbreak in 5 Western Balkan states (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia).


Expected results


The IFRC aims to achieve the following key results through their COVID-19 assistance programme in the Europe Region:

• Communities health is strengthened through reinforced Health and Pandemic Preparedness Response Systems, as well as Psychosocial Support Response Programmes amounting to 20,322,794 EUR;

• Home care systems and livelihoods are strengthened, as well as basic needs of the most vulnerable population met through programmes amounting to 8,424,079 EUR;

• Vulnerable groups are identified and supported by strengthening the Protection, Gender and Inclusion approach through programmes amounting to 450,495 EUR;

• Communities are protected through effective Disaster Management procedures amounting to 2,764,614 EUR.


Target group / Beneficiaries


With the Austrian contribution of EUR 1 million, the IFRC will be able to reach the following results benefiting 80,000 people consisting out of most vulnerable people, isolated/quarantined population, the general population and Red Cross staff and volunteers in 5 Western Balkan states (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia):

• 80,000 people in 5 states can be reached with basic hygiene items;

• 80,000 people can be reached with health Interventions (medical, mental, psychosocial support, info telephone helplines);

• Staff and volunteers of 5 Red Cross Societies supported through protective equipment and medical devices;

• 7,500 people in 5 states can be reached with food support.


Activities


- Provide medical equipment to Red Cross teams and partner health facilities to increase the number of interventions and to maintain contingency stocks for further emergencies (including ambu resuscitators, stehtoscopes, electronic blood pressure devices, etc);

- Provide personal protective equipment, medical equipment and hygiene items to Red Cross teams and partner health facilities (including protective gowns, face shields etc);

- Distribute food parcels and hygiene kits to vulnerable and quarantined persons and families;

- Support the roll out psychosocial support for patients and their families, medical and other staff involved in tackling the emergency, as well as other vulnerable populations.

 


Context


Health care services in the European Region are being confronted with increased demand generated by the COVID-19 outbreak, which was declared a public Health emergency of international concern on 30. January 2020 under the WHO International Health Regulations. As of 29 April 2020, a total of 1,408,266 cases and 129,344 deaths were reported in Europe region, with Europe still being one of the epicentres in the world representing 46 per cent of the global cases and 62 per cent of global deaths. Health systems are overwhelmed, morbidity is exacerbated, disability intensifies and both mortality from the outbreak and mortality from vaccine-preventable and treatable conditions increase. To stop or slow the spread of COVID-19, many countries have introduced strict measures starting from closure of borders through movement restrictions within municipalities to periodic curfews. The National Red Cross Societies in Europe region are supporting their governments with emergency medical services, hotline services to inform people in a timely manner and address key concerns, as well as with psychosocial support, violence prevention and response, and social services for vulnerable people in quarantine or movement-restricted communities.

project number 2754-01/2020
source of funding OEZA
sector Humanitäre Hilfe: Sofortmaßnahmen
tied
modality Contributions to specific-purpose programmes and funds managed by international organisations (multilateral, INGO)
marker Poverty: 1
  • Policy marker: are used to identify, assess and facilitate the monitoring of activities in support of policy objectives concerning gender equality, aid to environment, participatory development/good governance, trade development and reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health. Activities targeting the objectives of the Rio Conventions include the identification of biodiversity, climate change mitigation, climate change adaptation, and desertification.
    • 1= policy is a significant objective of the activity
    • 2= policy is the principal objective of the activity
  • Donor/ source of funding: The ADA is not only implementing projects and programmes of the Austrian Development Cooperation , but also projects funded from other sources and donors such as
    • AKF - Foreign Disaster Fund of the Austrian federal government
    • BMLFUW - Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water
    • EU - Funds of the European Commission
    • Others - various other donors are listed in ADA’s annual business report.
  • Type of Aid – Aid modalities: classifies transfers from the donor to the first recipient of funds such as budget support, core contributions and pooled programmes and funds to CSOs and multilateral organisations, project-type interventions, experts and other technical assistance, scholarships and student costs in donor countries, debt relief, administrative costs and other in-donor expenditures.
  • Purpose/ sector code: classifies the specific area of the recipient’s economic or social structure, funded by a bilateral contribution.
  • Tied/Untied: Untied aid is defined as loans and grants whose proceeds are fully and freely available to finance procurement from all OECD countries and substantially all developing countries. Transactions are considered tied unless the donor has, at the time of the aid offer, clearly specified a range of countries eligible for procurement which meets the tests for “untied” aid.