icrc-annual-report-2013

equest, over 50 farmers safely harvested their crops along theLine of Contact, enabling them to sustain their families (some225 people) with a year’s supply of bread.Conflict-affected families gain safe access to livelihoodand waterAside from threatening their physical safety, the prevailing securitysituation impeded access to land, water and livelihood for peopleliving near the Line of Contact and the international border. TheNational Society, the British Red Cross and the ICRC jointly helpedcommunities meet their needs in a sustainable way, improve theirliving conditions and boost their resilience, mainly in the Agdam,Gazakh, Terter and Tovuz districts.Some 500 households (2,375 individuals) covered their immediateneeds or increased their income through agricultural/livestock activities or small businesses with the help of cash grants.Consultations/trainings with local professionals, arranged by theICRC, helped 1,457 beneficiaries manage their grants.During community meetings, people who lived in constant fearof stray bullets from cross-border exchanges of fire identified selfprotectivemeasures and proposed projects to improve their livingenvironment, such as the construction of a health point and schoolcanteen, and the provision of tents for communal events. Some1,830 households (8,566 individuals) benefited from such initiativeswith support in the form of materials and labour, including22 families (100 individuals) who made their homes safer by constructingprotective walls.Some 2,385 people had safer access to water for drinking andirrigation after the rehabilitation/construction of water-supplysystems, done with the authorities concerned. During an ICRCobtainedtemporary security agreement, technicians rehabilitateda borehole near the Line of Contact serving 315 people. Local engineers,after undergoing training, became more adept at maintainingwater infrastructure, helping ensure the sustainability of theequipment. The donation/installation of meters for 1,886 peoplehelped water officials monitor consumption. Some 5,000 peoplelearnt about responsible water usage and good hygiene practicesthrough an awareness campaign conducted by National Societyvolunteers.National Society boosts capacities to respond to vulnerablecommunities’ needsNineteen National Society staff and volunteers at four frontlinebranches learnt, at workshops, to assess and address the needs ofconflict-affected people; donations of office equipment and vehiclesimproved working conditions at two branches. Villages alongthe Line of Contact improved their emergency response capacitiesafter 60 people learnt basic first aid at courses conducted by ICRCtrainedNational Society volunteers.Families of mine/ERW victims beginincome-generating activitiesNational Society/ICRC teams and the Azerbaijan National Agencyfor Mine Action (ANAMA) continued to collect data on minerelatedincidents and the needs of families who had lost breadwinnersin such incidents; similar assessments were conducted by theICRC in Nagorny Karabakh in support of the de facto authorities.The database manager in Nagorny Karabakh and AzerbaijaniRed Crescent staff learnt, at workshops, to use the InformationManagement System for Mine Action (IMSMA) database.Following assessments, 12 households (50 people) in Azerbaijanwho had lost their breadwinners in mine/ERW incidents boostedtheir income or food production through livestock activities,aided by productive inputs. In Nagorny Karabakh, grants enabled42 households (about 200 people) to boost their livelihoods andself-sufficiency. Five families improved their living conditionsthrough home repairs. Some 290 elderly or disabled people andtheir families (815 people in total) benefited from three distributionsof food parcels and hygiene kits.Efforts to encourage the authorities and agencies concerned tomeet the needs of mine/ERW-affected and other vulnerable peoplecontinued.Families of the missing receive comprehensive support tomeet multifaceted needsBy the end of December, 4,603 people remained unaccounted foras a result of the Nagorny Karabakh conflict, with 3,765 people inAzerbaijan registered as missing and 425 in Nagorny Karabakh.Many families struggled with their distress at not knowing theirmissing relatives’ fates. They often lacked opportunities foreconomic betterment and felt isolated, in part owing to the lackof official recognition of their status. With local partners, theICRC continued to provide comprehensive support for their psychosocialneeds while encouraging the authorities to enforce theirright to free medical care and other benefits.Some 365 families received psychological support during groupsessions and home visits to cope with their situations. Followingassessments, 269 families were referred to the authorities or to serviceproviders for their social and legal needs, while 376 familiesreceived free medical services from the Red Crescent Society of theIslamic Republic of Iran. Forty-five vulnerable families receivedelectric heaters for the winter and two people received wheelchairs.Agreements signed with local partners helped ensure that suchsupport will reach more families.In Nagorny Karabakh, 63 families (280 people) increased selfsufficiencythrough vocational workshops and microeconomicinitiatives; 5 families benefited from home improvements. Familiesaccessed peer support and free medical consultations at ICRCfacilitatedsessions. Elderly relatives of missing persons receivedsocial or medical assistance after individual visits and referrals.Around 160 families commemorated their missing relatives ata concert organized by the ICRC.Authorities approve DNA collection project for clarifyingthe fate of missing personsFiles containing ante-mortem data provided by families of peoplemissing in relation to the Nagorny Karabakh conflict, togetherwith their translations, photographs and other pertinent documents,continued to be handed over to the CEPOD and thede facto commission in Nagorny Karabakh.To preserve information to be used in future efforts to identifyhuman remains and provide answers to families, the Azerbaijaniauthorities approved a project for collecting biological referencesamples from close relatives of missing persons for futureDNA profiling and identified storage facilities for the samples.Similar steps were taken in Nagorny Karabakh. The ICRCbegan identifying suitable relatives and collected pedigree chartsfor some 600 cases. The drafting of agreements and forensicICRC ANNUAL REPORT AZERBAIJAN 2013 | 369