Blog Post

From the ground: A rapid response for migrants in Morocco

The Start Network's Migration Emergrgency Response Fund's (MERF) Emergency Coordinator, Melina Larson, and Start Fund MEAL office, Micheala Larson, have been in Morocco visiting Humanity & Inclusion's project funded by the MERF. In this blog post Melina gives her first hand account of their project on the ground.

Blog Post

The Start Fund rapidly responds to its 300th crisis alert

Elections in Nigeria will take place on Saturday, with historic tensions risking vulnerable people in particular, peace-building activities by local organisation will be the focus in the coming days.

Blog Post

The Start Fund rapidly responds to its 300th crisis alert

Elections in Nigeria will take place on Saturday, with historic tensions risking vulnerable people in particular, peace-building activities by local organisation will be the focus in the coming days.

Blog Post

Lessons learned from a rapid response for migrants in Niger

The Migration Emergency Response Fund (MERF) funded two projects in Agadez over the past year, both led by Doctors of the World (DOTW). Melina Koutsis, reflects on the impact of last year’s project and what lessons learned had been drawn from it for the current response.

Blog Post

From a clinic in Niger

In this guest blog, Johannes Claes, Reporting and Advocacy Officer for Doctors of the World’s Niger Mission, tells us about its response to the relocation of vulnerable groups in Niger, supported by the Migration Emergency Response Fund (MERF).

Resource

Blockchain pilot II: summary of lessons

In 2016, a €50,000 grant to Start Network from the government of Estonia, which is leading the world in its drive to adopt the new technology, enabled us to pilot blockchain for humanitarian financing. So, in 2017 Start Network formed a partnership with a start-up social enterprise Disberse to push forward our plan to test blockchain in the delivery of humanitarian finance. Using the Disberse platform, we set out to test blockchain in a series of small disbursements. The pilot involved the creation of digital wallets on the blockchain that donors could use the transfer funding to NGOs, the NGO could then use its digital wallet to transfer the funding onto country teams. Through the pilot, we aimed to prove that blockchain could potentially be used to speed up the distribution of aid funding and trace exactly how it is spent. In this 'Blockchain Pilot II: summary of lessons' piece the Start Network, Disberse, Trócaire Ireland, Trócaire Rwanda and Caritas Rwanda review the lessons learnt during the implementation of the pilot analyse whether blockchain helped to make the delivery of humanitarian aid more effective, transparent and accountable