The Humanitarian Coalition
The Humanitarian Coalition is a coalition of Canadian non-governmental organizations consisting of CARE Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam-Québec, Plan Canada, and Save the Children Canada.
Mission
Its stated mission is to "maximize Canadian fundraising efforts in support of member agencies' assistance programs for the survivors of international humanitarian disasters. By working together, we seek to increase the awareness of needs, reduce the duplication of costs and take the guesswork out of giving for Canadians."[1]
Members
As a joint Canadian approach to humanitarian response, the Humanitarian Coalition is a "one-stop-shop" for all Canadians during times of international humanitarian disasters. It consists of five member agencies: CARE Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam-Québec, Plan Canada and Save the Children Canada. All Canadian humanitarian agencies that meet the membership criteria are invited to join in this initiative.
Campaigns
The Humanitarian Coalition has launched five major appeals since 2010 to global humanitarian disasters, these included the earthquake in Haiti in 2010, the floods in Pakistan in 2010, the earthquake in Japan in 2011, the drought in East Africa in 2011 and the food crisis in the Sahel in 2012.[2]
Sahel Food Crisis 2012
The Sahel appeal was launched on June 14th 2010 and raised more than $2.7 million for the more than 18 million at risk women, children, and men in the region.
East African Drought 2011
Because of one of the worst droughts in 60 years, more than 13 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and the newly-formed Republic of South Sudan were left in need of food, water and emergency healthcare . Hundreds of thousands of people fled Somalia due to the drought and conflict, and parts of the country were afflicted by famine.
Donations from the Canadian public for the appeal raised $14 million and helped hundreds of thousands of people. Humanitarian Coalition fundraising for this appeal is now closed; money raised for the appeal will be spent over a two year period ending in July 2013 to ensure people are helped not just to survive the crisis but also to begin to rebuild their lives.
Japan Earthquake 2011
In the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011, relief from across the globe was organized to help the hundreds of thousands of people affected by the crisis. In Canada, the Humanitarian Coalition supported relief efforts by raising $1.3 million and distributing these directly to its partners in Japan. With our members agencies' experience in humanitarian response and the dedication of our Japanese partners working in close coordination with government authorities, the efforts of the Humanitarian Coalition helped reach hundreds of thousands of earthquake survivors, helping them to cope with the challenges posed by cold, aftershocks, and fears of a worsening situation at a nearby nuclear power plant.
Pakistan Floods 2010
The strong monsoon rains that hit Pakistan in July-August 2010 caused devastating floods and landslides that engulfed entire communities. It was the worst emergency of its kind for decades. Over 1 700 people lost their lives and 20 million were directly affected by this crisis. Drinking water, health care, food and access to safe shelter were daily challenges for the survivors of this crisis.
In response to this unprecedented crisis, the Humanitarian Coalition raised $3.4 million from its donors to support relief efforts in Pakistan. By distributing emergency drinking water, food, emergency shelters, and basic health care, the efforts of our member agencies helped save thousands of lives.
Haiti Earthquake 2010
The members of the Humanitarian Coalition have been present in Haiti for more than five decades and had more than 600 staff working in the country when the earthquake hit on January 12th, 2010. They immediately responded to meet the urgent needs of survivors of the quake.
The Humanitarian Coalition and its members raised over $15.5 million for humanitarian response programs for disaster survivors. Since the earthquake, the members of the Humanitarian Coalition have effectively contributed to rebuilding Haiti alongside the survivors of the earthquake. The members of the Humanitarian Coalition have reached hundreds of thousands of Haitians with essential and urgently needed assistance, while also supporting recovery and reconstruction efforts.
Governance
The Board of Directors is made up of the respective CEO or Executive Director of the five member agencies, Patricia Erb from Save the Children, Robert Fox from OXFAM Canada, Rosemary McCarney from Plan Canada, Kevin McCort from CARE Canada, and Pierre Veronneau from OXFAM-Quebec.[3]
The day-to-day activities of the Humanitarian Coalition are run by the organisation's Executive Director Nicolas Moyer.
References
- ^ "Who We Are". The Humanitarian Coalition. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
- ^ "Our Appeals". Humanitarian Coalition. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
- ^ "Board of Directors". The Humanitarian Coalition. Retrieved 10 October 2012.