Summary of the Operation
On 28 April 2015, 263,228 Swiss francs were allocated from the IFRC Disaster Relief Emergency Fund to support the Paraguayan PRC to deliver assistance and support to some 6,000 people (1,200 families), with a focus on hygiene promotion, psychosocial support and livelihoods.
On 4 April 2015, a tornado hit the department of Concepción in northern Paraguay, affecting more than 1,000 families in the districts of Loreto and Horqueta. To date, the Paraguayan Red Cross, through this DREF operation has reached 1,064 people with psychosocial support and 1,196 families received buckets and basic hygiene promotion activities (Participatory Hygiene and Sanitation Transformation [PHAST] and Community-based health and first aid [CBHFA]). Additionally, 1,200 families received cash vouchers to reactivate their livelihoods, including Cash Transfer Training and training in agriculture and livestock production techniques.
Current conditions in the field and recurrent rains hinder access to the implementation site and weaken the health of young animals (such as piglets and chicks), which are dying from diarrhoea brought on by low temperatures, rain and excessive moisture. Given this situation, a onemonth extension has been requested in order to be able to complete the delivery of these inputs while safeguarding the health of smaller animals and ensuring on-site supervision to suppliers at the time of delivery.
Currently, progress in delivering supplies to 1,200 families is calculated at 82 per cent. It has not been possible to complete delivery of agricultural inputs to all the communities, estimating the progress to date at around 70 per cent.
The Canadian government through the Canadian Red Cross Society contributed CHF 22,000 to the replenishment of the allocation made for this DREF operation. The major donors and partners of DREF include: the Australian, American and Belgian governments, the Austrian Red Cross, the Canadian Red Cross and government, Danish Red Cross and government, DG ECHO, the Irish and the Italian governments, the Japanese Red Cross Society, the Luxembourg government, the Monaco Red Cross and government, the Netherlands Red Cross and government, the Norwegian Red Cross and government, the Spanish Government, the Swedish Red Cross and government, the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), the Medtronic and Z Zurich Foundations, and other corporate and private donors. IFRC, on behalf of the Paraguayan Red Cross, would like to extend thanks to all partners for their continued support.