Climate-smart disaster risk reduction
Zimbabwe Red Cross Societ Strategic Inventions and Response
National Societies and governments
Multilaterals and international financial institutions
The Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) is the quickest, most efficient and most transparent way of getting funding directly to local humanitarian actors—both before and immediately after a crisis hits.
Every year, small and medium-sized disasters occur in silence. Without media attention or international visibility, they can struggle to attract funding—putting affected communities at risk of being completely neglected.
To support these smaller disasters, or to provide initial funding before launching an Emergency Appeal, we rapidly channel funding to Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies through the DREF—enabling them to deliver fast and effective local humanitarian action.
In the face of rising global challenges, simply responding to crises is no longer enough. Forecast-based Action by the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (FbA by the DREF) is our dedicated funding mechanism that helps National Societies take early action before disasters strike.
FbA by the DREF is a fast, reliable and efficient way of getting money to Red Cross and Red Crescent societies in anticipation of disasters. It helps them save lives and reduce, or even prevent, the damage and losses caused by disasters on communities.
FbA by the DREF uses a forecast-based financing approach. Based on meteorological forecasts and risk analysis, we agree funding to National Societies for early action in advance of a predicted hazard. Money is then released automatically when pre-defined forecast thresholds or ‘triggers’ are met.
Natural hazards are naturally occurring physical phenomena. They can be:
The Zimbabwe Red Cross Society (ZRCS) seeks to explore how to grow the medical and pharmaceutical businesses so as to strike a balance of a financially self-sustaining humanitarian player through provision of low-cost high quality affordable medical and pharmaceutical services to the Zimbabwean populace.
Currently, the ZRCS runs a medical Clinic situated at Red Cross House, number 98 Cameron Street which the National Society assumed management from the 1st of July 2016.
The clinic has been identified as one of the National Society’s key income generating projects for self-sustenance whilst simultaneously fulfilling its social protection mandate by providing quality affordable healthcare to the population.
Centrally located in the central business district of Harare, the clinic is essentially a low-cost primary healthcare facility offering quality medical services at significantly low, affordable rates compared to other private and public healthcare institutions.
Occupying 1st and 2nd floors at five storey Red Cross House, with a staff establishment of 29 regular employees and 20 being locum, the Clinic operates from Monday to Friday (0800 hours to 1700 hours) and Saturdays (0800 hours to 1500 hours)
The following medical services are being offered at the clinic:
The expansion of the Clinic into a Hospital will greatly expand the scope of social enterprise as we seek to avail quality affordable medical services to the community.
The long term vision is to provide specialised services for our clientele which under normal circumstances are not able to afford such due to prohibitive costs. We are seeking to be the bridge between the public sector were costs are affordable but limited resources and private sector with all the resources but services out reach to many. This aims to aid the country in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals particularly goal number 3 by providing universal access to quality health care.
The aim is to expand already existing services and add more services to those being offered currently by the clinic.
The first aim is to convert into a fully-fledged hospital which has all the services of a specialised hospital. This allows us to fulfil our client’s desire to access all healthcare services under one roof.
With the trusted Red Cross brand and favourable pricing model, the Red Cross Clinic and healthcare projects are poised for major growth. The Society plans to leverage on the success of the Harare Clinic and proposed Hospital to duplicate this model in other provinces country wide.
Zimbabwe Red Cross Society (ZRCS) has been implementing the various programs in different thematic areas during the previous Strategic Plan. The period from 2015 to 2020 saw the National Society proving to be capable and technically prepared to respond to disasters, and provide health livelihood interventions to respond to challenges faced by vulnerable communities throughout Zimbabwe. The goal was to build healthy, secure, and resilient communities, which was achieved by implementing activities under three core program areas:
The ZRCS established a corporate sector subsidiary model that generates alternative revenue for the organisation, towards sustainability. The projects are self-sustaining and contribute to the overall core- funding mechanism of the organisation.
ZRCS High School is record as one of its kind in the region among NSs. In 2020 the school recorded 100% ‘A’ Level pass rate and 58 % for ‘O’ Level. The school’s catchment area has become national with students coming from all province. The enrolment is high and the growth is being limited by lack of resources and facilities. It has 356 students. In 2018 at Humanitarian Education in Africa Conference in Kenya Robert Kofman (American) showed some interest in supporting the project. The learners are well versed with the Red Cross Movement fundamental principles and they are taught about volunteerism and importance of first aid.
This is one of the ZRCS best practice in which they are reaching out to the community and at the same time generating income for the organisation towards self-sustenance. The clinic is run as a Strategic Business Unit (SBU) of Zimbabwe Reds Cross that was created to fund the National Society. It was taken over from the Iranian Red Crescent in 2017.The clinic has managed to create employment for medical staff and volunteers from the community. There is a vision to roll out Red Cross Clinics to other provinces
Zimbabwe Red Cross Society (ZRCS), The Zimbabwe Red Cross Society is a voluntary organisation whose aim is to alleviate the suffering of the most vulnerable communities. It is an auxiliary to government as mandated through the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society Act of Parliament No 30 of 1981 also known as Chapter 17.08. It has branches throughout the country and is part of the global Red Cross movement present in 189 countries. Orphans and Vulnerable Children, the elderly, the chronically ill, the HIV infected and affected, the elderly and widowed and the generally disadvantaged members of the community make up our beneficiary list. As a disaster relief organization, the ZRCS is also a member of the Civil Protection Unit (CPU) and it responds to both natural and manmade disasters.
To become a dynamic voluntary organisation which leads in the satisfaction of humanitarian needs and promoting human dignity of the most vulnerable groups.
To provide timely, appropriate and acceptable humanitarian service to the most vulnerable groups through well managed programmes in Health and Social services, Disaster Management, Food Security and Livelihoods, Water and Sanitation, Restoration of Family Links, Organisational Development as well as First Aid and Nurse Aide training.
AN ACT to constitute the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society as the national Red Cross Society for the purposes of the Geneva Conventions; and to provide for matters incidental to or connected with the foregoing.
This Act may be cited as the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society Act [Chapter 17:08].
“Branch” means the branch of the British Red Cross Society which was in existence in Zimbabwe as a voluntary association immediately before the 2nd October, 1981 and which carried on its activities under the name “Zimbabwe Red Cross”;
“Executive Council” means the Executive Council of the Society established by section eight;
“General Assembly” means the General Assembly of the Society referred to in section nine;
“Geneva Conventions” means the Conventions set out in the First, Second, Third and Fourth Schedules to the Geneva Conventions Act [Chapter 11:06];
“rules” means rules made by the Executive Council or the General Assembly in terms of section nine;
“Society” means the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society established by section three
There is hereby established a society, to be known as the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society, which shall be a body corporate capable of suing and being sued in its corporate name and, subject to this Act, of performing all acts that bodies corporate may by law perform.
Central to the achievement of the mission, the organisation will uphold the following values: