The Start Fund’s biannual FOREWARN meeting in early September was an opportunity for FOREWARN members to both contribute and draw from a collective body of work. As FOREWARN continues to grow, as well as decentralise – connecting forecasters, scientists, risk analysts and humanitarian decision-makers at all levels proved vital.
Every year, numerous predictable risks turn into humanitarian disasters. Whether it’s foreseen pre-election violence, disease outbreaks following floods, or landslides following heavy rains, a lot can be done to mitigate the damage of such threats by acting early.
What is the actual level of preparedness for future volcanic eruptions? An Analysis for Action assessment was carried out on the communities surrounding the Nyiragongo volcano in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Start Network's Leonie Le Borgne reflects on a workshop she attended with the Inter-agency Regional Analysts Network (IARAN) and discussed how each of us, in our separate organisations can bring change to the humanitarian sector, for the better.
For lot of us, the idea of ‘risk management’ stirs up negative images- spreadsheets, risk registers, bureaucrats, dry software packages (shudder), or flustered efforts to address live risks spreading across media headlines. And that’s about it, right? Wrong.
In May this year, members in Pakistan raised a Start Fund alert for a heatwave, the alert was activated. Members had collectively analysed weather forecasts and had raised the alert before temperatures reached deadly levels. Start Network's Sarah Klassen discusses the challenges of forecasting heatwaves, and why a similar alert in 2017 was not activated.
The Start Fund was activated and within 7 days £200,000 was allocated to five Start Network members who implemented mitigation projects on the ground. The projects included early warning systems analysis, food and seed distribution and drought preparedness activities with local partners.
‘He just collapsed and died on the road as he was coming here’- The District Health Officer who oversees the cholera treatment facility in Lilongwe, Malawi, talks about the latest cholera death- a Chief from a neighbouring village. ‘Cholera is a big taboo in the country’, she says, ‘Many community members opt not to use cholera treatment facilities in fear of the stigma and shame associated with the disease. They only begin their journey to the centre when they are on the verge of death…and then it’s too late’, she says solemnly.
At the Start Network, we’re proud that the Start Fund is the first of its kind to allow humanitarian Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to ‘anticipate’ crises. We are starting to see the concept becoming normalised. Next month, the Red Cross will officially open a ‘forecast-based financing’ window for the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund.
The Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Week (HNPW) is an annual programme co-chaired by United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID).
