Pakistan Red Crescent Society

INTRODUCTION

Pakistan remains one of the most disaster-prone areas in South Asia’s caused by a variety of natural and man-induced calamities. These calamities include periodic floods, drought and occasional earthquakes which cause considerable damage and dislocation to life and property. Pakistan is faced with a perpetual conflict situation along 2200 kms along western border since 1979. Since 9/11, a new dimension has been added to the equation by way of spill over effect of acts of urban terrorism in our major cities. This has necessitated reprioritization in main areas of work of PRCS. The current emphasis of PRCS is on Disaster Preparedness and Response with a focus on disaster situations due to man induced reasons.

The Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) gives priority to ameliorate the suffering of the most vulnerable people in distress without discrimination of nationality, race, religious belief, class, or political opinion. The main activities of the Society are relief work during and after conflict, disaster relief and auxiliary health and welfare services, which include a wide range of activities for the less privileged and marginalized people in both urban and rural areas. Accordingly the Society carries a good public image.

FOUNDATION MISSION OF PRCS

The Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) is a statutory body created by an act of Parliament. It is the leading non-governmental humanitarian organization and its main activities consist of relief work during and after a conflict, disaster relief and auxiliary health and welfare services for the marginalized people. It works as an auxiliary to the government and has a broad range of integrated programmes and projects. The Society responds quickly in case of disasters and has the motto: First to arrive at the site of disaster and last to leave. PRCS volunteers and staff provide first aid, evacuation of casualties; food and shelter along with other immediately needed relief items.

CONSTITUENCY OF PRCS

The Society has almost one thousand employees and over 0.3 million members and volunteers. PRCS success lies in infusing the spirit of service amongst the people without the discretion of class, colour and creed — the volunteers of PRCS. Today, the Pakistan Red Crescent Society is proud to have a corps of more than 50,000 volunteers participating in its various programmes.

CAPACITY

LEADERSHIP

The central Managing Body of PRCS is responsible for the Society's governance. The Managing Body supervises the functions of the Society and is assisted by other committees, including the executive Committee. Good governance is ensured through its Central Managing Body, which meets twice a year. Main functions of the Managing Body are to:

Establish institutional Objectives.
Review and approve major plans/programmes.
Review & approve major institutional decisions.
Evaluate institutional performance.
Perform advisory role to operating management.
Approve budget for next year Appoint Auditors for next year and review audit reports.

HUMAN RESOURCE

The National headquarters is headed by the Secretary General supported by Director (Ops) and Director (Admin). The Society has over 300 paid staff and personnel turnover is low. PRCS has .3 million members and volunteers. The volunteers are mainly involved in programme activity at district level, particularly disaster relief, Red Crescent Youth Programme is spread over 200000 RCY members in all the schools/colleges of the province activated through Directorate of Education.

FINANCIAL RESOURCES

The Headquarters and Branches work on separate financial system. The main sources of income for headquarters are interest on investments, government grants, rental from real estate, membership fee, support from the ICRC, the Federation and some sister Societies. The government also makes a regular annual grant of Rs. 220,000 equivalent to CHF 6000.00. Branches are financially independent of National headquarter and raise their own funds through a variety of activities. They contribute 10% of their local fundraising to the headquarters. The annual accounts are audited by auditors approved by the Managing Body.

MATERIAL RESOURCES

The PRCS owns its headquarters, which consists of an older building with a central warehouse and a new building which includes fully equipped auditorium with a 220 seating capacity. PRCS also owns and rents a building in Islamabad, Karachi and Swat, which is leased out.

ORGANIZATION

The President of Pakistan, as per the Constitution of PRCS, is also the President of PRCS. A Managing Body, under the Chairman, nominated by the President, runs the affairs of the Society. The PRCS is represented throughout the country. The National headquarter is situated in Islamabad and coordinates the activities of four provincial branches in Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and NWFP as well as a state branch in AJK and a federal capital branch in Islamabad together with two regional branches in FATA and Azad Jammu and Kashmir respectively. Moreover, it has a network of 80 district branches in the country.

PERFORMANCE

During 2007 there were over 700,000 beneficiaries of PRCS humanitarian activities. These included vulnerable children, women and old men. PRCS ensures that all its activities/programmes are need-specific and achievable.

ACTIVITIES

CORE AREAS OF WORK

These are in consonance with the Movement Strategy 2010 comprising of Disaster Preparedness& Response, Health & Care, Humanitarian Values and Organizational Development.

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS & RESPONSE

Pakistan in addition to natural calamities is also prone to man-induced disasters. Pakistan remains a home to a very large refugee population from Afghanistan and there is significant threat from conflict, violence and instability both inside the territory and across the borders. Its Disaster Management programmes are focused towards dealing with natural calamities and man-induced disasters. Plan to launch Emergency Ambulance Service in all major cities of the country facilitated with First-Aid and Blood services, extending of PRCS structure in Federally Administered Tribal Areas & Northern Areas and identifying and prioritizing disaster prone areas for building organization and response capacities with support of local communities are the measures in that direction.

EMERGENCY AMBULANCE AMBULANCE SERVICE

In case of a disaster/ terrorist act a timely response by a well organized and equipped ambulance service is critical in saving lives of injured people. To fulfill its mandated responsibility the PRCS, National Headquarters (NHQ) has organized an Emergency Ambulance Service comprising of ten ambulances for the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The same model would be replicated for all Provincial Headquarters.

BLOOD TRANSFUSION SERVICE

Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) blood transfusion services are organized through four blood centres, one at the NHQ in Islamabad and one each in three provinces (Sindh, Punjab & NWFP). The aim of PRCS Blood Transfusion Service is to ensure provision of Safe Quality Blood, collected from 100% Voluntary Un-paid blood donors for the treatment of the critically injured in disasters and poor patients on daily basis by implementing a donor education / recruitment / recall and retention programme.

HEALTH & CARE

Hundreds of thousands of people particularly women and children, are provided free preventive and curative health care in over 160 medical facilities run by the Society, ranging from hospitals to maternity and child welfare centre and dispensaries. PRCS branches offer a variety of programmes which include mother & child health care, First-Aid training, vocational training centers, awareness/prevention against HIV/ AIDS, Hepatitis B& C, immunization campaigns, b1ood donor centers and paraplegic centre for the disabled and handicapped. In addition, drug awareness, family planning and income generation programmes are also run by some of the branches.

HUMANITARIAN VALUES

PRCS Information/Dissemination department looks after all the promotional, image building and advocacy campaigns related to PRCS work. Moreover, it is involved in the dissemination of Humanitarian Values and Law & Fundamental Principles programmes at all levels. However, PRCS most significantly endeavours to strengthen the humanitarian and social values by promoting ideals of tolerance, non-violence, sympathy, love and respect for others in the society.

RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF FAMILY LINKS

PRCS’s Tracing Service operates around the world through the Movement network, tirelessly seeking to re-establish contacts between separated family members and re-uniting them whenever possible and also maintaining the contact of those detained in jails with their families.

NEW VISION

Under the policy direction of the New Management, the Society headed by its Chairman, Mr. Saeed Ahmed Qureshi, is vigorously pursuing a well chalked out strategy in the area of Disaster Management. The Society is involved in capacity building to effectively cope up with all aspects of Disaster Management while integrating and incorporating other programmes of: Health & Care, Blood Transfusion Service, First-Aid Training, Dissemination of Humanitarian Values and Organizational Development.
The PRCS is focusing on the following to reinvigorate Society:
• Organizational Restructuring of the National Headquarters followed by Provincial Headquarters to make the Society more responsive to the current requirements.
• Strengthening of existing district branches and extension of presence of PRCS in remaining Districts.
Initiation of an Emergency Ambulance Services to readily respond to disaster situations
• Increasing capacity in recruitment, collection and distribution of Blood Transfusion Services.
• Extension of PRCS Structure in the underserved areas of Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) and Northern Areas.
• Identification and Prioritization of disaster prone areas and building local capacities from grass root (Union Council) levels upwards.
• Enlarging the trained volunteer base in various areas (First Aid, Disaster Preparedness and Response and Tracing, etc) and their meaningful incorporation in carefully conceived follow-up activities at the District Levels.