Integral Alliance has launched a collaborative Disaster Response for the Syrian Crisis, building on the work that Integral Members have already been carrying out in the region. By initiating the Integral Disaster Response Process more opportunities for synergy can be highlighted and collaboration between Members will be deepened.
Since 2012 World Renew has been responding to the crisis through partners in Lebanon and Syria, with support from fellow Integral Members Tear Netherlands, Tearfund Belgium and World Relief (US). Since February 2013 Tearfund (UK) has been raising funds and supporting their partners based in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Since February 2013 TearFund Switzerland has been involved in fundraising for the crisis. TEAR Fund New Zealand, Tear Netherlands and World Concern are supporting partner-based responses and are looking to co-fund other Integral Members. MAP International is supplying emergency health kits to Syrian refugees through their local partner contacts.
The Integral Secretariat has hosted three teleconferences to share information and plan funding and operational strategies to better coordinate the work already taking place in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan through Integral Members. This joint operations and communications response will explore how Integral can leverage institutional funding, and also facilitate more sharing of media resources for private fundraising campaigns. “The spread of Integral is 18 Members in 13 different countries, so agencies are not competing for funds from the same constituencies. We very much hope that this collaborative approach will release more resources for those affected by this ever-worsening humanitarian crisis,” says Sarah Larkin, Integral’s Communication and Fundraising Coordinator.
On 26 April 2013 OCHA reported: “The humanitarian situation in Syria is catastrophic and continues to deteriorate at a rapid pace. Fierce fighting across large parts of the country has led to massive displacement and mounting refugee outflows. Almost 80,000 people have been killed since the conflict began two years ago. An estimated 6.8 million Syrians, or almost one-third of the entire population, now require humanitarian assistance, including 4.25 million internally displaced people and 1.44 million refugees. This marks an increase of 5.5 million affected people since March 2012. About 3.1 million, or some 50 per cent of those who require assistance, are children.”
Wayne de Jong, World Renew’s Disaster Response and Rehabilitation Director says, “World Renew has been implementing a number of relatively small projects in Syria and Lebanon over the past year. Now, with the support of the Integral Alliance and its Members, World Renew plans to significantly increase its outreach to displaced people within Syria and refugees in Lebanon and Jordan. Assistance will include food, rent support, kitchen utensils, medicines, hygiene supplies and bedding. Integral has a very collaborative approach, and its Members have strong relationships with local Christian denominations and organizations who are very well connected to impacted communities. These factors will make an efficient and effective program possible, which reaches thousands of families in desperate need, regardless of their religion or race.”
Integral’s website: www.integralalliance.org
All Integral Members sign up to the Red Cross Code of Conduct and Sphere Standards, and Integral has developed an agreed Quality Standards Statement amongst its 18 Members.
Integral Alliance is a WEA affiliate and has served as a global partner to the WEA in the field of relief and development since 2006. Integral contributes to the WEA’s goal of fostering Christian unity around the world through working with its Members on a more integrated and collaborative strategy in disasters.
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MORE INFORMATION
Integral has 18 Members who work in over 85 countries and currently fund over 1100 projects in more than 30 sectors. Our Members have a combined income of over $350m USDs and are:
Baptist World Aid Australia – Australia
CEDAR Fund – Hong Kong
Food for the Hungry – USA
Integra – Slovakia
MAP International – USA
Mission Alliance – Norway
Mission East – Denmark
SEL France – France
TEAR Australia – Australia
Tear – Netherlands
Tearfund – Belgium
TEAR Fund – New Zealand
TearFund – Switzerland
Tearfund – UK
World Concern – USA
World Relief Canada – Canada
World Relief – USA
World Renew – Canada & USA
The Syrian Crisis:
See the Syria Needs Analysis Project for further information on humanitarian needs: http://www.acaps.org/disaster-needs-analysis
The Integral Disaster Relief Process:
Integral Members have developed a collaborative strategy for responding to disasters as Integral, with the Disaster Response Process co-ordinating the emergency activities of its Members. The aim of the Integral DR process is to combine resources to ensure that as many people as possible are reached with the assistance they need.
In disaster situations Integral Members have previously collaborated in:
- 2012: South Sudan, Philippines Flooding
- 2011: Cote d’Ivoire, Libya, North Korea, South Sudan, Japan earthquake, Middle East, East Africa food crisis
- 2010: Haiti earthquake, Sahel food crisis, Indonesia earthquake, Guatemala Hurricane, Pakistan floods
- 2009: Sri Lanka (internally displaced people), Pakistan floods, Asian disasters
- 2008: Kenya Unrest, China Earthquake, Myanmar Cyclone, Democratic Republic of Congo, East Africa Food Crisis, India floods
- 2007: Bangladesh Floods, Zimbabwe Humanitarian Crisis
- 2006: Indonesia Earthquake
- 2004: Indonesia Tsunami, Sri Lanka Tsunami
Integral:
Vision:
- Integral’s vision is a world without poverty.
- Our mission is to work in collaboration as national relief and development agencies committed to maximising the holistic impact of our Christian response to the poor worldwide. Integral’s main focus is on working together when disasters happen, and to find opportunities for our Members to collaborate and so maximise our resources and impact following a disaster.
On Integral Collaboration:
- Integral’s goal is for all its Members to become more effective and efficient in their work and to see greater impact and reach as a result of working collaboratively. This means making sure that Integral Members share information and play complementary roles with the resources they have available when an emergency happens. The Integral Secretariat plays a co-ordinating role to facilitate better communication between all Members in disaster situations with the aim of increasing support and avoiding duplication.
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Integral is committed to working with the Micah Network and the World Evangelical Alliance to ensure that excellence is championed and collaboration encouraged within our wider constituencies.
Contacts:
Fiona Boshoff, Director of Integral
[email protected]
Jan Eyre, Programme and Disaster Management Coordinator
[email protected]
Sarah Larkin, Communication and Marketing Coordinator
[email protected]
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