1. PRESENTED BY GROUP D: Patrick, Iain, Paul, Albert and Carrene
How to avoid
RELIEF PHASE DEPENDENCY
And encourage
SUSTAINABLLE DEVELOPMENT
2. “A PERSON IS AID DEPENDENT WHEN
THEY CANNOT MEET IMMEDIATE BASIC
NEEDS IN THE ABSENCE OF RELIEF
ASSISTANCE”
Definition of Relief-Aid Dependency
Dependency and Humanitarian Relief, A Critical Analysis
– Paul Harvey and Jeremy Lind
3. Dependency According to Group D
It is possible that relief interventions can
undermine ongoing developmental programs. Once
people have become accustomed to receiving relief
aid, the fear is that they will be less willing to help
themselves and become dependent on hand-outs.
We have broken down short-term and medium to
long-term areas of relief that are at risk for relief
communities to become dependent on.
4. SHORT TERM
First Response
MEDIUM / LONG TERM
Secondary Phase
Food
Water
Shelter
Medical treatment
Sanitation
Protection
Relocation
Access to water
Education
Day care centres
Legal status
Livelihood (Jobs)
Sanitation
Access to services
Community counselling
RISK AREAS FOR DEPENDENCY
5. SUGGESTIONS
HOW TO AVOID
RELIEF DEPENDENCY
In a situation with stable government a
management structure such as IMS should
be introduced immediately
From the start the controller needs to be clear
on the objectives of the relief
And if you not clear of the objectives – be clear
that you are not clear!!
State targeted time frame
Be clear on exit strategy as soon as possible
The plan should be implemented
Communication not only within agencies
but crucially with relief communities
Self-responsibility of the relief community:
they should be engaged to help themselves
6. SUGGESTIONS
HOW TO AVOID
RELIEF DEPENDENCY
Accountability in what needs to be achieved
“Free” should be avoided where possible
Beware of media that can create wrong
expectations, which can create dependency
Link not only with relief agencies, but also
development agencies
Look at long term sustainable options such
as Play-Pumps
Set up community counselling based on
cultural beliefs - not dependent on the
organisations to council
Discover skills of those affected – used in
assistance and migrate to sustainable
development
7. "THE DESERT IS EXPANDING, AND STEADY DELIVERIES OF"THE DESERT IS EXPANDING, AND STEADY DELIVERIES OF
FOOD AID TO THE BARREN REGION HAVE DRAMATICALLYFOOD AID TO THE BARREN REGION HAVE DRAMATICALLY
EXACERBATED ITS PROBLEMS INSTEAD OF ALLEVIATINGEXACERBATED ITS PROBLEMS INSTEAD OF ALLEVIATING
THEM. IN THE PAST, PEOPLE SLAUGHTERED THEIRTHEM. IN THE PAST, PEOPLE SLAUGHTERED THEIR
ANIMALS FOR FOOD DURING DIFFICULT TIMES, BUT EVERANIMALS FOR FOOD DURING DIFFICULT TIMES, BUT EVER
SINCE THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAM BEGAN FEEDING US,SINCE THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAM BEGAN FEEDING US,
HARDLY ANYONE DOES THIS ANYMORE. EVERYONE JUSTHARDLY ANYONE DOES THIS ANYMORE. EVERYONE JUST
WAITS FOR THE NEXT DELIVERY."WAITS FOR THE NEXT DELIVERY."
Dependency Highlighted
Kenya’s former
Health Commissioner
Musa Okola
8. A LONG LIST
OF EXAMPLES
The 1980 famine in Karamoja (Uganda) was,
in terms of mortality rates, one of the worst
in history. 21% of the population died,
including 60% of the infants. Approximately
82% of the Karamoja population lives in
poverty (defined as less than US$1/day)
• People hang around waiting for food aid
• Loss of traditional strategies of survival
• Demoralisation and disempowerment of the
people
• Strife between communities who receive and
those that don’t
• Perpetual squatting
• Politicians use aid for personal gain
10. SELF RELIANCE
“It is important to involve the refugees in the
provision of assistance and allow the
community to share the responsibility of
caring for itself and its vulnerable members.
This minimises dependency and encourages
self reliance.”
UNHCR 1999:97
11. 1999 Super Cyclone Orissa
1999 Super cyclone Orissa
Storm surge 26 feet carrying 20km inland
17,110km2 of crops destroyed
275,000 homes destroyed leaving 1.67 million
people homeless (another 19.5 million affected)
9,803 deaths
406,000 livestock perished
$4.5 billion worth of damages
12. SUCCESS
FACTORS
1. Knowledge of pre-cyclone
society
2. Food For Work (FFW)
3. Benefits and encouragement for
vulnerable
4. Community mobilisation
5. Community institutions
13. SUSTAINABILITY
“Sustainability, in a broad sense, is the
capacity to endure. For humans it is the
potential for long-term maintenance of
wellbeing, which in turn depends on the
wellbeing of the natural world and the
responsible use of natural resources.”
WIKIPEDIA
14. A Basic Overview of Ethiopia
Ethiopia is a complex emergency
Lack of infrastructure and education
HIV/AIDS, population growth and violence all
complicate the problems created by the drought
The drought and aid dependency undermines livelihoods
Dry land consists of 66.6% of the country’s total
landmass
Knowledge of dry land biodiversity is limited
Indigenous practices are either unknown or
undocumented
15. HARO MICHAEL KEBELE ADMINISTRATION
Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief
Jemo Berdade is a
farming town 4hrs from
Addis Ababa
128 families in the
community
Farmers have to contend
with dry land
Limited resources
Few sources
of support
CPAR’s Moving Beyond
Hunger (MBH) Program
intervened
Provided technical and
material support
Assisting in improved
cultivation practices
Farmers now have enough
food to eat during the year
Surplus to sell hence
earning income
Introduction of irrigation
16. SUSTAINABLE OPTIONS
Ideas to Avoid Dependency
Bring in development agencies
Encourage relief community to help themselves
Discover skills of those affected
Include reputable job agencies or unions
Ownership of projects by the relief community
Organising and mobilising communities to work on their own
self-sustaining projects
Communities can council and support themselves
Teach agricultural, farming and planting
17. THANK YOU
Be conscious about the existing community when trying to
assist and do development with the relief community.
