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In 2020, Start Network undertook a number of consultations with communities that were supported by its funding. This included a large household survey in Senegal evaluating the quality and impact of assistance in anticipation of drought through ARC Replica, as well as the perceptions of people assited in Pakistan, India and DRC as part of our due diligence pilot. Central to the planning of these evaluations was an intention to be as inclusive as possible by amplifying marginalised voices, and to ensure that the people interviewed were able to express themselves in their local language by hiring local consultants to conduct interviews.

In 2020, Start Fund Bangladesh (SFB) conducted an Organisational System Strengthening Initiative (OSSI) facilitated by an external consultant. This initiative took a participatory approach in assisting six of SFB’s local members to identify gaps in the operating functions of their respective organisations. Bolipara Nari Kalyan Somity (BNKS) was one of these organisations. It is a women-led organisation that has been operating in Chittagong Hill Tracks of southeastern Bangladesh since 1991.  

Following the success of last year’s Start Fund COVID-19 response in Nepal, Start Network members are piloting a country-based contingency fund to respond rapidly to, and in anticipation of, small to medium scale crises in the country. Funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), this member-led trial, known as Start Fund Nepal, has been designed by local, national and international organisations. Members of the Start Fund Bangladesh team have also been supporting the design based on their experience of managing a country-based pooled fund since 2017.

The monthly risk briefing reports on new, emerging or deteriorating situations; therefore, ongoing events that are considered to be unchanged are not featured and risks that are beyond the scope and scale of the Start Fund are also not featured. It is collated by the Start Network Anticipation and Risk Financing team using information from academia and research institutes, government departments, ACAPS, global risk indexes, risk information provided by Start Members and their partners, and the media. Key risks are shared and collated each month with FOREWARN input.

Yesterday's announcement at the G7 summit included a package of support from the UK, Germany and the USA to scale up pre-arranged finance to protect the world’s most vulnerable communities against the impacts of climate change. This is a necessary step if governments are committed to saving more lives.  However, the announcement could have gone further and we are now waiting for concrete targets and a timetable around this support.

A la date du 6 décembre 2020, le Togo comptait 3 095 cas confirmés de COVID-19, dont 65 décès. Dans un premier temps, le gouvernement a pris des mesures pour réduire la transmission du virus, notamment en fermant les écoles. Le 15 juin, les écoles ont été rouvertes uniquement pour les classes d’examens pour permettre aux élèves de passer les examens de fin d'année.

Start Network says the G7 is not doing enough to support the world's poorest people to prepare and recover from crises, such as Covid-19 and the global climate emergency.

As of 6 December 2020, Togo had 3,095 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 65 deaths. Initially, the government took steps to reduce transmission of the virus, including by closing schools. However, on 15 June, schools were reopened to allow students to take end-of-year exams.

After a long year tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, the province of Albay in the Philippines was faced with several more unexpected challenges toward the end of 2020. Four consecutive typhoons left many communities damaged, and mudflow from the Mayon Volcano threatened surrounding municipalities causing five casualties. As a result, there is now a clear demand for a multi-hazard approach when planning for hazards in the province.

When Bangladesh went into lockdown at the end of March 2020, many families were apprehensive about how they would earn a living. Although the government responded quickly by introducing economic stimulus packages, and support for vulnerable and low-income families, it wasn't enough to meet all of the need. One group that was initially left without adequate support were marginal farmers, who make up more than 75% of the country’s total farmer population.