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Pequeños pasos para hacer un gran cambio en Colombia

ACTUALIZAR: La Fundación SAHED en Colombia con el Fondo de Cambio de NEAR "Reducción de las enfermedades relacionadas con el agua, saneamiento y la higiene en las familias vulnerables afectadas por el conflicto armado y la falta de acceso a la salud”.

Actualmente se encuentra realizando seguimiento de las acciones realizadas. Las imágenes reflejan el contexto que se vive en las diferentes comunidades del departamento del Chocó y Antioquía afectadas por inundaciones, flujos migratorios y conflicto armado. El desarrollo de talleres sobre higiene, brigadas de salud, suministro de filtros y kits de higiene y análisis de calidad de agua para verificar cómo ha mejorado el agua que consumen son unas de las acciones realizadas en estas semanas en los territorios en compañía de líderes, lideresas, consejos comunitarios y cabildos indígenas.

NEAR recientemente tuvo el placer de reunirse con el equipo de Fundación SAHED, miembro de NEAR y beneficiario del Fondo de Cambio en Colombia, para escuchar sobre los desafíos de su contexto, así como la contribución que pueden hacer a las comunidades más necesitadas.

JORGE CARDENAS (Director): Trabajar con el Fondo del Cambio fue una experiencia muy diferente, porque generalmente trabajamos con agencias de la ONU y ONGs como intermediarios, no como implementadores directos.

Estamos utilizando esta subvención para implementar proyectos en comunidades de dos departamentos, Antioquia y El Chocó, que están bastante aisladas y a donde las personas han sido desplazadas por las inundaciones y la violencia política. Este es un problema complejo porque es una combinación de varias décadas de conflicto interno y los resultados de repetidos desastres naturales.

En la actualidad somos los únicos que implementamos en esa área, y estamos trabajando en agua, saneamiento e higiene, educación, salud pública y apoyo social, en temas de protección y brigadas de salud. como la violencia de género y, la ayuda psicosocial.

Nuestra experiencia en el proceso de solicitud y concesión del Fondo de Cambio fue positiva porque el formato y el proceso fueron simples. A veces aplicamos a fondos de la ONU como el Fondo Central para la Acción en Casos de Emergencia (CERF), que es muy complicado y requiere mucho tiempo, los hemos aplicado dos veces y nunca hemos tenido éxito. El único desafío real que tuvimos con el Fondo de Cambio fue un retraso en la recepción de la transferencia de fondos, pero eso se debió a los retrasos causados por los sistemas bancarios en Kenia y Colombia. 

El Fondo de Cambio es claramente el proceso de financiamiento más fácil que he experimentado a lo largo de los años.

Es un buen ejemplo que necesitamos documentar, porque no solo fue un proceso de aprendizaje para nosotros, sino que también ayudó a demostrar que tenemos la gran capacidad de ejecutar este tipo de proyectos.

En realidad, escuchamos por primera vez sobre la localización de NEAR. Necesitamos construir ONG locales, por lo que proporcionar gastos generales -como lo hizo el Fondo de Cambio, pero la mayoría de los donantes no lo hacen- es un buen ejemplo de la construcción de la sostenibilidad de las organizaciones locales y nacionales.

Paola Petro (Apoyo técnico y logístico): en términos de implementación, tuvimos algunas dificultades al comenzarlas evaluaciones porque no pudimos acceder a ciertas comunidades debido a la inseguridad.  De los tres municipios que identificamos, solo uno tiene un acceso por carretera, los otros dos solo por río.   Para él mismo, en varias de las comunidades no nos permitieron tomar fotografías, debido al miedo y la inseguridad en la zona, aunque sí nos dieron la información requerida.

Yanie Díaz (Oficial de Monitoreo y Evaluación): si bien entendemos que esta es una respuesta de emergencia a corto plazo, puede llevar tiempo mostrar el impacto en las comunidades. Nos gustaría pedir a NEAR que nos apoye con un proyecto de monitoreo y evaluación a más largo plazo para que podamos medir realmente el impacto de esta respuesta.

Wladimir Mosquera (coordinador del proyecto):  actualmente estamos finalizando nuestro estudio de referencia, mientras entregamos filtros de agua, kits de higiene, apoyo psicosocial y asistencia de protección para víctimas de violencia de género. Hemos identificado una solución al problema del suministro de agua y trabajaremos para restaurar la infraestructura de agua para proporcionar agua limpia a las comunidades.

Para ser honesto, las necesidades son tan vastas y las soluciones son muy pocas. Algunos problemas son estructurales y otros son emergencias, pero parece que algunas emergencias son casi permanentes, por lo que también se convierte en un problema estructural. Este tipo de proyectos nos ayudan a impulsar resiliencia y generar desarrollo.

Yhonattan Mendez Nobles (Asesor del Proyecto):  cuando hablamos de reimaginar un nuevo sistema de ayuda para el futuro, hay algunas áreas que son absolutamente cruciales:

Necesitamos financiación de los gastos generales de funcionamiento para ayudar a mantener a las ONG locales y ayudarlas a ser autosuficientes. También necesitamos el desarrollo de capacidades, pero no solo en habilidades técnicas y administrativas, sino también en promoción. También es muy importante que las ONG locales y nacionales compartan sus metodologías y aprendan unas de otras sobre lo que funciona y lo que no. Posiblemente el cambio más importante que nos gustaría ver en el sistema de ayuda es la financiación a más largo plazo que permita que los proyectos tengan un impacto sostenido durante varios años.

"We must boost resilience and generate development."

UPDATE: The SAHED Foundation in Colombia has successfully begun implementing their WASH programme to of diseases for  vulnerable families affected by the armed conflict and lack of access to health". In the districts of Chocó and Antioquia, communities have been affected by floods, displacement and armed conflict. The project provides workshops on hygiene, deploys health brigades , provides water filters and conducts water quality analysis water. This project has been carried out with the support of company of local leaders, community councils and indigenous councils.

A child utilising a hygiene kit provided by the SAHED Foundation project

NEAR recently had the pleasure of meeting with the team from SAHED Foundation, a NEAR member and Change Fund grantee in Colombia, to hear about the complexities of their context as well as the contribution they are able to make to communities most in need.

Jorge Cardenas (Director): Working with the Change Fund was a really different experience, because we usually work with UN agencies and NGOs as intermediaries, not direct implementers.

We are using this grant to implement projects in communities of two areas, Antioquia and El Chocó, which are quite isolated and to where people have been displaced by floods and political violence. This is a complex problem because it is a combination of several decades of internal conflict and the results of repeated natural disasters.

At present we are the only ones implementing in that area, and we are working on water, sanitation and hygiene, education, public health, social support, on protection issues such as gender-based violence and psychosocial support.

Our experience of the Change Fund application and granting process was positive because the format and process was simple. Sometimes we apply to UN funds like Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which is very complicated and time consuming, we have applied to them twice and never been successful. The only real challenge we had with the Change Fund was a delay receiving the funds transfer, but that was because of delays caused by the banking systems in Kenya and Colombia.

The Change Fund is clearly the easiest funding process I have experienced over the years.

It is a good example that we need to document, because not only was it a learning process for us, but it also helped to show that we have the strong capacity to run such projects.

Actually, we first heard about localisation from NEAR. We need to build up local NGOs, so providing overhead costs - as the Change Fund did but most donors don’t - is a good example of building the sustainability of local and national organisations.

Paola Petro (Technical and logistical support): in terms of implementation, we had some difficulties beginning assessments because we could not access certain communities due to insecurity. Of the three municipalities that we identified, only one has access by road, the other two only by river.  In several of the communities they did not allow us to take photographs, due to the fear and insecurity in the area, although they did give us the required information.

Yanie Diaz (Monitoring and Evaluation officer): while we understand this is a short-term emergency response, it can take time to show impact in the communities. We would like to ask NEAR to support us with a longer-term monitoring and evaluation project so we can really measure the impact of this response.

Wladimir Mosquera (project coordinator):  we are currently finalising our baseline study, while delivering water filters, hygiene kits, psychosocial support and protection assistance for victims of gender-based violence. We have identified a solution to the water supply issue and will work to restore the water infrastructure to provide clean water to the communities.

To be honest, the needs are so vast, and the solutions are so few. Some problems are structural, and some are emergencies, but it seems some emergencies are almost permanent, so that becomes a structural issue too. These types of projects help us boost resilience and generate development.

 

Yhonattan Mendez Nobles (Project Advisor):  when we talk about reimagining a new aid system for the future, there are some areas that are absolutely crucial:

We need funding of overhead running costs to help maintain local NGOs and help them become self-sustaining. We also need capacity building, but not just on technical and administration skills but also advocacy. It is also very important for local and national NGOs to share their methodologies and learn from each other about what works and doesn’t. Possibly the most important change we would like to see in the aid system is longer term funding that allows for projects to make a sustained impact over a number of years.

A lifeline for more than 4 million Syrians in need

Watch this moving video from NEAR member Space of Peace on why renewal of the Syrian cross-border is vital for mental health, education, and protection of women and children.

The end of agriculture?

A Syrian farmer speaks about the impact on agriculture if the Syria cross-border resolution is not renewed.

Watch this powerful video from NEAR member Takaful Al Sham

“Funding is vital to shift from emergency response to early recovery”

This short story is the third of our series on the impact on local NGOs working in North-western Syria if the UNSC Cross-Border Resolution is not renewed.

“The international community cannot forget about the Syrian crisis, the need continues to be there after 10 years” says Dr. Omar Atik, Head of Programmes at Shafak.

Shafak is a member of the North West Syria NGO Forum, and is a non-profit organisation working within several sectors to provide aid. These include food security, protection, education and WASH. With 90% of the population living below the poverty line, Shafak aims to empower local communities through providing life-saving assistance, building resilience, and empowering local individuals and civil society through sustainable development. 

Operating from both Turkey and Northwestern Syria, the UN Cross Border Resolution is vital to the work of Shafak. The non-renewal of the resolution would affect all its sectors of operation, limiting the capacity of staff to provide humanitarian aid on the ground. Alternatives to the resolution, including cross-line delivery of humanitarian aid, will simply not be enough to sustain the work of Shafak, and indeed the lives of affected civilians. The uncertainty over funding, with over 35% of the organisation’s funding coming from UN agencies, is also source of concern. Reduced funding would result in staff turnover and limited capacity to help on the ground, further affecting the work of Shafak. “Funding is vital to enable the crisis to shift from emergency response to early recovery,” says Dr Atik.

He adds that this shift requires “a move away from short term programming towards a long-term approach, from individual to community level initiatives, and from short scale to large scale thinking and development.” If the resolution is not renewed, it will mean a huge step backwards for the efforts of Shafak in North Western Syria.   

“The Covid-19 pandemic has had a serious negative impact on efforts to materialise this shift, so it is of utmost importance that international donors refocus on North West Syria, scaling up and increasing their funding to build resilience at community level” explains Dr. Atik. Like many humanitarian actors working in this crisis, Dr Atik says Shafak is ready and has the capacity to be directly funded, as evidenced by the organisation receiving a direct grant from the EU to build the capacity of 20 CSOs working in the region.

“This work has already started,” says Dr Atik. “It must not be the end, but rather the beginning of greater governance and community-based action for North-Western Syria.”

IN CONVERSATION

The NGO Forum North West Syria represents a wide range of NGOs operating cross-border in Northern Syria.We spoke to their Advocacy Coordinator Mohannad Talas about the humanitarian impact if the UN cross-border resolution is not renewed

NEAR: What is the cross-border resolution?

Mohannad Talas: In 2014 the UN Security Council authorised cross-border and cross-line access for the UN and its partners to deliver humanitarian aid in Syria. This resolution has been renewed several times and will be up for discussion again next month. This time, however, there are concerns that the resolution extension could be hijacked by political interests.

NEAR: What would be the impact of a non-renewal of the resolution?

MT: The North West would experience a quick and catastrophic deterioration in the humanitarian situation, due to the high levels of aid dependency here. The current cross-border operation reaches almost 60% of the 4.1 million people in need of assistance each month.  WFP, for example, provides around 80% of the food response in North West Syria, providing 1.4 million people with food baskets each month. These supplies will run out by September 2022 if the cross-border resolution is not renewed. There are already 3.1 million people suffering food insecurity in North West Syria and the knock-on impacts would be rapidly felt in education, health, child development and increased protection risks. 

NEAR: What would this mean for locally led Syrian organisations?

MT: The resolution authorises the UN’s ability to financially support partners and programs in areas not controlled by the Government of Syria. If the resolution is not extended, the UN will not be able to bilaterally fund partners who are not registered with the Government of Syria, and the UN will have to close the Syria Cross-border Humanitarian Fund (SCHF). This will have an enormous impact on operations in the North West, particularly on local NGOs: at least 50% of local NGOs are almost completely dependent on UN funding. Currently, 65% of SCHF funding goes directly or indirectly to Syrian NGOs.

NEAR: How would this affect humanitarian assistance?

MT:  The UN has played a vital role in procuring, pre-positioning, and transporting a large volume of core relief items across virtually every sector in northwest Syria. In the case of food and shelter, the UN procures an overwhelming proportion of the total assistance delivered to people in the northwest. 

Many core items are available and procured within the region (mainly Turkey), but the UN agencies’ vital role in procurement provides stability and reliability in the humanitarian supply chain. NGOs rely heavily on the UN for its unique ability to procure pharmaceuticals and vaccines and provide key medicines that NGOs would not be able to procure bilaterally. UN agencies are also able to procure relief supplies tax-free because of their tax-exempt status. NGOs would unlikely benefit from such administrative and financial exemptions, nor would they likely benefit from the same economy of scale, so costs for supplies could increase significantly. 

In addition to UN transshipments providing goods to humanitarian actors in the northwest, the cross-border resolution has allowed UN agencies to provide critical funding to support a host of essential services provided by cross-border actors including education, psychosocial support, and health services. UN funding has also facilitated the payment of teachers, doctors, and other essential workers providing critical services in the northwest.

NEAR: How would this impact the scale of the humanitarian response?

MT: The provision of emergency assistance in northwest Syria at the current scale is only possible through the pre-positioning of vast quantities of essential food and non-food items and a coordinated effort to transportthese items from Turkey to Syria on a daily basis. 

NGOs would not be able to directly replace this assistance at the scale offered by the UN.

INGOs estimate they have capacity to scale up to meet the needs of 300,000 people, leaving roughly 1 million people without food assistance in northwest Syria after September. This may also be exacerbated by the impacts of the Ukraine crisis and global food security pipelines being put at risk.

70 hospitals, 186 repaired primary health centres, and 77 mobile clinics serve more than 4 million people in northwest Syria.19 Many of these facilities are already facing huge funding gaps. Supplies and support from UN agencies play an essential role in providing health care for local populations and IDPs 

NEAR: What alternatives are you exploring, in the case that the resolution is not renewed?

MT: Members of the NW Syrian NGO Forum worry that public exploration of alternatives, at this point, would suggest to UN Security Council members that we can resolve this easily without the renewal of the resolution. And we do not want to give that impression. We need the resolution to be renewed, if people in NW Syria are to receive the services they need and deserve. We’re asking everyone, please, keep the focus there.