Appropriate response to humanitarian crises

Humanitarian disasters occur with frightening regularity, yet international responses remain fragmented, with organisations and responders being forced to “reinvent the wheel” with every new event. In many of the natural disasters of the last few decades, there has been an outpouring of well intentioned but sometimes misguided help from uncoordinated and untrained people both outside the established channels and sometimes even through those channels. This has led to everything from perishable food and medical supplies rotting on docksides and at airports, trailer loads of ice left to melt in the sun, winter clothing being sent to tropical areas, and even injury and death of volunteers in the affected areas.

Additionally, these uncoordinated donations and volunteers tend to worsen the situation with confusion and congestion, reducing the effectiveness of relief efforts. Volunteers arriving without their own logistic support also endanger themselves and others who have to look after them and consume scarce resources of shelter, food, and water that might otherwise have gone to some of the victims. It is clearly essential that anyone thinking about volunteering is both informed and prepared and goes through the appropriate channels.