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In 2017, Start Network and the World Food Programme sought to expand the approach of African Risk Capacity (ARC) through the ARC Replica programme. The objectives were to further expand the coverage of ARC while giving the opportunities to test new financing tools for civil society (especially insurance), and ultimately the uptake of ARC. This initiative has been supported by the German Development Bank (KFW) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development. This evaluation reviews the impact of this pay-out to the Start Network members who received the funding on the communities who were reached through the programme.

In 2020, the Atlantic route saw a sharp increase in use by refugees and migrants for a range of reasons. Some relate to the characteristics of the route itself, such as the perception that it is a relatively short and direct way into Europe. Others pertain to the COVID-19 pandemic, for instance unfounded rumours that the high number of coronavirus deaths in Europe has boosted demand for labour. 

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.

With funding from Start Network, Caritas India supported 500 vulnerable households in Odisha, India during the global pandemic and in the aftermath of Cyclone Amphan. Start Network conducted an independent monitoring evaluation of Caritas India’s response, collecting data in the form of 120 short-form interviews and five in-depth interviews with targeted households.

Migration has long been a hallmark of Sahelian populations, with people migrating to mitigate the impacts of environmental degradation and diversify access to livelihoods sources, which remain predominantly based on agricultural activities and natural resources. When the first confirmed cases of COVID-19 emerged in the region in March 2020, governments were prompt to take action, imposing movement restrictions, closing international borders and implementing localised lockdowns, all in view of limiting the spread of the virus. However, this affected long-held seasonal migration patterns, putting on hold an important source of supplementary revenue for millions of Sahelians across the region. This report aims to gauge the impact of these restrictions on environmental migrants' lives in the immediate, mid- and longer term.

As the pandemic and its economic impact started to bite, A Single Drop for Safe Water (ASDSW) in the Philippines reflected on how humanitarian assistance should change in the face of this extended crisis. Working with social enterprises like Ashoka, Xchange, Firetree Trust, and Limitless Lab, we developed a programme that looked at and improved the systems in place for emergency response, and worked to strengthen these systems to better serve impacted communities.

Start Network has launched Information is Power: Connecting Local Responders to the Risk Information that they Need, a paper which calls for organisations to connect people at risk of crises with forecast information, which can help to save lives, cut the costs of emergency response, and build more resilient communities.

As the COVID-19 pandemic started to spread and affect countries and communities all around the world, Start Network recognised the importance of utilising the experience of its members to manage and support responses to critical COVID-19-related humanitarian needs. As a result, a COVID-19 context-specific rapid response fund was established, drawing from the principles and best practices of the global Start Fund.

The German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO) has announced its support of €4.5 million for a programme of activities that will embed early humanitarian action across a global network of NGOs.

The humanitarian impact of extreme heat is an increasing concern, especially in low-income countries with limited access to quality healthcare and informal dwellings which can trap heat. This report analyses the knowledge, attitude and practice of Karachi residents in relation to managing extreme heat. It was conducted in 2020 following a messaging campaign led by HANDS related to extreme heat. The project was triggered through a disaster risk financing approach, using a heatwave model to trigger funding automatically when extreme heat was forecast.