ACT Alliance demonstrates its value as the leading faith-based alliance in humanitarian response by working with faith and humanitarian actors at the global, regional, national, and community levels. ACT harnesses the combined strength of its members in delivering humanitarian response at scale and with considerable reach through joint programming approaches.
We commit to an effective ecumenical response that saves lives and maintains dignity, irrespective of race, gender, belief, nationality, ethnicity, or political persuasion. Humanitarian needs define our priorities and the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence guide our actions. We remain committed to strengthening the resilience of affected communities and to being accountable to people and communities affected by a crisis. The ACT Alliance Secretariat is certified against the Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability and is committed to the Sphere Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response.
Through its national, regional and sub-regional forums ACT Alliance provides humanitarian and emergency preparedness support to local communities helping them during a crisis and to become more resilient.
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The Rapid Response Fund is an innovative funding mechanism designed to put local communities at the centre of decision-making and is recognised as one of few such funding mechanisms across the sector. The RRF provides valuable opportunities to demonstrate the niche of faith actors in humanitarian response as we work closely with local ACT members and their community networks. On average, the RRF funds 20 emergencies annually and responses are implemented within six months.
The primary mechanism for large scale or global emergencies, including protracted crises: ACT Alliance raises an appeal to its membership with both requesting and funding members co-owning the process. Appeals are open for funding during their entire project period and accessible to both national and international ACT Alliance members.
Consortia represent a new funding mechanism for ACT Alliance. As part of Emergency Preparedness planning, consortiums are established before a disaster strikes and consortium members share a vision and strategic focus. Members self-organise and develop their own financial management models and programme strategies supported by the EPRP process and tools.
Emergency preparedness and response planning is integral to the strengthening of ACT Alliance’s capacity to respond effectively in emergencies through joint programming.
ACT national and regional forums develop emergency preparedness and response plans (EPRPs), working collaboratively to understand potential disaster risks and plan how to respond to emergencies quickly and effectively. Forum EPRPs are accessible by members through an online platform, which can be viewed by other members who may be interested to support them. ACT Forums use specific ACT guidelines and tools to support the process of developing an EPRP which is reviewed regularly.
As part of the holistic and integrated approach to humanitarian response, development and advocacy, ACT’s emergency preparedness and humanitarian response is supported by stronger humanitarian coordination and advocacy with stakeholders and duty bearers.
In the current strategic period our advocacy focuses on three banner commitments to the Grand Bargain at the World Humanitarian Summit where ACT has made significant investments and where member engagement is quite strong: the localisation agenda and the primary role of national/local members and local faith actors; demonstrating the important role of faith actors in humanitarian response; and strengthening of cash-based programming across the humanitarian sector.
15 June 2015 - The Colombian north‐east department of Arauca has experienced non‐stop heavy rains from May 22, creating emergency situations due to the floods caused by overflown rivers with peaks on 25th May and 3rd of June, requiring evacuation of affected communities. Both main and local roads were affected. Individual houses and public spaces were flooded. Municipal water distributing structures were affected, as well as household and community wells in rural communities. Most of the rural population depends on small‐scale farming (cocoa, plantain and rice crops) and livestock farming for subsistence, many of these livelihoods have been lost.
Preliminary appeal_06_2015_Flood in Arouca, Colombia_COL15112 June 2015 - As a result of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in 2014, the Liberian Government made an appeal to international governments and national and international organisations to help combat this life‐threatening disease. The response from international organisations was very positive and Liberia received a lot of support in combating the virus. The EVD took away many innocent lives and left people psychologically traumatised and stigmatised.
10 June 2015 - Heavy rains for the past week have left most parts of the capital, Accra, its suburbs and other cities flooded. Assessment carried out so far indicates that about 10 districts have experienced the effects of a severe flooding. Affected districts include Accra Metropolis, Ga South Municipal, Adentan Municipality, Cape Coast, Ashaiman Municipal, Kumasi Metropolis, Ho, Ledzorkuku Krowor and Ketu South Municipal. On June 4, a fuel station in Accra exploded as a result of the floods, leaving an estimated 150 people dead. Deaths have also been confirmed in Adentan, Mallam, Glefe, Kumasi and Odorkor. Many communities have been affected leading to heavy restriction of movement of people. The Achimota sub-‐ station was affected by the floodwater, leading to an emergency cut in power supply to a number of communities. Damaged personal property has been reported in areas heavily affected. The severe floods-‐induced disaster has left in its wake the destruction of both public and private buildings and road infrastructure, resulting in a sever disruption to the lives of thousands. RRFs_05_2015_Floods in Ghana_RRF5
20 May 2015 - Typhoon Haiyan, (locally known as Yolanda), slammed into eastern Philippines on 8 November 2013. Haiyan, the strongest typhoon in recorded history ever to make landfall, created winds and storm surges that killed more than 6,300 people and caused catastrophic damage to the affected areas. 44 provinces, 57 cities, 591 municipalities and 12,129 barangays were impacted, affecting more than 16 million people. Over 1 million homes were destroyed. The provinces of Leyte and Samar, where Haiyan initially made landfall, were among the most affected. The super typhoon created an estimated $2.04B in damage, including major damage to the agricultural sector. Fisher folk and small-scale coconut farmers, already among the poorest in the agricultural sector, suffered tremendous losses.
The situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) took a dramatic turn following the March 2013 Coup d'Etat, with the conflict escalating into unprecedented levels of violence. The events that took place in Bangui in December 2013 constituted a peak in the conflict bringing the capital in a cycle of reprisals among citizens, with violent clashes between (largely Christian) Anti‐Balaka and (mainly Muslim) ex-Seleka that spread across the country. Violence in CAR has caused massive internal displacements, which has divided the country along ethno‐religious lines, and had a regional impact, pushing hundreds of thousands to flee the country (to Cameroon, Chad, the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo). As of March 2015, around 442,000 people remained internally displaced in CAR and daily violent clashes continue to displace thousands already living in dire conditions.
10 April 2015 - This version of the extended and revised appeal (revision 2) replaces the 1st revision, issued on 24th November 2014, now removed from our web site. Text for this revision is in blue. Iraq currently has one of the largest populations of internally displaced people (IDPs) in the world; at least 2,400,000 as of 26th August 2014 (Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre). From January to September 2014 the IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) identified 1,709,178 internally displaced individuals in Iraq. The Sinjar Crisis triggered the most recent wave of displacement, contributing approximately 42% of the overall number of IDP families in Iraq, following intense fighting and the violent persecution of ethnic and religious minorities by Islamic State (IS) extremists.
30 March 2015 - Since the beginning of February 2015, the state of Acre and part of the state of Amazonas, located in North Region of Brazil, suffer from heavy rains, resulting in Acre and Purus rivers and its tributaries, rising levels and consequent floods. According to the Ministry of National Integration, in Rio Branco, capital of Acre, the Acre river exceeded the historical level reached in 1997 of 17.66 meters, reaching 18.40 meters in early March this year. The most affected municipalities were the capital Rio Branco, Brasiléia, Tarauacá, Feijó, Epitaciolândia, Porto Acre, Assis Brasil and Sena Madureira. The flooding of Acre and Purus rivers also affects the state of Amazonas, especially on the border with Acre. There, the most affected municipalities to date are Boca do Acre, Canutama, Tapauá, Carauari and Pauini, where 240 families Apurinãs (indigenous people) live in communities located along the Purus River and its tributaries. Their crops were destroyed and they are without access to clean water. Communities are helpless, with no support from government organizations, including the official indigenous body of Brazil, Funai. One of the major difficulties is the distance to the villages. To access the village that is most distant from Pauini a boat trip of 5 days is needed (10 days return trip). Also, 210 families living on river banks areas of the Acre River are in need due to the extent of their losses on food, cattle and household items, these communities are completely isolated and without communication since the floods. Rapid Responses Funds 04_2015_Brazil_floods
23 March 2015 - The first revision of ACT appeal UKR151 is hereby issued. This revision replaces the full appeal issued on 30 January 2015, now removed from our web site. All changes in the text are highlighted in blue. As a result of the Crimean crisis and the armed conflict in Eastern Ukraine the humanitarian situation arising from this conflict has deteriorated dramatically. Fighting began in April 2014 between militia groups in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine, demanding autonomy / independence for their territory from the central authorities of Ukraine, and on the other side the forces and armed groups under the central government in Kiev. The rise in numbers of refugees and internal displaced persons (IDPs) in the past month coincides with a recent deterioration of the situation, worsening law and order, fear of abductions, human rights violations and the disruption of state services.
23 March 2015 - On 16 January 2015 Cyclone Chedza hit the south‐western part of the country in the regions of Menabe and Melaky with heavy rains accompanied by strong winds of 100km/hr and a displacement of 15km/hr causing severe damage and massive flooding in most parts of North West of Madagascar. On 7 February 2015 Tropical Storm Fundi battered the coast of the southern region of Madagascar bringing sustained winds to the region worsening the situation following the passage of Cyclone Chedza. Prior to this, the region had been experiencing severe drought impacting on the community with wide spread famine.
20 March 2015 - On Friday 13 March a category 5 Tropical Cyclone Pam lashed the islands of Vanuatu bringing with it destructive winds surpassing 300kph, heavy rainfall, storm surges and flooding. The eye of the cyclone passed close to Efate Island, where the capital Port Vila is located causing extensive and widespread damage. Large parts of the country have been severely affected and there is particular concern for the 83 southern‐most islands of Tafea Province including Erromango and Tanna as well as the northern islands of Sanma, Penama and Torba Province. Most recent reports indicate a critical need for food and purified water.
18 March 2015 - The deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) surfaced in West Africa for the first time in 2013, affecting Guinea, Liberia, Senegal and Nigeria. It appeared in Guinea in December 2013 and spread into neighbouring Sierra Leone by April 2014. This virus is considered one of the most aggressive that has no cure to date. It can kill within one week of exposure or three to four days from when the first symptoms become apparent. The fatality rate is very high (90%) if the infected person receives no treatment. As of 12 March 2015, 8,463 confirmed cumulative cases have been reported in the districts of Sierra Leone resulting in 3,289 confirmed deaths. The situation is well on the way to being under control.
Head of Humanitarian Affairs
Global
niall.orourke@actalliance.org
Geneva, Switzerland
Regional Humanitarian Officer
Africa
Caroline.Njogu@actalliance.org
Nairobi, Kenya
Humanitarian Operations Manager
Global
Cyra.Bullecer@actalliance.org
Bangkok, Thailand
Humanitarian Programme Advisor
MENA
Amman, Jordan
