Albania: Final evaluation of the 2019 emergency appeal of the Albania earthquake (January-February 2021) – Albania

1. Executive summary

This assessment was commissioned by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC – Regional Office for Europe (ROE)), and this final report:

Explains in detail ARC’s planning structures, systems and processes, focusing on efficiency, effectiveness, relevance and appropriateness of the process, and accountability;

• evaluates key program areas with regard to efficiency and effectiveness, appropriateness and appropriateness of the intervention, and potential sustainability;

• It explores the support provided by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the Regional Office for Europe (ROE), and other Movement partners with the goal of achieving efficiency and effectiveness as well as actual impact.

• It draws conclusions from the above and makes recommendations for a way forward, either to address deficiencies or to further support and consolidate the positive achievements and developments.

Two major earthquakes of magnitude 6.4 and 5.4 on the Richter scale occurred on November 26, 2019 early in the morning (shortly before 4:00 and 07:10 local time respectively). The epicenter has been located. 30 km west of the country’s capital Tirana at a depth of 10 km. Although it appears that the exact figures for estimating the damage carried out by the Government of Albania were not initially entirely conclusive, the consolidated reports indicated a total of 11,490 housing units classified as either completely destroyed, demolished, or in need of complete rebuilding. 83,745 housing units were partially or slightly damaged. 17,000 people were said to have been displaced and were living in makeshift housing, with most of the displaced families staying first in camps, then in tents (a particularly precarious situation given the approaching winter) or in rented accommodation. The most affected administrative regions were Durrs, Lisse, and Tirana.

After the immediate issuance of CHF 229,375 from DREF, the immediate issuance of the Initial Emergency Appeal (EA) was revised on November 29, 2019, just three days after the earthquakes, on February 14, 2020. The revised work plan (Action Plan) focused on meeting urgent needs in addition to To early and medium-term recovery of the most vulnerable populations that were formally identified and properly verified. The target groups to be assisted include those whose homes have been damaged (collapsed, severe or minor damage), and at risk due to the loss of a family member, low income, or special family vulnerabilities (for example, disability, female households, the elderly. And pregnant women). The EPoA program was aligned with the Albanian Red Cross Comprehensive Action Plan (ARC) and various reports indicate that more than 20,000 people have received assistance with health services, PSS, WASH (through hygiene kits), livelihoods and basic needs support (Mostly cash grants) and shelter activities (household items). By the end of the intervention, it was assumed that up to 50,000 people would be reached through community activities (DRR, PSS, and health activities through outreach programs, which would ensure that the assistance took an integrated approach, particularly in the water and sanitation sectors. Health and Hygiene, Health / PSS, Shelter, PGI, Restoring Family Links, and Disaster Risk Reduction through multi-functional mobile teams Cash assistance was increased from 700 to 1,100 families initially. ARC and ARC support organizational development and strengthening in the areas of critical preparedness, volunteer management, information technology, finance, and logistics systems.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that occurred shortly after the disaster response gained momentum, and due to restrictions imposed around the world and in Albania, the timeframe for the EA process was extended by three months to be able to complete activities that were negative. Affected by COVD-19.

The evaluation criteria are based on the OECD / DAC for assessments in complex emergencies (OECD / DAC, 2006), IFRC standards for assessments, and the criteria and questions mentioned in the assessment matrix. Apart from a comprehensive review of all available documents, the assessment succeeded in conducting face-to-face interviews under strict COVID-19 restrictions with 14 current and former IFRC-ROE employees, 18 Albanian Red Cross (ARC) employees and 36 ARC volunteers in four Prime locations, and a total of 105 people assisted (69 female / 36 male). House-to-house field visits were undertaken wherever possible to obtain a realistic opinion of current needs and act as an audit mechanism. The evaluation had only limited success in interviewing government or diplomatic representatives, which, in hindsight, constituted a certain bias of the evaluation (see 3.1). It should be noted that all findings and analyzes refer only to the 2019 earthquake appeal process and do not reflect any past or current ARC processes and activities, except in cases where meaningful overall impacts have been identified.

Prior to this operation, ARC had enjoyed excellent cooperation with IFRC-ROE. Although ARC already has good operational experience in disaster relief and social community projects, the National Society leadership requested technical support from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies given the expected scale of the operation, and this early close cooperation resulted in timely preparation. For emergency call and contingency action plan. ARC’s initial systems appear to have been fully adequate to respond to more common events of lesser magnitude, and the NS was well experienced in distributing relief items. Powerful social programs created a good public image of NS. During the operation, ARC has not only succeeded in expanding, standardizing and developing this experience, but also succeeding in significantly increasing its operational capabilities and developing new skills, such as large-scale registration and verification processes, psychological support, provision of unconditional cash assistance, etc. . (See 4.1.1.). The most impressive component of ARC is the motivated, energetic, and dedicated volunteers of the NS who played a pivotal role in the success of this process. With support from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, technical delegates and extensive training, still ongoing, for all ARC volunteers on new data collection and analysis techniques (KoBo), NS has built strong capacity for future emergency operations and for community-based disaster response reduction activities.

The logistical arrangements, which were somewhat limited and overburdened, were improved through the provision of a local temporary storage facility, and the complete refurbishment of the Tirana warehouse with the support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. This included the rearrangement of warehouse space and the successful introduction of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies standard warehouse management and inventory control system. Although the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has purchased three new vehicles, the management of the ARC fleet still needs more investment. While trucking capacity has been increased by commercial means, there is still a large number of defunct vehicles. With proper repair or scrap, this can alleviate the transportation shortage in some remote branches (see recommendations). NS still uses a somewhat less efficient traditional buying mechanism by purchasing individual items primarily and repacking them with volunteer help rather than bidding and purchasing with a complete package. (See recommendations).

One issue still in dispute is the perceived lack of full-time or at least part-time staff and the apparent high demand for volunteers. While volunteers are especially necessary in emergency situations (as we have seen in this earthquake), there is a very real possibility of burnout, and the assessor concludes that volunteer management of ARC can benefit from review or reposition (see recommendations). The general process of identification and verification appears to be very appropriate and comprehensive (see 4.1.2.), Ensuring basic principles of impartiality and independence. ARC assessments are usually conducted separately from municipal assessments. The importance and relevance of ARC activities in response to earthquakes was confirmed unanimously by the individuals interviewed.

Of great importance was the right kind of assistance at the right time of need, for example relating to accommodation in camps, tents, and later in rental accommodation. In terms of accountability, ARC has established a hotline (green line), however, it appears that the most effective way to deal with requests from people, comments and very few complaints has been the frequent door-to-door visits by ARC volunteers.

The table is listed under 4.2.1. It provides a detailed overview of the various program components, their initial and revised plans, and their level of achievement. The target was raised in some areas of the program (for example cash assistance), the target was exceeded in others (for example shelter outputs), and in some mostly community-related activities, it had to be canceled or paused due to the COVID-19 interference. 19 The Pandemic and Resultant Restrictions.

Nearly 50% of all people interviewed confirmed that all aid was relevant, while nearly a quarter of them stated that CVA and hygiene item distribution was the most helpful. 10% considered PSS the most helpful post-earthquake support. This cash support was not only the result of a successful emergency appeal, but also the fact that ARC contributed large sums from private fundraising sources.

These positive feedback from the people whom the appeal has helped are of particular importance as ARC has successfully developed robust CVA and PSS operational capabilities. Although the process leading to the CVA and final disbursement was slow and long-term, for a variety of reasons (see 4.2.2.), ARC was in a position to build on similar previous experience with the World Food Program during a process in which it was cash. Vouchers were distributed. The reasons for this delay are explained in detail in the relevant section 4.2.2. (CVA) ranges from slow decision-making by ARC, IFBB bidding and bidding procedures that are not fully applicable in times of emergency, to lack of response and interest among financial service providers (FSP). The final joint decision between ARC and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to go to the distribution of checks resulted in the completion of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in April 2020 and the appointment of Raiffeisenbank in May 2020, with the first batch being disbursed in June 2020.

The four most common uses of this cash support were (1) paying rent, (2) buying food, (3) medical expenses, and (4) paying off debts.

The second largest operational capacity developed was in the Psychological Support (PSS / PFA) area. Once again, with support from technical delegates through IFRC-ROE, staff and volunteers received in-depth training and even before this training, based on their experience in social work, they provided PSS in the immediate aftermath of earthquakes. This was all the more commendable as many of the volunteers themselves were affected by the shock of the disaster.

In terms of sustainability, it was very encouraging to see that ARC has clearly expressed its desire to make these two activities (CVA and PSS / PFA) a part of their priorities and future strategy. Nevertheless, it is clear that any such plans rely on preserving and ideally slightly expanding human resources in some key operational areas, and on sound management in the future of these enthusiastic and now highly skilled volunteers (see 4.2.3.)

Of particular note is the substantial and immediate support provided by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, both in terms of issuing a DREF of 229,375 Swiss francs and the immediate and immediate availability of technical delegates, for example, Director of Operations, PMER, Health Delegates and Additional Support Representatives later. For logistics, PSS, etc.

This immediate response and excellent cooperation with ARC at all levels were pivotal to the fact that only three days after the earthquake could a full emergency appeal be launched.

As detailed under 4.3. Some delay has occurred in the field of CVA, as it has been shown that the current regulation does not meet the appropriate measures needed in disasters of this scale, and some steps appear to be necessary to address this deficiency as part of future operational readiness (see recommendations).

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