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Minutes of the Host Families
Assistance Co-ordination Meeting
2nd November 2001
Chaired by Daria Ferrari, OCHA Office in Skopje
In attendance were:
Ms D. Ferrari - OCHA
Ms S. Pesic - OCHA
Ms V. Andreeva - OCHA
Ms M. Huijbregts - UNICEF
Mr R. Barbarulo - InterSos
Ms A. Vitale - InterSos
Ms V. Hallas - DRC
Ms B.Halili - DRC
Mr G. Kindlon - Mercy Corps
Mr R. Orru - Educaid/CRIC
Mr H. Happel - German Caritas
Mr G. Grimsich - CARE
Agenda
- Winter clothes to host families
(WV, UNICEF, Red Cross, UNHCR, German Caritas, Oxfam)
- Hygiene Parcels (CRS, DRC,
IFRC/MRC)
- OFDA/US Government shelter
programme
- Standardised distribution
lists
- UNICEF vulnerability assessment
of IDPs and host families
- AOB
Introductory remarks:
Participants were informed that OCHA will temporarily take the lead in
the coordination of host families assistance, until another humanitarian
agency is willing and able to take on this role.
1) Winter clothes to host families
The Chair informed participants that in the course of their daily visits
to the field UNHCR field teams have noted an urgent need for winter clothes,
especially in the Skopska Crna Gora villages and in Slupcane, near Kumanovo.
In order to effectively address the need for winter clothing by host families,
their guests and other affected persons, OCHA, in close cooperation with
ARC, has decided to set up a sub-group on provision of winter clothing.
The sub-group will include all agencies with an interest in the provision
or distribution of winter clothing to affected persons, namely, UNHCR,
UNICEF, World Vision, Caritas Deutschland, DRC, OXFAM and MRC / IFRC.
The first meeting of the sub group will be at 10:00 hrs on Wednesday,
7 November at the UNHCR conference room. The purpose of the meeting will
be to plan the distribution of winter clothing to ensure full geographic
coverage and to standardise the distribution to ensure that all affected
persons are being targeted.
All agencies with an interest in the provision or distribution of winter
clothing are invited to attend the meeting.
DRC informed participants that it will provide a set
of winter clothes, including a sweater, trousers, 4 pairs of socks and
underwear, to 1,174 children between 7 and 14 in the village of Tearce.
DRC has already informed UNHCR of its plan to distribute winter clothing
in Tearce, for inclusion in the table mapping the distribution of winter
clothing to affected areas.
In cooperation with the League of Albanian Women, DRC will also start
a "sewing workshop" project in Tetovo, involving the manufacturing
of winter clothes for about 200 families. In addition, DRC will provide
working materials (wool, yarn and other) for self-organised social activities
at the collective centres, in response to a need identified in the course
of a recent survey of collective centres.
Upon a request from the Chair, UNICEF clarified that,
due to lack of funding, it will, for the time being, only provide winter
clothing to IDP and refugee children residing in collective centres and
other social institutions. The assessment of beneficiaries has already
been completed and procurement is due to start at the beginning of next
week.
However, UNICEF has started a fund raising campaign to collect sufficient
funds to extend its current distribution of winter clothing also to IDP
children residing with host families. Should sufficient funds become available,
UNICEF will start the distribution of winter clothing to IDP children
in host families at the end of November, when updated, detailed figures
on IDPs and host families are expected to become available.
In light of UNICEF efforts to cover the winter clothing
needs of all IDP and refugee children, the Chair invited DRC to consider
redirecting its programme to adults, who are also in urgent need of winter
clothing.
DRC and UNICEF noted that they have already agreed on a division of labour
and areas of responsibility with regard to the provision of winter clothing
to IDP children, since UNICEF's ability to provide winter clothing to
IDP children in host families is conditional upon availability of funding,
currently pending. Both agencies, however, recognised that a large number
adult IDPs, especially in host families, are also in dire need of winter
clothing.
With regard to the use of a voucher distribution system that was discussed
at length at the previous host families meeting, UNICEF informed participants
that its own internal procurement rules do not allow for the use of a
vouchers' system. Moreover, UNICEF has sufficient data from its vulnerability
assessment of host families and IDPs, to allow for the procurement of
winter clothing and shoes of the right size, thereby eliminating the main
advantage of a vouchers' system, that is, to overcome problems related
to size. Both UNICEF and DRC distributions will be made through the Macedonian
Red Cross Branches.
Caritas Germany informed participants that approval
for a 400,000 DM worth project for the provision of winter clothes and
shoes is expected from the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs next week.
Adult IDPs residing with host families will be the primary beneficiaries
of winter clothing under this project that will likely be implemented
through a voucher system. The project will target both ethnically mixed
areas in the conflict affected regions and the southern parts of the country,
where host families and IDPs have so far received very little assistance.
2. Hygiene Parcels (CRS, DRC,
IFRC/MRC)
IFRC/MRC continue to distribute hygiene parcels to host families, while
DRC and CRS are covering the distribution of hygiene parcels to collective
centres. As of 15 November, DRC will take over the distribution of hygiene
parcels from CRS and will have sole responsibility for covering the needs
for hygiene parcels of IDPs in collective centres, until the end of the
year.
DRC may also be able to continue the distribution of hygiene parcels to
IDPs in collective centres in 2002, with funds already approved for next
year. In addition, DRC has funds to provide non-food assistance to IDPs
in host families and, following recommendations from the Chairman of the
Kumanovo Humanitarian Assistance Coordination Board, is considering the
distribution of distribute hygiene parcels to some 400 host families in
Kumanovo.
3. OFDA/US Government shelter
programme
Mercy Corps International, one of the two USAID/OFDA implementing partners,
reported that it is currently upgrading 75 houses in the Tetovo area.
Additional shelter material (boilers, stoves, firewood) and reconstruction
assistance will be also provided to beneficiaries to be selected from
the MRC and other beneficiary lists.
4. Standardized distribution
lists
In order to obtain maximum coverage of the existing beneficiary caseload,
all agencies have agreed to use the MRC beneficiary lists. Since the MRC
lists will only be available at the end of November, however, UNICEF will
base its distribution of winter clothing to IDP and refugee children in
collective centres and social institutions on the list of beneficiaries
from its own vulnerability assessment of host families and IDPs. Should
available funds allow for a distribution of winter clothing to IDP children
in host families in early December, UNICEF will use the updated MRC lists
as agreed.
Similarly, DRC, which is currently using El Hilal's lists, has agreed
to switch to the MRC lists once these are made available at the end of
November.
5. UNICEF vulnerability assessment
of IDPs and host families
UNICEF presented the final results from its vulnerability assessment of
IDP and host families. These included that most IDPs reportedly suffer
from material, not psychological problems; that 59% of the IDPs need material
assistance and 20 % of them are in need of accommodation; that most of
them reported receiving information on available assistance from friends
or through the Red Cross, UNHCR or UNICEF; that most IDPs have reported
receiving no assistance at all; that 55% complained of health problems
(psychological); that 77% were directly exposed to the armed conflict;
that 85% are spending their time grieving instead of taking action and
that 32% have no income at all.
Accordingly, UNICEF recommended that assistance to IDPs should consist
of both material and psychosocial elements; that activities should target
collective centres' neighbouring communities to facilitate the integration
of IDPs in the local community and socialisation between the two groups,
and that the duration of IDPs' stay with host families should be monitored.
6. AOB
Educaid/CRIC reported that according to the Director of the Social Care
Centre in Kumanovo, the number of social cases has increased by 33% since
the beginning of the crisis. He added that most of the newly registered
social cases are families hosting IDPs, who would have probably not required
assistance, had they not taken in IDPs. Educaid / CRIC highlighted the
need to address the need for assistance to host families even after their
guests have returned to their places of origin and beyond any emergency
assistance programme to host families.
CARE briefed participants on the livestock assessment
conducted so far in the Tetovo and Lipkovo areas. The assessment has revealed
a need for animal feed for a total of about 18,000 potential beneficiaries,
including conflict affected or non-affected residents, IDPs, returnees,
etc.
CRIC is currently distributing animal feed for milking cows to 350 Serb
and Macedonian host families (hosting cattle) in the Kumanovo area. The
project has been funded by ECHO and will cover 50% of the needs of the
target group over a 2-month period.
The working group on host family assistance agreed to
compile a matrix showing the geographic distribution of assistance to
host families. The matrix will primarily be for the benefit of donors,
who often emphasise the importance of targeting ethnically mixed areas.
The matrix aims to show that the requirement to provide assistance to
host families in ethnically mixed, conflict affected areas often results
in severe shortages of assistance to host families hosting IDPs in other
parts of the country, e.g. in the southern parts of fYROM.
Documents Distributed at the meeting:
- Minutes of the Host Families
Coordination Meeting of 26 October 2001;
- Overview of the US Government 2001 Emergency Shelter
Assistance Programme in fYROM, prepared by USAID/OFDA;
- Outline of the SDR Cash for Shelter Programme prepared
by the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit;
- Comments on the Psychosocial Assessment of IDPs
in Macedonia by Anica Mikus Kos, UNICEF.
For additional information please contact
Daria Ferrari, ferrari@unhcr.ch
or
Silva Pesic, pesic@unhcr.ch
AnaPopovska/UNHCR/Skopje
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