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.
The Start Fund anticipation window seeks to mitigate harm and loss for communities at risk of crisis. It does so by enabling and incentivising Start Network members to monitor risk and act on the basis of forecasts. Through the Start Fund anticipation window, Non-Governmental Organisations can respond to shifts in risk, such as a forecast of extreme rainfall or likely political crisis. A key element of this approach requires collective sense-making, or collaborative risk analysis, around the situation forecasted and its potential humanitarian impact.
The Start Fund anticipation window seeks to mitigate harm and loss for communities at risk of crisis. It does so by enabling and incentivising Start Network members to monitor risk and act on the basis of forecasts. Through the Start Fund anticipation window, Non-Governmental Organisations can respond to shifts in risk, such as a forecast of extreme rainfall or likely political crisis. A key element of this approach requires collective sense-making, or collaborative risk analysis, around the situation forecasted and its potential humanitarian impact.
The Start Fund anticipation window seeks to mitigate harm and loss for communities at risk of crisis. It does so by enabling and incentivising Start Network members to monitor risk and act on the basis of forecasts. Through the Start Fund anticipation window, Non-Governmental Organisations can respond to shifts in risk, such as a forecast of extreme rainfall or likely political crisis. A key element of this approach requires collective sense-making, or collaborative risk analysis, around the situation forecasted and its potential humanitarian impact.
The Start Fund anticipation window seeks to mitigate harm and loss for communities at risk of crisis. It does so by enabling and incentivising StartNetwork members to monitor risk and act on the basis of forecasts. Throughthe Start Fund anticipation window, Non-Governmental Organisationscan respond to shifts in risk, suchas a forecast of extreme rainfall or likely political crisis. A key element of thisapproach requires collective sense-making, or collaborative risk analysis, aroundthe situation forecasted and its potential humanitarian impact.
‘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.
Donors and humanitarian agencies are thinking carefully about how to use forecasts to provide earlier support to at-risk communities before a disaster occurs. While this interest stems from a desire to reduce the growing humanitarian burden and reconsider how aid is spent on humanitarian crises, forecast-based early action is also of interest to development professionals operating in social protection, disaster risk management and risk financing: preventive action should happen anyway, but in a context of limited resources forecast-based early action can help with decisions about how to best allocate funds in advance of an imminent impact. You can read about the Start Funds Crisis Anticipation Window by clicking here.
