Putting survivors at the centre of disaster response

In 2016, the first ever World Humanitarian Summit brought together 9,000 participants from across multiple sectors and civil society, with the aim of creating meaningful change for the world’s most vulnerable. Over 3,500 commitments were made, including the need to put survivors of natural disasters at the centre of the disaster response and ensure no one is left behind.

A team of King’s researchers have worked with humanitarian organisations, their local partners and disaster survivors to put this commitment into practice. By identifying the shortcomings of the previous top-down approach, they have developed new working practices that are transforming the international humanitarian sector.

As a result, countries are now seeing faster responses, improved management of disaster funds and greater autonomy for survivors to drive how their communities are to be rebuilt. The Kenya Government, for example, has since updated its Disaster Risk Management policy and formally recognised the role of local organisations in disaster response.

From top-down to survivor-led response

In the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster, the response is generally localised with neighbours often providing the first response. Very often, and especially in poorer countries, as the immediate response shifts to reconstruction, it quickly becomes managed and led by international humanitarian non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

This international humanitarian response is needed due to a lack of local capacity, especially in local and national government. However, by taking leadership roles in the often-chaotic post-disaster period, the humanitarian sector can miss the opportunity to build upon local ambitions and risk creating a culture of dependence on external leadership – marginalising survivors from their own recovery. It also encourages survivors to see themselves and be seen by external agencies as little more than beneficiaries of charity, potential employees or sources of local knowledge for project design.

To address this, King’s researchers analysed disaster responses from the viewpoint of survivors, speaking directly with them to understand how they were affected. They then created a framework – known as the ‘Survivor-Led Response’ – that lists the top priorities the humanitarian sector should support local people, their local governments and organisations with. These are:

1. immediate livelihood support (not simply disaster relief), e.g. in the form of microcredits or income-generating activities
2. psychological support to enable crisis survivors to ‘bounce back’ better
3. support for community cohesion and effective communication between survivors
4. support for effective communication between the community and implementing organisations
5. coordination of activities with local government from the outset to ensure long-term community resilience
6. a forum for confronting the root causes of vulnerability and advocating for change

Transforming the humanitarian sector

The ‘Survivor-Led Response’ framework was tested in low-income countries (Myanmar and Kenya) and in high-income countries (Sint Maarten), before being adopted by Christian Aid – the first NGO to institutionalise it and make it a priority for its Humanitarian division.

As a result, Christian Aid found that in Myanmar they could build on local leadership and organisational capacities and respond quicker to natural disasters. This is in part because harnessing the networks of community-based organisations made it possible “to reach minority ethnic groups who we would not have reached otherwise, and who would have had only limited humanitarian relief,” said Country Director of Myanmar.

Meanwhile, Christian Aid found that in Gaza, working with community groups allowed more local control over funds – directly improving the wellbeing of 73,700 people. The NGO has also found that that in Kenya, the framework has proven to reduce existing tensions by bringing together local NGOs, communities and government for the first time.

As more and more NGOs and other organisations around the world adopt the approach, there is a chance for communities to build back better in the wake of devastation.