An effective response, regardless of where a natural disaster occurs, requires sustained involvement on behalf of donors, responding organizations and myriad other actors.
The bulk of disaster dollars are often allocated during the emergency humanitarian relief phase (with a focus on emergency food, shelter, water, sanitation and health care). Emergency relief is vital. Still, experts agree that disaster relief dollars are insufficient to meet the medium- and long-term needs of disaster-affected communities. CFT recommends responding to the complete timeline of the disaster management effort: from immediate relief to recovery, and then to reconstruction and rebuilding.
Funding criteria in evaluating potential funding partners, CFT follows four key considerations:
- Experience – relevant, pre-existing presence in the affected location and an understanding of the community context prior to the disaster.
- Comprehensive Plan – ability to effectively meet the needs based on the current relief situation and with the capacity to develop and then implement a robust recovery plan.
- Sustained Impact – potential to reduce poverty and improve the lives of affected people – moving them beyond where they were pre-disaster.
- Effectively Partner – strong understanding of the landscape of actors working in the recovery effort and the ability to work closely with the range of national, international and community based organizations involved in the disaster response.