This funding will be used to implement disaster risk financing and innovative insurance programs led by the Start Network, a global network of humanitarian organizations dedicated to locally led rapid response and preparedness.

The additional £1.1 million has been allocated to Start Ready, an innovative mechanism that prepositions funds for predictable crises.

Start Network has recently announced the purchase of a cyclone insurance policy for Madagascar, in partnership with the Government of Madagascar and UN World Food Programme through African Risk Capacity (ARC) covering November 2023 to May 2024.

The policy supports risk-prone communities in the event of tropical cyclones, which impact African countries bordering the Indian Ocean more frequently, and severely, compared to previous decades.

In the event of an activation, Start Network’s ARC Replica programme may pay out between $1million and $4million to support up to 400,000 affected people.

Madagascar is a country particularly vulnerable to weather-related hazards. Whenever they occur, cyclones, floods and droughts have devastating impacts on populations, causing loss of life, destruction of property and infrastructure, displacement, and loss of livelihoods. Notably, in 2022 and 2023, Madagascar was hard hit by intense tropical cyclones including Batsirai and Freddy.

ARC Replica provides support in terms of disaster response after the anticipatory and early action triggered by Start Ready.

ARC Replica’s added value lies in strengthening community resilience to major hazards through the continuity of community support.

Start Ready is another Start Network mechanism using predictive modelling to anticipate climate-related events, and aims to activate three days prior to cyclones making landfall in the country.

General Mamy Razakanaivo, Executive Secretary of Emergency Prevention and Management Unit (CPGU) of Madagascar, says “ARC Replica is one of ARC’s programmes which makes it possible to at least double the capacity to respond to climate risks. It thereby enables vital support to be provided before the effects of a crisis are felt”

Similar parametric insurance policies have been purchased in the past in Somalia, Senegal and Zimbabwe.

The additional funding from the UK government will be dedicated to funding locally driven humanitarian responses to El Niño-induced hazards.

Christina Bennett, CEO at Start Network says:

“We are delighted with UK government’s increased funding to Start Network for disaster risk financing. The continued support from the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office will help us protect more lives and livelihoods ahead of climate-related emergencies. By pooling risks and resources, we are able to make our funds work harder and stretch further. We are excited about our continued partnership with the FCDO and we support the UK’s call for bolder action to prevent the impacts of climate change on the most vulnerable communities.”

These measures, coordinated by our members and their partners, include safeguarding school-going children, running awareness campaigns and the provision of hand washing facilities in public places in Karamoja. Members are also extending preventive mechanisms to other vulnerable populations in Northern sub-regions.

To date, 135 Ebola cases have been confirmed with 53 associated deaths reported; inclusive of healthcare workers, on whom the virus has meted a heavy toll.

Mubende district is the most affected, reporting 54.7% of all confirmed cases. The other affected districts are Bunyangabu, Kagadi, Kassanda, Kyegegwa, Wakiso, and the capital, Kampala.

Most identified cases are currently being diagnosed after five days of symptoms, which infers that people have most likely already spread the virus unknowingly.

There is a high risk the death toll could increase, and the government has projected 500 fatalities by April 2023.

Start Network, with presence in over 80 countries across five continents, activated the Ebola anticipatory alert in early November 2022.

Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD), a Start Network member,  will be leading the concerted efforts to curb the spread and fatalities of the Ebola outbreak.

CAFOD and partners will focus on Karamoja and Northern Uganda to prevent the heightened risk of spread over the holiday period; a time when schools are closed and where travel and human interaction increase.

Communities targeted by intervention measures still contend with hunger as a result of the recent drought and cascading impacts of COVID-19. An Ebola outbreak within this population would therefore be catastrophic and must be curbed early, to minimise death and hospitalisation within these regions, or the possibility of spread into neighboring countries.

In a statement by Robert Cruickshank, CAFOD’s Senior Emergency Response Manager, “The Ugandan government and the WHO have acted speedily to control the outbreak however, any Ebola outbreak has the potential to have deadly consequences for communities across the country, if preventative action was not taken quickly. As we have seen with previous Ebola outbreaks: inaction, public misunderstanding and insufficient supply of medical equipment and personnel can be disastrous. This is why early action is so critical, as it not only prioritizes using existing, trusted community structures like schools, churches and mosques to raise awareness of the symptoms of the disease, but also in preventing its spread through improved hygiene, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and access to trained medical professionals.”

He added, “At CAFOD, through our partners, we’ve enacted a programme to raise awareness of the symptoms of the disease and how to prevent infection, whilst ensuring communities have access to trained medical staff and improved hygiene”, he said.

Current funding and resources are being directed to districts where there are already confirmed cases and this assistance is primarily in the form of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and training for key health workers.

The planned interventions are jointly being delivered by local governments and NGOs to ensure that they are effective, appropriate and fulfil the mandate of raising awareness.

“Caritas Kotido Diocese has been very helpful in ensuring we sensitize our communities on disease outbreaks, from COVID-19 and now Ebola. I thank you for involving all structures, LC1S, VHTs, S/C’s, health facilities and the district task force in the program. I am confident the communities will receive the message because of the effective project planning. I assure the team of our full support to prevent Ebola spread in Karamoja and Uganda,” says the District Health Officer (DHO) of Karenga District.

The Karenga community leader, Ocailap Geoffrey says – “We are not saying that Ebola is amongst us here and in the communities, but we are preparing ourselves to handle any situation in case it appears. We thank Caritas Kotido Diocese for the support. We appreciate you as the first partners to come out in the fight against this anticipated outbreak. We assure you of the district’s support. I am organizing a team comprising of myself (RDC), LC5, DHO, DPC and DISO for community sensitization and barazas to ensure the Ebola message reaches the communities in Karenga district.”

Through a Start Fund alert raised by Start Network members, £274,780 in funding has been released to ameliorate displaced people’s needs, exacerbated by the ongoing conflict in these areas.  

Start Network, which is made up of international, local, and national NGOs working in over 80 countries, have channeled the funds to ActionAid and Global Peace Development – local partners who are responding to the crisis.

The armed conflict, which has claimed more than 45 lives, has been intensified by a prolonged drought and rising land disputes between nomadic herders and residents of Kaduna state. 

About 35,000 people have been impacted by this conflict, the majority fleeing their villages and relocating to shelters for people who are displaced – which are deemed safer due to the presence of security forces. 

One major attack took place on 20 June 2022, affecting many communities that are already displaced. Following this, the region witnessed a spike in violent communal conflicts resulting in the killing of 48 people by armed bandits in Kajuru and Kachiaon one week later.  

Funding from Start Network will support the people affected to recover quickly and build resilience. According to David Habba, Humanitarian and Resilience Manager at ActionAid, the £274,780 is essential to giving community members access to cash, water and sanitation, dignity kits for women, and non-food items, such as mats, blankets, water storage containers and mosquito nets. 

“The attacks and conflict around Kachia and Kajuru are sadly reoccurring. People should not live their lives in perpetual fear. We are working with community leadership and groups to provide training that strengthen community systems and structures to identify, share information and respond swiftly when there are threats. We will also link these communities’ structures to key security formations within the areas.”

Esike Ebruke, Executive Director, Global Peace Development added, “We are very happy to have this intervention funded by Start Fund. Global Peace Development has presence and works in these communities. The communities look up to us when we talk about peace building, environment and community health, governance, and other matters. The support from Start Fund makes it possible for us to be here for them in their most trying times. With this support, women and children who are most affected will be able to meet some of their basic needs like food, water and other materials like blankets. The intervention makes better the lives of the people who continue to bear the burden of the growing insecurity in Nigeria, especially women and children. We are very grateful.”

According to Serena Suen, Start Fund Programme Manager, “The response has been timely and is expected to support the people affected, with majority being women, children, the elderly, and people living with disabilities. We would like to thank our members and their local partners who have been instrumental in assisting affected people by providing them the necessary essential amenities as early as possible, covering any identified gaps. This alert has demonstrated the clear need for innovative, gap-filling financing initiatives, such as the Start Fund, within the humanitarian sector. We are pleased a local organization like Global Peace Development is leading part of the response and we believe that a more balanced international aid system, which shifts power to those closest to the front-line, will generate more effective and appropriate responses for people affected by crises.”