Host Families Assistance

Minutes of the Host Families Assitance Co-ordination Meeting
28 September 2001

Chaired by Keary Neal (ARC) and Nadica Gjozeva (UNHCR)

In attendance were representatives of the following agencies:

UNHCR
ARC
German Red Cross
OCHA
Save the Children UK
European Perspective
SDR
Oxfam
ECHO
CRS
ICRC
Action against Hunger
Swiss Embassy
MLSP

Agenda

  1. Cash Assistance Programme
  2. Psychosocial assessment
  3. Winterisation
  4. ARC/OCHA information gathering

Cash Assistance Programmes

Swiss Disaster Relief informed the meeting that the Swiss Government has approved SDR's cash for shelter project. The representative reminded that this is a retroactive program covering the period from March until August. The first instalment is planned for November 2001. The monthly assistance per family will be 70 DM per month. They also informed that are having problems with the MRC list since a great number of HFs were registered without ID number. In this respect SDR is foreseeing that there will be complaints from the host families, which will be received through MRC and Macedonian Post

SDR is co-ordinating their project with the EU's, since the latter will be taking over the activity from October onward.

The EU's first tranche will be paid out in January 2002, covering the period from October until December 2001. The second instalment is planned for April and will be covering the period from January to March 2002.
The EU monthly cash assistance will be to the amount of 100 DM per family.

The Swiss Embassy Humanitarian Unit informed that it is uncertain as to whether September will be covered by either of the projects.


Psychosocial Assessment

UNICEF has finished their vulnerability assessment and the preparing of the report is in process. UNICEF is planning to continue with the assessment in the HFs, since the situation is changeable and requires regular updates of the information gathered in the first assessment.

UNICEF has started the co-ordination of the existing outreach teams in the area of Skopje and Kumanovo, in order to ensure that the psychosocial needs of the IDPs are addressed in time. ARC and WHO teams are operating in Skopje area, while SOS line and Safe Childhood are active in Kumanovo.

ARC and UNICEF are finalising the preparation of the information leaflet for IDPs and returnees It will include 6-7 categories of information on the services available to them. The distribution of the leaflets will be through the MRC branches and the mobile teams.

ARC/OCHA information gathering

ARC reminded the agencies about its activity of gathering information on the ongoing and future IDPs assistance. For this purpose, ARC together with OCHA have distributed a form to the UN agencies and other NGOs, but unfortunately only a few agencies have responded, most of which provide assistance to the Collective Centres. ARC is hopeful that theu will manage to get summarised information by next meeting so that it could be distributed to the others.

Winterisation

ARC informed that from the information that is available , it is clear that the Collective Centres are well covered by the end of 2001.

UNHCR continues with the procurement of firewood, winter clothing and underwear. Unfortunately this will not be enough to cover the complete caseload of IDPs in the country, yet this assistance will target the most vulnerable cases in the crisis areas. There was also a one-off distribution of hygienic items to the Collective Centres.

IFRC/ MRC will continue to cover the food and hygiene needs of IDPs and DRC will be complementary in distributing hygiene parcels to the IDPs in the CCs.

AOB

ICRC representative gave detailed description of their new D-registration and distribution system.


Agreed action points:

Next meeting will be held on 5 October 2001, at 10:30 a.m.

Prepared by Nadica Gjozeva/UNHCR/Skopje


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