INT'L COMMUNITY LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO HELP MONGOLIAN HERDERS

Ulaanbaatar, /MONTSAME/ International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' Disaster
Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) laucnhes a campaign to help Mongolian herders suffering from the zud disaster (extreme cold).
A total of CHF 150,000 (USD 147,220 or EUR 101,445) has been requested from the Federation’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) to support the National Society in delivering immediate assistance to some 1,500 households or 6,000 people.
The release said,"Beginning from the end of December 2009, Mongolia saw a sharp and sudden drop of temperature combined with continuous heavy snowfall, recognized locally as dzud. The current situation has caused a loss of hundreds of thousands of livestock, leaving numerous herders without any source of livelihood. As the dzud is a slowonset disaster which continues for weeks and months, there are challenges in gathering information and conducting emergency assessments. The Mongolian Red Cross Society is responding to the disaster through its extensive network of primary and mid-level branches. The National Society has launched a national appeal to assist the herders who are suffering most due to their nomadic way of life."
About the situation the urge said,"Mongolia is experiencing a severe winter locally known as dzud, a continuous heavy snowfall combined with extreme cold. Local media indicate that approximately 90 per cent of the country is suffering from dzud conditions, with snowfall reaching between 20-100 centimeters. The average temperature in northern Mongolia has dropped to -35 degrees Celsius, with temperatures in the rest of country hovering between -22 to -17 degrees Celsius. So far, the coldest temperature of -47 degrees was recorded in Uvs province in northern Mongolia. As of 10 January 2010, a total of 198 counties in 19 provinces were suffering from these harsh conditions, together with severe snow storms or blizzards that are classified as between dangerous to extremely hazardous by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). NEMA estimates that a total of 454,000 heads of livestock have died, out of which up to 89 per cent belong to the ten worstaffected provinces. The total loss of livestock is approximately 10 per cent of the estimated 43.6 million heads of livestock in Mongolia. However, unofficial sources report that livestock losses may reach up to two million across the country. From December 2009 to 11 January 2010, the number of people referred to hospitals for frostbite reached 73, twice the number in the same period of the previous year. Up to five people died during a snow storm that battered the country between 23 and 26 December. In spite of the small number of deaths reported, the dzud by its nature typically poses various health risks and social challenges:

• Frostbites and increase in acute respiratory infections due to exposure to extreme temperatures and lack of heating materials (cow dung, etc.);
• Logistical challenges in delivering health care to remote communities as roads become snowbound, and lack of medicines;
• Needs for emotional support, as snowbound families became isolated for months and people lose their entire livelihoods; and
• Mass migration of herder families in search of pastures and separation of families.

Generally, it is the most vulnerable groups such as the poorest herder families, the elderly, pregnant women and small children, who suffer the most from those conditions.
A meeting of the State Emergency Commission was held on 8 January 2010 and the following decisions were made to meet requests from herders suffering from dzud:

• To submit a request to sell 4,000 tonnes of hay and 5,000 tonnes of fodder valued at MNT 1.7 billion (approximately CHF 1.17 million or USD 1.15 million) with a 50 per cent discount to the herders of the most-affected provinces;
• To deliver a national appeal to municipal councils, governmental and non-governmental organizations as well as international organizations and organize a campaign for assistance;
• To process 30,000 tonnes of red wheat that do not meet food standards into fodder, to be exchanged for stocked meat or to be lent to herders jointly with provincial level administration, and study the possibility of exporting meat stocked by herders;
• To conduct a campaign for assistance and arrange well-organized delivery of relief items to local areas; and
• To dispatch emergency working groups to the 12 most-affected provinces.

The government-appointed working groups are operating in the eight most-affected provinces and plan to mobilize cross-country armed forces and border troop vehicles to open blocked roads and deliver hay, fodder, food, clothes and medicines to the herding families. The Mongolian government plans to allocate a total of MNT 315 million (approximately CHF 217,000 or USD 213,000) to Dundgobi, Zavkhan, Uvurkhangai, Bayankhongor, Gobi-Altai, Umnugobi, Arkhangai, Bayan-Ulgii, Tuv, Uvs, Khuvsgul and Khovd provinces to deliver urgent health and social care services to herders. On 11 January 2010, a high state of preparedness was declared in Gobi-Altai province due to the worsening situation in that area. All traffic was blocked and livestock could not go to pasture due to heavy snowfall. There are limited opportunities to estimate the number of herding families suffering from the dzud and calculate loss and damage as the disaster covers almost 90 per cent of the country and the herders who are most affected are spread over the country due to their nomadic lifestyle. However, according to the ministry of agriculture and food, the number of affected herding families is estimated to be 120,000. According to the weather forecast of the National Agency of Meteorology, Hydrology and Environment Monitoring of Mongolia, more snowfall is anticipated between January and March, with temperatures between -45 and -28 degrees Celsius.
In the period from 1999 to 2003, the Mongolian Red Cross Society (MRCS) responded successfully, with support from the International Federation, to the severe effects of four successive years of dzud and has accumulated good experiences in dealing with such types of disaster. It responded rapidly to the current dzud situation, launching a press conference and national appeal to help the herders who are directly impacted by the disaster. In addition, mid-level branches are intensifying their disaster response actions through the mobilization of volunteers for psychosocial support, engagement of students and schoolchildren in donation campaigns and stronger cooperation and coordination with partner organizations.
In December 2009, the National Society delivered relief items including mattresses, blankets, ger (tent) canvases, boots and warm clothes to affected people valued at approximately MNT 50 million (approximately CHF 34,494 or USD 33,898) from its disaster preparedness stocks at headquarters level.
MRCS is also distributing clothes to the most vulnerable communities affected by the disaster in 20 provinces and three districts of Ulaanbaatar. There is an urgent need to replenish MRCS emergency stocks as soon as possible to meet future needs of
disaster-affected communities if required.
The National Society also runs a European Union-funded community-based social care project which assists the most vulnerable people within the community in four of the affected provinces of Bayan Ulgiii, Bayankhongor, Khovd and Khentii. The MRCS has started providing material and food assistance to the beneficiaries to help reduce the risk of starvation and frostbite for the urban poor in centres of these four provinces.
The proposed operation: Relief distributions (food and basic non-food items)

Objective 1: To assess the current situation and identify needs for Red Cross actions (immediate and longer term) to assist the most suffering communities.
Objective 2: To ensure that up to 1,500 households or 6,000 individuals most affected by the dzud disaster receive material assistance that meets their most critical needs for up to one month.
Objective 3: To ensure that the National Society replenishes its emergency stock in order to be able to respond to various disasters when required.

Activities:
• Dispatch an international team to assess the current situation and identify needs for the Red Cross actions (immediate and longer term) in order to assist the most affected communities;
• Define the critical needs of the most affected communities;
• Develop a selection criteria of the beneficiaries;
• Replenish the National Society’s emergency stock with standard items such as mattress,blanket, first aid kit etc.;
• Procure and stock the relief items as a part of disaster preparedness activities;
• Monitor and evaluate the relief activities and provide reporting on relief distributions;
• Organize lessons learnt workshop.
S.Batbayar
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