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In summer 2016, the Start Fund decided to revise the learning grant process and subsequently set aside one per cent of its total annual disbursement, to fund learning activities that went above and beyond project level for members of the Start Network to strengthen humanitarian response. This fund for learning maintained the name ‘one per cent learning budget’ and agencies could apply for a greater amount, anything up to £10,000 GBP, with a greater freedom of focus.

Start Network marks the launch of the newly branded ‘Start Fund Learning Grant’, formerly known as the ‘one percent learning budget’.

When you’re a girl, crises become exponentially more dangerous, both in the immediate effects and post-crisis recovery... On the International Day of the Girl, let us commit to investing in skills training and education for girls and livelihood activities for young women around the world who are facing crises.

Start Network member, The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) was awarded Start funds to provide a rapid response to families who had been affected by Cyclone Sagar in Djibouti. According to United Nations OCHA, it is estimated 830,000 people had been affected by the cyclone and 290,000 had been temporarily displaced.

Islamic Relief provides emergency aid through the Start Fund, to families affected in tropical cyclone Sagar which hit between the Gulf of Aden and the Horn of Africa in May 2018.

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.

The Start Network has received responses from more than 230 organisations in more than 60 countries, looking to create and join national and regional Start Network hubs. The hubs are being created to shift greater power and resources to those closest to humanitarian crises.

The UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) is seeking to partner with a humanitarian organisation to develop innovative solutions to challenges around the tracking of humanitarian supplies.

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.

Christof Gabriel Maetze, Start Network’s new Chair of the Board of Trustees, tells us why he is excited about working with the network.