Search

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.  

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.

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.

This year, our local and national members took part in the Civil Society 7 Summit hosted by the UK government and Bond. Our local and national members engaged in conversations and roundtables, discussing and making recommendations on seven priorities.

We wanted to understand the value that Start Network membership has brought to new members, including the value of our due diligence process. Based on interviews conducted between November and December 2020, here are the three main ways that due diligence has benefitted our new members from their perspectives.

As part of the evaluation of ARC Replica, in-depth interviews were held with households to better understand the timing and impact of the assistance. These interviews suggested that the start of lean season is not homogenous across Senegal. 

There is no shortage of problems in our modern world. COVID-19, climate change, migration, and increasing economic inequality are just some complex social challenges that we are facing. These challenges surpass our existing solutions toolkit, requiring us to stretch our creative muscles and innovate in order to keep up.