Although there are no geographic constraints on Disaster Aid International’s Partners responses there are four issues that need to be considered before we can provide aid.
Within Own Country Or External
The various ‘Disaster Aid’ organisations in each country will have different rules depending on their countries legal requirements and the individual policies of their Boards.
A couple of examples:
- Disaster Aid USA provides aid to communities both inside and outside their national boundaries.
- Disaster Aid Australia (as a condition of their Australian charitable status) are are only permitted to provide aid to those countries that are approved by the Australian Minister for Foreign Aid as ‘Developing Countries’.
Local Partners Needed
To be cost effective we need at least one local partner.
As Disaster Aid is a Rotary project, a local Rotary Club can be a great partner.
In addition to Rotary Clubs other government or non government organisations that are able to serve the local community and take responsibily for local managmemt have make good partners.
An example of a great local partner is the Balay Mindanaw Peace Foundation who are partnering with Disaster Aid Australia on a number of installations in the Phillipines.
Community Involvement
The community must have decided our aid is appropriate to their needs and want to be a part of our local project.
The involvement must include:
- helping with any construction work
- For SkyHydrant installations taking on the responsibility for the ongoing operations and maintenance.
This is key to our philosophy of ‘Giving A Hand Up, Not A Handout’.
Not a War Zone
As all members of Disaster Aid providing on site disaster responses are volunteers we are not prepared to accept the risk that someone could be killed or injured by combatants during the provision of aid.
In some cases we are prepared to provide material aid to be distributed by in-country partners in a conflict zone. (An example being the installation of Disaster Aid Skyhydrants by Balay Mindaw to provide safe water for families fleeing the Marawi rebellion in the Philipines)