On the bank holiday Monday a radio news bulletin reported that up to 500 people had died following an earthquake in Turkey. Slowly the magnitude of that disaster and subsequent human tragedy unfolded. It now seems likely that the earthquake which struck southern Turkey and northern Syria with such ferocity and calamitous effect will claim the lives of more than 50,000 people. To put this in perspective, that almost equates to the population of Waterford City.
It is estimated that one million people have been left homeless in Turkey, while the figure in Syria is more than five million. It is simply an unspeakable tragedy.
It is also one which, due to logistical and geo-political challenges, has stretched the resources and capacity of governments and humanitarian organisations to breaking point and beyond. For some time there has been a growing international trend of humanitarian and aid agencies establishing partnerships and coming together in joint-appeal organisations in order to maximise their effectiveness. Given the scale of this disaster and the need for organisations to pool their resources, this trend is likely to intensify.
From early morning, in the hours after the earthquakes struck, response teams and partners of several of our member organisations were on the ground in Syria and Turkey
Here in Ireland, the Irish Emergency Alliance (IEA) has enabled six leading humanitarian organisations to come together for a joint earthquake appeal. ActionAid, Christian Aid, Plan International, Tearfund, Trócaire and World Vision have combined resources to raise funds together and send targeted support to where it is most needed, quickly and efficiently.
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From early morning, in the hours after the earthquakes struck, response teams and partners of several of our member organisations were on the ground in Syria and Turkey, working to assess the gravity of the situation and deciding how best to meet the most acute needs of the affected communities.
Donations raised from the joint appeal were dispatched immediately to support the distribution of fuel and heaters to rapidly built emergency shelters. Ready-to-eat food, tents, blankets, mattresses, tarpaulins and heaters were also delivered. The response efforts have continued unabated.
Looking to the future our member organisations are putting plans in place for projects that will provide clean water and prevent the spread of disease. Child-protection programmes are also being put in place.
By working together as a collective on this and previous appeals, we have played a vital part in enabling the fast-tracked delivery of more aid to the people who most need it.
This joint-initiative model is not as well developed in Ireland as it is elsewhere, but IEA members have now seen the tangible benefits of coming together for joint appeals. We’re seeing an increase in donated income for people in need, enabling us to assist a greater number of vulnerable people than any single agency. Additional benefits include reduced administrative and fundraising costs, enhanced partnerships with the private sector, increased brand awareness and recognition, and enhanced visibility, coherency and messaging to the public.
We’re confident that we will continue to win the trust and support of an Irish public who want to support, but who are also at times confused or frustrated by the number of aid agencies competing with each other and duplicating advertising and administrative costs, as opposed to pooling their resources and working together to save more lives and alleviate suffering.
The IEA has taken significant steps towards accomplishing this.
Internationally, this partnership approach has been operating in and between a number of countries as far back as 50 years ago. Incredible success around emergency fundraising for emergencies as joint entities has enabled the largest of these groupings, a global partnership called the Emergency Appeals Alliance, of which the IEA is a member, to already raise more than €350 million for Syria and Turkey.
Similar humanitarian joint-response alliances have been established in many countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Uniting to work as joint entities in acute emergency situations, is a practical, active response that is catching the attention of institutional donors. A number of global alliances have a matched-funding arrangement with their respective governments. While this is an approach that is yet to be rolled out in Ireland, the IEA and all its members would very much like to see this conversation progress.
Creating alliances between non-governmental organisations can strengthen and expand partnerships for sustainable development, uniting organisations with common goals addressing urgent humanitarian issues, or working in specific geographic areas.
It is a model that leverages the strengths and resources of each organisation, promoting collaboration and co-ordination to achieve greater impact and progress towards the effective provision of support. It also serves to reach sustainable development goal targets (such as goal 17.16) calling for the enhancement of global partnerships for sustainable development, complemented by multistakeholder partnerships that share expertise, knowledge and other resources.
Working as an alliance that was initially formed just a few years ago in response to the Covid-19 emergency, we are relatively new to fundraising in Ireland
One of the key benefits of an alliance is being able to consolidate resources (fundraising, communications, financial and programme teams) into one powerful entity during times of pressing emergencies and then leveraging that capacity to seek pro-bono advertising and broadcasting opportunities.
The IEA has a direct physical presence in 85 disaster-affected countries, giving it an advantage over most single humanitarian organisations. With long-established and trusted local partners, we do not need to parachute in an emergency response team … we’re already there.
Working as an alliance that was initially formed just a few years ago in response to the Covid-19 emergency, we are relatively new to fundraising in Ireland. But the outstanding reputations of each of the individual agencies stamp the alliance with a credible and deserved trustworthiness in the public eye.
Each of our member agencies brings something different to the table.
In a profound emergency such as this, interagency competitiveness is put aside. We are working together towards a common goal. We are working together to save lives.
- Brian Casey is the executive director of the Irish Emergency Alliance, which comprises Action Aid, Christian Aid, Plan International, Self Help Africa, Tearfund Ireland, Trócaire and World Vision. Donations to the alliance can be made at emergencyalliance.ie