As the world contends with the destruction that Pakistan’s monsoon floods have left in their wake, as well as the cascading impact of an emerging health crisis, some truths regarding the role of local organisations within the sector begin to become more visible.
Since 2017, Start Network members in Pakistan, have been developing Disaster Risk Financing (DRF) Systems that allows civil society actors in-country to pro-actively manage disaster risks (such as droughts, heatwaves, and floods). Reducing the impacts of weather extremes and disasters is a fundamental part of building longer-term climate resilience. By quantifying risks in advance of disasters, pre-positioning funds, and releasing them according to pre-agreed plans, enable earlier action and reduce the costs of disasters considerably ensuring that the right assistance reaches the right people at the right time. This is all done through the scientific modelling of hazards, collaborative development of contingency plans and the establishment of pre-positioned financing to enable earlier, more predictable, and better-coordinated assistance to communities affected by predictable disasters.
Since 2017, Start Network members in Pakistan, have been developing Disaster Risk Financing (DRF) Systems that allows civil society actors in-country to pro-actively manage disaster risks (such as droughts, heatwaves, and floods). Reducing the impacts of weather extremes and disasters is a fundamental part of building longer-term climate resilience. By quantifying risks in advance of disasters, pre-positioning funds, and releasing them according to pre-agreed plans, enable earlier action and reduce the costs of disasters considerably ensuring that the right assistance reaches the right people at the right time. This is all done through the scientific modelling of hazards, collaborative development of contingency plans and the establishment of pre-positioned financing to enable earlier, more predictable, and better-coordinated assistance to communities affected by predictable disasters.
In June 2021, Bright Star Development Society Balochistan (BSDSB), were funded to assist in mitigating an anticipated heatwave in Sibi (Pakistan). Bright Star provided behavioural messaging in addition to ‘cooling facilities’ that provided cold water and a place to rest.
In June 2021, Bright Star Development Society Balochistan (also known as BSDSB or Bright Star) were funded to assist in mitigating against the anticipated heatwave in Sibi (Pakistan). In this locally-led anticipatory action response Bright Star provided behaviour messaging in addition to "cooling facilities" with cold water and a place to rest. This paper summarises some of the evidence and learning from an evaluation of this response.
In August 2020, Bright Star Development Society Balochistan (BSDSB) was awarded £30,000 to respond to COVID-19 in Pakistan. In addition to reaching 500 vulnerable families with food and hygiene packages, they also invested in a behaviour messaging campaign that involved displaying banners and distributing posters, leaflets, and stickers amongst the communities and in key public locations.
HELP Foundation became a member of Start Network in June, and was recently awarded funds to respond to the COVID-19 crisis in their local area of Pakistan through the support of Avaaz and a private donor. In addition to awareness raising, HELP Foundation distributed food and hygiene packages to vulnerable families.
Here we talk with Sana Zulfiqar who told us about the continuation of the work of the DEPP and how it has led to new initiatives in Pakistan and the wider region. Sana has been able to push forward many of the Start Networks initiatives in localisation and “shifting the power”.
Here Saeed Ullah Khan shares some of his reflections on the achievements and challenges of Start Network’s Disasters and Emergencies Preparedness Programme (DEPP) in Pakistan, his observations on its continuing legacy and his suggestions on how these efforts could be further improved.
Start Network has announced five founding hubs to be based in countries and regions affected by crises, localising resources and decision-making to improve the quality of humanitarian aid.
