SPEECH BY ZRCS DISASTER BOARD CHAIR, MR CHIWAMA AT THE LAUNCH OF THE PILOT PROGRAMMATIC PARTNERSHIP PROJECT IN MONZE DISTRICT 19TH OCTOBER 2023 – GOLDEN PILLOW LODGE
- THE DISTRICT COMMISSIONER FOR MONZE DISTRICT MR. MAINZA MILAMBO
- ZAMBIA RED CROSS SOCIETY PROVINCIAL CHAIRPERSON MR DAVID MUKELEBAI
- ZAMBIA RED CROSS SOCIETY BRANCH PRESIDENT MS. XXXX
- DMMU PROVINCIAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AND MITIGATION UNIT OFFICER MS. ESNART XXXXXX
- IFRC & NLRC OPERATIONS DELEGATE MRS. GLORIA KUNYENGA
- NLRC ECHO PROJECT DELEGATE SIMON DOREILLE
- THE COUNCIL SECRETARY
- HEADS OF GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS PRESENT HERE
- REPRESENTATIVES OF NGOS OPERATING IN MONZE
- CIVIC AND COMMUNITY LEADERS PRESENT HERE
- MEMBERS OF THE PRESS
- MAY I SIMPLY SAY ALL PROTOCOLS OBSERVED
GUEST OF HONOUR & INVITED GUESTS,
I AM HAPPY TO STATE THAT AS, ZAMBIA RED CROSS SOCIETY WE ARE COMING INTO THE DISTRICT WITH YET ANOTHER PROJECT THAT WILL ENHANCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE DISTRICT WITH REGARDS TO UPGRADING THE LIVES & LIVELIHOODS OF COMMUNITIES.
IN LINE WITH OUR 2021-2025 STRATEGIC PLAN, UNDER OUR STRATEGIC GOAL NO.1, WHICH IS PEOPLE ANTICIPATE, RESPOND TO AND QUICKLY RECOVER FROM CRISES, ZAMBIA RED CROSS SOCIETY IS NOW IINTRODUCING AND IMPLEMENTING A PROJECT DUBBED “PILOT PROGRAMMATIC PARTNERSHIP (PPP)” UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION COMMISSION FOR CIVIL PROTECTION AND HUMANITARIAN AID OPERATIONS (ECHO), IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NETHERLANDS RED CROSS (NLRC) AND THE INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF RED CROSS AND RED CRESCENT SOCIETIES (IFRC).
THIS PROJECT IS A NEW MODEL FOR HUMANITARIAN ACTION FOCUSSED ON SUPPORTING LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO PREPARE FOR, RESPOND TO, AND RECOVER FROM DISASTERS, WHICH SUBSEQUENTLY PROTECTS COMMUNITIES AND HELPS THEM WITHSTAND FUTURE SHOCKS. THE ECHO PROJECT IS FOCUSSING ON THREE THEMES:
- DISASTER RISK REDUCTION & MANAGEMENT
- EPIDEMIC AND PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS
- CASH AND VOUCHER ASSISTANCE
I WANT TO MENTION DC AND INVITED GUESTS THAT THIS PROJECT HAS ALSO BEEN IMPLEMENTED AND IS CURRENTLY RUNNING IN NAMWALA, MAZABUKA AND CHOMA.
OUR PRESENCE IN MONZE DISTRICT TODAY MARKS A SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE AS WE LAUNCH A TRANSFORMATIVE ENDEAVOR THAT HOLDS THE PROMISE OF EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES & ENHANCING AREAS OF RESILIENCE.
SINCE ITS ESTABLISHMENT IN 1966 AS A VOLUNTARY AID ORGANIZATION, ZAMBIA RED CROSS SOCIETY HAS CONSISTENTLY PROVEN ITSELF AS A FORMIDABLE FORCE IN PROVIDING HUMANITARIAN SERVICES TO VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND OVER THE YEARS, THE MANY PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE CARRIED OUT, HAVE TRANSFORMED MANY LIVES, FOR THE BETTER, THROUGH EMERGENCY RESPONSE.
FOLLOWING THE FLOODS EXPERIENCED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, THE GOVERNMENT AND ITS PARTNERS-INITIATED RECOVERY AND REHABILITATION MEASURES, CONCENTRATING ON RESTORING INFRASTRUCTURE, LIVELIHOODS, AND ACCESS TO ESSENTIAL SERVICES. THE COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH AIMED AT EMPOWERING AFFECTED INDIVIDUALS, ENABLING THEM TO REBUILD THEIR LIVES AND RECOVER FROM THE DEVASTATING IMPACT OF THE FLOODS.
THE 2023 FLOODS IN ZAMBIA UNDERSCORED THE URGENT NEED FOR CONTINUED EFFORTS IN CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION STRATEGIES. WITH EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS BECOMING MORE FREQUENT AND INTENSE DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE, COLLECTIVE ACTION AND PROACTIVE MEASURES ARE CRUCIAL TO BUILDING MORE RESILIENT COMMUNITIES CAPABLE OF CONFRONTING SUCH GROWING THREATS.
IN OUR RESPONSE AS ZRCS, TO THE PRESSING SHELTER AND NON-FOOD ITEM (NFI) NEEDS OF THE AFFECTED COMMUNITIES, WE TOOK DECISIVE ACTION BY PROCURING ESSENTIAL CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS AND TOOLS. THESE SUPPLIES FACILITATED THE CONSTRUCTION OF 24 TEMPORARY COOKING SHELTERS ACROSS 18 CAMPS IN THE TARGETED DISTRICTS. WE DISTRIBUTED 3,423 BLANKETS AND 4,227 SLEEPING MATS TO 1,409 HOUSEHOLDS, PROVIDING CRITICAL PROTECTION TO THOSE DISPLACED BY THE FLOODS.
IN ADDITION, 1394 BENEFICIARIES WERE IDENTIFIED AND REGISTERED, AND THEY WERE PROVIDED WITH MTN SIM CARDS AND CASH TRANSFERS TOTALING ZMK 500 PER MONTH FOR A PERIOD OF THREE MONTHS, AMOUNTING TO ZMK 1,500 PER HOUSEHOLD. WATER, SANITATION, AND HYGIENE (WASH) WERE AMONG THE AREAS MOST HEAVILY IMPACTED BY THE FLOODS AND AS SUCH, ZAMBIA RED CROSS SOCIETY (ZRCS) PROCURED AND DISTRIBUTED 2,658 WATER STORAGE CONTAINERS TO 1,264 HOUSEHOLDS, WITH AN ALLOCATION OF 2 CONTAINERS PER HOUSEHOLD. FURTHERMORE, 4,161 MULTIPURPOSE BAR SOAPS WERE PROVIDED TO PROMOTE CLEANLINESS AND HYGIENE IN 1,387 HOUSEHOLDS. FIFTY-ONE (51) HANDWASHING FACILITIES WERE DISTRIBUTED AND INSTALLED IN ALL CAMPS TO ENHANCE GOOD HYGIENE PRACTICES. OTHER NON-FOOD ITEMS PROCURED INCLUDED, 4,227 MOSQUITO NETS, DISTRIBUTED TO 1,409 HOUSEHOLDS, AND 557 SOLAR LIGHTS, DISTRIBUTED TO THE DISPLACED HOUSEHOLDS, PROVIDING NECESSARY LIGHT IN THE EVENING, INORDER TO ENHANCE SECURITY AND PROTECTION OF VULNERABLE GROUPS, SUCH AS WOMEN AND CHILDREN.
WITH REGARDS TO SANITATION, ZRCS TOOK MEASURES TO PREVENT THE COLLAPSE OF LATRINES BY PROCURING 80 DRUMS FOR EMERGENCY LATRINE CONSTRUCTION IN NAMWALA AND MONZE. AS A RESULT, 82 TEMPORARY TOILETS AND 102 TEMPORARY BATHING SHELTERS WERE CONSTRUCTED IN THE 20 CAMPS, ENSURING THE AVAILABILITY OF ESSENTIAL SANITATION FACILITIES FOR THE DISPLACED POPULATION.
GUEST OF HONOUR SIR, LADIES & GENTLEMEN,
I HAVE OUTLINED OUR RESPONSE IN DETAIL TO GIVE YOU A CLEAR & CONCISE PICTURE OF WHY THIS PROJECT IS SO IMPORTANT, OUTLINING THE AUXILLIARY ROLE TO PUBLIC AUTHORITIES
FOR THIS REASON, TODAY, WE TAKE A STEP EMBARKING ON A JOURNEY THAT REFLECTS OUR COMMITMENT TO THE WELL-BEING OF OUR COMMUNITIES.
WE FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT THE STRENGTH AND RESILIENCE OF A COMMUNITY IS BEST FORTIFIED WHEN ITS OWN MEMBERS ARE AT THE FOREFRONT OF ACTION. AND SO TODAY WE PROUDLY ANNOUNCE THE EXPANSION OF OUR PROJECT TO INCLUDE MONZE DISTRICT. THIS DECISION WAS MADE AFTER CAREFUL CONSIDERATION, RECOGNIZING THE SHARED HAZARDS OF PRIORITY, SUCH AS DROUGHT AND FLOOD, ALONG WITH THE EXPOSURE AND VULNERABILITIES FACED BY THE PEOPLE OF SOUTHERN PROVINCE
GUEST OF HONOUR,
OUR JOURNEY IS NOT ONE THAT WE UNDERTAKE ALONE. WE ARE COMMITTED TO WORKING HAND IN HAND WITH A WIDE SPECTRUM OF STAKEHOLDERS WHO PLAY PIVOTAL ROLES IN SHAPING OUR COLLECTIVE SUCCESS AND THESE INCLUDE: YOUR OFFICE , LOCAL AUTHORITIES, INCLUDING WDC WHO ARE GATE KEEPERS FOR THE COMMUNITIES, TRADITIONAL LEADERS & NGO’S WITHIN THE DISTRICT.
GUEST OF HONOUR,
TODAY’S LAUNCH IS NOT MERELY A CEREMONY; IT IS A COMMITMENT TO THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE THAT WE WILL STAND BY THEM IN TIMES OF HUMANITARIAN AND HEALTH CRISIS. IT IS A COMMITMENT TO OUR PARTNERS THAT WE WILL WORK HAND IN HAND WITH THEM TO BUILD MORE RESILIENT COMMUNITIES.
IN CONCLUSION, I WISH TO EXPRESS MY HEARTFELT GRATITUDE TO EVERYONE WHO HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH OF THIS PROJECT AS WE CONTINUE TO ACCELERATE LOCAL ACTION IN HUMANITARIAN AND HEALTH CRISIS.
I THANK YOU