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CASE STUDY: How Start Fund Bangladesh supported a local NGO's growth and sustainability

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.  

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Bangladesh: Local organisation Jago Nari supports farmers during COVID-19 pandemic

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.

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Development of Mechanism for Accountability to the Affected Population in Rapid Response (Bangla)

Humanitarian actors play an important role in disaster response in Bangladesh. As such, their decisions and actions can have a profound effect on the daily lives of disaster affected people. However, the accountability framework being used by different humanitarian agencies are different and to some extent inadequate to hold humanitarian agencies accountable to the affected people in rapid response. Affected people lack an effective voice in the decision-making process of the humanitarian agencies. Hence, new tools and mechanisms are needed at the local and national level to make the humanitarian actors more accountable to affected people and communities.

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Development of Mechanism for Accountability to the Affected Population in Rapid Response (English)

Humanitarian actors play an important role in disaster response in Bangladesh. As such, their decisions and actions can have a profound effect on the daily lives of disaster affected people. However, the accountability framework being used by different humanitarian agencies are different and to some extent inadequate to hold humanitarian agencies accountable to the affected people in rapid response. Affected people lack an effective voice in the decision-making process of the humanitarian agencies. Hence, new tools and mechanisms are needed at the local and national level to make the humanitarian actors more accountable to affected people and communities.

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Start Fund Handbook - Bangla

This handbook details the procedures which govern the use and allocation of the Start Fund.

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Start Fund Bangladesh leads the way on locally-led humanitarian action

In a recent Desk Review on Enhancing the Potential of Pooled Funds for Localisation (September 2020) conducted by the Grand Bargain Workstream 2 on Localisation, Start Fund Bangladesh (SFB) was held up as a strong example of locally-led humanitarian action that exemplifies some of the commitments set out in the Grand Bargain. SFB’s transformative model shows that it is possible to have a more proactive, efficient and locally-led humanitarian sector.

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How Start Fund Bangladesh has influenced national practices to improve humanitarian action

Humanitarian coordination in Bangladesh involves a large number of stakeholders and forums, and a complex system of government committees that relate to disaster management actors, clusters, working groups, NGOs and INGOs. To be successful, this system needs to be responsive and adaptive to the local needs and contexts, well-coordinated and to ensure active participation of local and national actors. This is where Start Fund Bangladesh (SFB) fits in. Here are some examples where SFB has facilitated or lead changes within the humanitarian system in Bangladesh.

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Sharing of Indirect Cost Recovery as a commitment to localisation

Start Fund Bangladesh, since its inception in 2017, has been advocating to change the deep-rooted partnership practices that hinder localisation commitments, one of which is the equal sharing of ICR. Although changes were not reflected initially, in 2019 a few Start Fund Bangladesh INGO members started negotiating with their head offices and became successful in ensuring a share of ICR went to their local partners. 

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LEARN about Start Fund Bangladesh

Start Network’s first virtual Assembly meeting took take place from Monday 12 to Thursday 15 October 2020, alongside our 10-year anniversary celebrations. Watch the recording of the session on Start Fund Bangladesh and access all the learning materials below.

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Start Fund Bangladesh: COVID-19 Chapter

Using local membership strength of a pooled funding mechanism to extend humanitarian support during a pandemic.

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The case for localisation amidst COVID-19

COVID-19 has caused massive disruption to large-scale national and international mobilisation. Reduced international travel and the lockdown of stations, ports, borders, transportation and supply lines has disrupted the operations of many INGOs, making it virtually impossible to deploy surge capacities. As a result, many local organisations have been forced to step up and carry out locally coordinated responses to this pandemic.

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COVID-19 Resilient Village in Bangladesh

Shonnasgacha is a small village of Keshobpur Upazila of Jashore district where 210 families live in a 1.5 sq. km area. While the country was waking up to the COVID-19 threat in the early stages of the lockdown, the locals of Shonnasgacha village took measures to protect themselves.

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How FOREWARN's prediction on dengue fever enabled Start Fund Bangladesh members to act early

On 28th March 2020, Start Fund Bangladesh, the national fund for the Start Network, activated its first alert in response to predictions made by the national Forecast-based Warning, Analysis and Response Network (FOREWARN). 

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Using Standing Operating Procedures (SOP) for Humanitarian Responses During a Pandemic

Start Fund Bangladesh developed standing operating procedures (SOP) after taking stock of current happenings and in-depth discussion with donors and humanitarian leaders. The SOP targeted safety measures at multiple levels to ensure the ultimate prevention of transmission at the community level. Some of these included: Tracking physical health of staff and volunteers throughout the project period; In addition, all personnel involved in the project needed access to personal protective gear (masks and sanitizers) Adopting new practices at the organisational level: providing accommodation facilities to staff and volunteers if needed; giving compensatory allowances to those working in direct response; increasing organisational cleanliness as per WHO standards Following strict guidelines during response and: distributing relief items through door-to-door delivery and drawing distant circles.

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How indirect cost recovery is supporting the development of local and national organisations

​One of the ways that Start Fund Bangladesh is shifting more power to local organisations is by ensuring they have more access to funding for operations costs, otherwise known as the Indirect Cost Recovery (ICR) method, this enables them to improve and develop.

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How aid agencies are using Start Network’s funding mechanisms to address the COVID-19 pandemic

Start Network members began to raise alerts to COVID-19 in Official Development Assistance (ODA) countries on 20 March, through the Start Network’s existing fund portfolio - Start Fund, Migration Emergency Response Fund (MERF) and Start Fund Bangladesh. Two weeks later, on 2 April Start Network launched Start Fund COVID-19 with a generous €1.5 million donation from the IKEA Foundation.

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Essential support to under-the-radar crises in Bangladesh

We share some stories on the unique space that this Start Fund Bangladesh holds in providing essential support to under-the-radar crises.  

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Shifting the power: Start Fund Bangladesh in action

“It's a great example of localisation, the local NGOs have access to funds, mutual learning opportunity and ensured collective efforts for national and international organisations”

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The Start Fund Bangladesh makes progress in localisation

Start Fund Bangladesh is demonstrating how localisation makes aid more effective and efficient. People in need are receiving help 10 days faster and operational costs have been halved.

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Start Fund Bangladesh makes a direct award to a local NGO

In June 2019, Start Fund Bangladesh made its first national disbursement to a local NGO. This signifies a major step forward in the Start Networks localisation commitments, allowing funds to go directly to the organisation best placed to provide assistance, with major cost and time savings.

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Learn at the 2018 Assembly: DEPP Innovation Labs

WNow that we have fostered innovations in our four Innovation labs, what are the next steps to take these inventions up into global scales?

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Learn at the 2018 Assembly: Start Fund Bangladesh

Since May 2017, there have been 8 activated alerts in Bangladesh, with disbursements totalling £2.1 million.

News Article

Islamic Relief helps survivors of Bangladesh floods

Islamic relief has been working in consortium with Start Network Members Save the Children and Concern Worldwide, to implement a rapid response to floods which hit Bangladesh in early June.

News Article

Local leadership and collaboration, helping people when there is no other support

When a fire ripped through Ellias Mollah, a ‘slum’ in Dhaka, the Start Fund Bangladesh provided help when there was no other support, meaning the people in Ellias Mollah who lost their homes, could quickly access cash to rebuild, and did not have to move away from their job and livelihoods.

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How do we help the world's poorest populations become sustainably resilient? Cash

Michaela Larson says the answer to how we can help the world’s poorest populations become more resilient following a crisis, is an obvious one – we give them cash.  

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How the Start Fund is responding to deadly flooding across South Asia

Last week, while many were focused on the devastating landslides in Sierra Leone, elsewhere more than 16 million people were affected by deadly flooding in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Start Network’s Melina Koutsis discusses.

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Going the extra mile: Bangladesh Localisation Review

In order to establish a baseline on the state of localisation in the Start Fund and humanitarian sector in Bangladesh more generally, the Start Fund Bangladesh commissioned this external review.

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The Start Fund, Start Network and Localisation

Localisation is a foundational and non-negotiable principle within the Start Network. This report presents a ‘baseline assessment’ of where the Start Fund and three DEPP projects currently sits with the‘localisation agenda’.

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Start Network launches new framework for localisation

The Start Network has published a new framework for localisation which aims to provide a practical structure to improve the position of local organisations within international aid. The framework is part of an independent review into localisation of the Start Fund and other Start Network initiatives. Responding to the review, the Start Network has committed to “drive a holistic and transformative approach to localisation”.

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Start Evolves Video: Emily Montier on the Family of Financing Facilities

The Start Network’s vision is a humanitarian system in which funding will be dependable and predictable, responses are based on humanitarian need and context-appropriate. For this to become reality, the Start Network needs to evolve into a global, decentralised 'network of networks'.

News Article

Start Fund Bangladesh: first use of new country fund

Thousands of families left homeless when Cyclone Mora hit Bangladesh are to be helped in the first crisis response by the new country-based Start Fund. Most of those to be assisted are Rohingya refugees, who had previously fled persecution in neighbouring Myanmar.

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Start Fund Bangladesh ready to respond to an in-country crisis

Start Network’s new Bangladesh national fund, Start Fund Bangladesh, is ready for its first crisis alert in a significant development for the humanitarian system

News Article

Bangladesh emergency response fund set up by Start Network

The Start Network is setting up a £10 million rapid response fund, which will respond early and fast to under the radar emergencies in Bangladesh.

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Creating a Start Fund in Bangladesh

Start Network's Annemarie Poorterman tells us more about her work to set up a national version of the Start Fund in Bangladesh.