Emerging Forms of Collaborative Networks in Post Disaster Humanitarian Aid

Panel 2a: Humanitarian AidCaroline Brassard, PhD

Lee Kuan Yew School of Public PolicyNational University of Singapore, February 13-14, 2014

2014 Australasian Aid and International Development Policy Workshop

Crawford School, ANU

Aim and Scope Exploratory research to understand the

constraints faced by various types of organisations based in Singapore and involved in post disaster activities

To draw policy lessons for humanitarian aid effectiveness, focusing on coordination (abroad and in Singapore)

Research Method Survey questionnaire imparted (ongoing) to

~100 Singapore-based organizations involved in post-disaster activities abroad including:

Non-Governmental Organisation (local, regional)International Non-Governmental OrganisationGovernment OrganisationPrivate Organisation

In-depth interviews

Structure of the Survey Profile of the organisation Background on the natural disaster Type and sectoral activities Coordination process and challenges Policy Recommendations

Natural Disasters (since 2004)Type of disaster covered in the survey Flood (Philippines, Thailand) Earthquake (Sichuan China) Cyclone (Myanmar) Typhoon (Philippines) Tsunami (Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Japan)

Areas of InvolvementInfrastructure construction Education Health (including first aid) Logistical Support Transportation Provision of cash donations Provision of donations in kind (materials) Counselling (informal or professional) Fundraising (in Singapore)

The Coordination Challenge

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Emergency and Sequencing of Efforts

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Housing

Livelihood and Business

Physical and Social

Infrastructure

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Source: Schematic Illustration (BRR) where the vertical axis represents the intensity of effort.

Sectoral allocations and gaps varied significantly

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Source: World Bank (2006)

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“I used my own money to build a house, and the one that I was provided by an NGO,

I rent to workers from outside who are building houses in the village for

another NGO.” - Tsunami survivor

(Daly and Brassard, 2010)

Source: Daly and Brassard (2011)

Survey Findings

Key challenges (1)

• Time lag to receive funding (due to bureaucratic procedures in Singapore)

• Efforts required to complete documentation• High expectation of speedy reporting to

Singapore despite slow internet connections abroad, and different work culture abroad.

• Volunteers in Singapore can not get leave from work on short notice

• General apathy of Singaporeans towards disasters

Key challenges (2)

• Require more training to manage larger funds• Exit strategy: difficult to find a local partner• Difficult to monitor whether the land

would continue to be used for the purpose it is originally intended for (in the long run).

• Applying for approval for fundraising to the Ministry of Education was somewhat political and proved to be difficult. There was no specific department within MoE to apply to

Key Challenges (3)

“[We] initally made wrong projection of the scale of impact they planned to achieve. Initially, they planned to build 32000 basic houses. However, the target group wanted better houses and only 1732 houses were built.

Material costs also tripled after the disaster which required adjustment of the budget,

something that had to be explained to the Red Cross Committee.”

What facilitates coordination in Singapore (1)

Personal networksConnections with EmbassiesStandardization of proceduresReputation of the organisation (in Singapore)

What facilitates coordination in Singapore (2)

Professional networks (e.g Singaporean businessmen)

Since 2011 a new department was set up at MOE to facilitate requests for fundraising within schools

The 80/20 rule was suspended in 2004 It required that 80% of funds raised be spent in

Singapore

Key Lessons Learned (1)

Be cognisant of the cultural differencesNo knowledge of how the money was used (for

fundraisers)Volunteer selection is challenging as not

everyone can deal with disaster stricken areas

Government of Singapore wishes to keep a low profile

Key Lessons Learned (2)

Informal networks make coordination easier in some respects (when dealing with partners abroad)

Leave politics out of disaster relief "If you ask for money it's easy. if you ask for volunteers

it's difficult. Once you get volunteers its a headache." “There is a saying in Chinese: Ignorance is innocence,

but in a court of law, ignorance is misfortune. When we believe that we have done our best, but our best is not good enough, this is our predicament.”

Recommendations to improve coordination in Singapore

Establish a network of agencies in Singapore (bottom up)

Allow schools to publicly raise funds (especially in case of natural disasters) students with a global mindset

Singapore staff need training to deal with corruption when it occurs as they work abroad

Loosening philanthropic regulations to allow more money to be spent outside of Singapore attract corporate donors and raise awareness

Recommendations to improve coordination abroad (1)

• Governments or local community should allocate some land to show their commitment and do their part.

• Choose locals to implement projects due to access to decision makers and local networks, NGOS, etc.

• Involving multiple organizations maintains accountability ("Answerable to many") and makes logistics easier.

Recommendations to improve coordination abroad (2)

• We need documents that are easy to understand (clear and well written) and that highlight best practices, explain regulations, and standard operating procedures, provide checklists and templates, so that no important step is missed out,

…and not just in English.