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QRCS supervises polio vaccination for 815,000 children in Syria

Countries
Syria
Sources
Qatar Red Crescent
Publication date

July 31st, 2019 ― Doha: Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has recently completed the monitoring of the second July polio vaccination campaign in Syria.

Done in cooperation with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), the campaign covered more than 815,000 kids in total.

From house to house, QRCS’s personnel accompanied the vaccination teams across the Governorate of Idlib, as well as the countryside of Idlib, Aleppo, and Hama.

Oral polio vaccines were given to the children who had not been covered by the previous campaigns. This is one more step towards zero polio transmission in the war-torn country.

Earlier this year, QRCS's representation mission in Gaziantep, Turkey, held an intensive training course both in-house and inside Syria, to improve monitoring, planning, follow-up, and assessment skills among the monitoring personnel, prior to their deployment with the vaccinators.

The process comprised three phases:

(1) Pre-campaign: the supervisors visited the chief centers to make sure that the centers and equipment are well in place;

(2) During campaign: QRCS supervisors examined vaccine samples, checked storage conditions for inconveniences, and accompanied vaccinator teams to assess their performance at health centers and households and take notes; and

(3) Post-campaign: The results were analyzed for lessons learnt, which will be considered in future campaigns.

Under a five-year cooperation agreement, QRCS and UNICEF work together on a wide range of humanitarian development, protection, and response actions for children in affected regions. These include, but are not limited to, (1) the lives, survival, and development of young children; (2) gender equality in basic education; (3) HIV/AIDS in children; (4) protection against, prevention of, and response to all forms of violence, exploitation, and abuse; and (5) promotion of applicable policy compliance and partnership building for children's rights protection.

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About Qatar Red Crescent (QRCS)

Established in 1978, Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) is a humanitarian volunteering organization that aims to assist and empower vulnerable individuals and communities without partiality or discrimination.
QRCS is a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, which consists of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and 191 National Societies. QRCS is also a member of several GCC, Arab, and Islamic organizations, such as the Islamic Committee of International Crescent and the Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross Organization (ARCO). In this legally recognized capacity, QRCS has access to disaster and conflict zones, thus serving as an auxiliary to the State of Qatar in its humanitarian efforts — a role that distinguishes it from other local charities and NGOs.
QRCS operates both locally and internationally and has ongoing international relief and development projects in a number of countries throughout the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Europe. QRCS's humanitarian actions include providing support in disaster preparedness, disaster response, risk reduction, and disaster recovery. To mitigate the impact of disasters and improve the livelihoods of affected populations, QRCS provides medical services, healthcare, and social development to local communities. It is also active at the humanitarian advocacy front. With the help of a vast network of trained, committed staff and volunteers, QRCS aspires to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity.
QRCS works under the umbrella of the seven international humanitarian principles: Humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality.