Goal to shed 42 overseas workers as funds force agency to cut operations

THE relief agency Goal is to shed 42 of its 107 overseas workers and reduce its programmes in several countries. The agency blames falling donations and the slow payment of funds by international agencies for the retrenchment, the speed and extent of which has surprised its volunteers overseas.

The biggest cuts are in the Great Lakes region of East Africa. Security has also been a major consideration. It intends to make a phased withdrawal from Zaire by the end of September on security grounds.

The Goma camp, to which a million Rwandan refugees fled in 1994 was evacuated by Goal staff yesterday because their safety could not be guaranteed. However, full UNHCR funding has been provided to Goal during its operations in Zaire.

In Uganda, Goal is to suspend operations temporarily but a spokesman said yesterday that it intends to return. Meanwhile, it will continue to channel resources to other agencies there.

In the case of Cambodia a Goal spokesman said the withdrawal was basically due to the fact that 226 NGOs were operating there and Goal felt its limited resources could be better used elsewhere.

"We are consolidating and regrouping," the spokesman said. Operations are actually expanding in Angola, Sudan and Vietnam. He also stressed that no projects involving children were being affected by the cuts, which involve capital investments and buildings projects.

The director of Goal, Mr John O'Shea, flew to Ethiopia yesterday to review work on projects with street children in Addis Ababa.

However, the Goal spokesman said that "donor fatigue" was a problem. When the news coverage and advertisements stopped funds begin to dry up.

The organisation also sought funding of £2 million from the Department of Foreign Affairs, but was understood to be disappointed with the £250,000 grant it received.

Goal is currently responsible for the health of 250,000 Rwandan refugees currently housed in three camps on the border in Zaire and Tanzania, as well as running a fostering and tracing service for children orphaned during the killing of more than 500,000 Tutsis and Hutus in Rwanda in 1994.

Even though this work is fully funded by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Goal still plans to withdraw. It says the slow payment of money due has caused cash flow problems.

The health services in the largest camp at Kibumba will now be taken over by a Zairean agency, while a US based Seventh Day Adventist group will take over the tracing and fostering project.

A number of development projects in Rwanda will not be completed because of Goal's withdrawal from the country even though planning work has been ongoing for the past few months. These include a water supply project in northern Rwanda and plans to build 1,000 houses in Rukara, near the Tanzanian border.

Two years ago, Goal employed more than 100 people in the region. Only about 23 staff remain and they are expected to withdraw by September.