Profile CARE disaster
activities and programs
By Marty Thomas
CARE's mission has expanded greatly
since its founding in the wake of World War II as a relief organization designed
to alleviate human suffering as an effect of poverty caused by the war.
In recent years, both the number and variety of humanitarian emergencies in
the world have increased significantly. Changes in global weather patterns
have caused unprecedented droughts in some places, heavy rains and flooding
in others. The end of the Cold War has seen both a dramatic rise in internal
conflicts and changes in the patterns of violent conflict. Coupled with
either these natural or man made disasters, human suffering as an effect of
poverty is only further aggravated. CARE’s disaster activities and programs
directly assist survivors of natural disasters and conflict through both
immediate relief and longer-term community rehabilitation, including food,
temporary shelter, clean water, sanitation services, medical care, family
planning and reproductive health services, and seeds and tools. CARE’s
Emergency and Humanitarian Assistance Unit (EHAU) helps communities create
plans to deal with emergencies and works to ensure they receive food, water,
shelter, healthcare and other emergency relief supplies when they are needed
most. CARE first works with communities to strengthen disaster preparedness.
It conducts an analysis of potential hazards and the populations that may
be vulnerable to them. Then, CARE and local residents develop preparedness
plans that identify possible scenarios and create ways to both reduce vulnerability
and strengthen the capacity of the population itself to respond to and recover
from disaster. CARE’s disaster response efforts focus on the timely
provision of support in emergency situations by deploying CARE Emergency
Response Teams (CERTs) in less than 72 hours. CARE does this
by maintaining a data base of experienced emergency professionals trained
in areas such as health services, commodity management, procurement, logistics
and operational support. These disaster response professionals are
able to be deployed in emergency situations to assist in assessments, and
the establishment and implementation of disaster relief operations.
Members of these teams are available for deployment at short notice (24-72
hours for first wave personnel, within 3 weeks notice for second wave personnel).
An example of CARE’s CERT program in action is its emergency response for
up to 25,000 displaced persons who were forced to flee relocation camps due
to the outbreak of armed conflict in Uganda. CARE focused its
response on two areas, medical services and shelter. The response strategy
was designed to rapidly scale up personnel on the ground with the expertise
required to provide medical support and temporary housing to the displaced
refugees. CARE worked with both government agencies and faith based
organizations to address the disaster.
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www.careusa.org/careswork/projects/UGA070.asp