The Jersey Overseas Aid Commission and the German Federal Foreign Office have announced their support to the Start Fund, a global fund that enables NGOs to respond quickly to humanitarian crises.
Start Network marks the launch of the newly branded ‘Start Fund Learning Grant’, formerly known as the ‘one percent learning budget’.
Start Network is delighted to release details of new features added to its innovative Start Fund portal.
On April 17, Start Network received an urgent alert from two of its 42 member organisations, asking for rapid funding to combat a cholera outbreak in northeast Nigeria. The other members of the United Kingdom-based humanitarian network were quickly consulted, but they were divided over whether, of all the world’s pressing humanitarian needs, this one deserved some of the network’s precious funds.
The Start Fund, which provides rapid humanitarian aid for overlooked crises, is marking the second anniversary of the World Humanitarian Summit by sharing the impact of its 4th year, through its new annual report released today.
In January, the Start Fund was alerted to an outbreak of Lassa fever in Nigeria, 350 people were reported to have been infected. The Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA) has been awarded Start Funds to respond to the crisis on the ground and are targeting three areas which have been most affected; Ondo, Edo and Ebonyi.
In December an outbreak of diphtheria was reported in Yemen, another blow for people living in a country already experiencing the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
The Start Network has launched a new video outlining a new way to think about localisation, the video aims to show a practical structure that could improve the position of local organisations within international aid.
In early April, Mocoa city in the south west of Colombia, was hit with one of the worst natural disasters the country has seen in its history. Heavy rains had resulted in a mudslide that swept through the city and left 333 dead and hundreds missing. The destruction caused by the floods left 22,310 people affected.
The Start Network is enabling aid agencies in Kenya act early to mitigate the risk of election violence, in a new way of working for the humanitarian sector.
