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The Migration Emergency Response Fund (MERF), funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), was established in January 2017 in partnership with the 15 member representatives of the Start Network present in the region. The MERF allows member organisations to react to a significant change of needs, or provide assistance to previously unidentified vulnerable groups. Its aim is to address the unpredictable nature of the mixed migration crisis across the Mediterranean that exacerbated an already difficult operating context for aid workers and made it difficult to plan for a response.

The Migration Emergency Response Fund (MERF), funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), was established in January 2017 in partnership with the 15 member representatives of the Start Network present in the region. The MERF allows member organisations to react to a significant change of needs, or provide assistance to previously unidentified vulnerable groups. Its aim is to address the unpredictable nature of the mixed migration crisis across the Mediterranean that exacerbated an already difficult operating context for aid workers and made it difficult to plan for a response.

The Asia Regional Platform of the Transforming Surge Capacity project has gathered 7 international NGOs to create the regional shared roster Go Team Asia, which provides surge support to emergencies across the region. Roster members receive many capacity building opportunities; trainings, simulation exercises, one-to-one coaching, and Trainings of Trainers (ToT). This case study shows how the collaborative nature of capacity building for Go Team Asia improves individuals’ and organisations’ ability to work together, which can help them provide faster and more adequate assistance to affected communities.

As part of the Transforming Surge Capacity project, seven international humanitarian NGOs have come together to test out collaborative app roaches to surge response in the Asia region. This case study highlights how Islamic Relief, one of the platform partners moving towards more regionalised surge systems, has been able to support inter - agency collaboration in the project, and how it used le arnings and outputs of the project to improve its own surge mechanisms.

Mutual trust is vital in collaboration, and collaboration is what the Transforming Surge Capacity Project aims to achieve, to ultimately improve the quality of emergency responses in Asia. 

Women are among those most affected by disasters but in many countries are under-represented in humanitarian leadership positions. On International Women's Day 2017 we celebrate women as change makers, those women working in humanitarian aid who are changing aid for the better.

Plan staff discovered how effective video can be in engaging girls and boys, men and women to tackle diseases like cholera.

From July to September 2014, the Start Fund responded to humanitarian needs following conflict and displacement in Yemen. International Medical Corps implemented a health intervention, integrated with some nutrition activities.

A case study about the first three years of the Start Network, formally the Consortium of British Humanitarian Agencies.

This is the second case study developed on behalf of the Start Network. The series is designed to capture the emerging story of the Consortium and draw out some useful lessons about collaboration.