Humanitarian Emergency Fund: annual report 2024-2025

Section C. Thematic Highlights

Localisation and Shifting Power South

Christian Aid – Southern Africa Food Crisis

Christian Aid demonstrated shifting power to the global South and supporting existing structures and the wider localisation agenda in numerous ways as part of their Southern Africa food response in Zimbabwe. Local partnerships were established, primarily with the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, where a memorandum of understanding was agreed, that outlined the roles of stakeholders, empowering local leadership and communities. The programme was designed with assistance and input from the affected community, starting with a rapid needs assessment. The community, along with local groups and stakeholders, were able to input and ensure that the design of the programme reflected their needs and priorities at that time.

Female empowerment was a key focus of Christian Aid’s approach throughout the response, namely through ensuring that resources and decision-making power was directed to women in the community. This supported them to prioritise their needs and upheld a wider commitment to address gender inequality. Capacity strengthening was carried out that involved training of Gender and Accountability Focal Persons; individuals in the community who were equipped with the tools necessary to identify and address long-standing gender and safeguarding issues within the community, and direct women and girls to the appropriate resources and referral mechanisms, lasting long beyond the closure of the project.

Gender-based Approaches

Oxfam – Kenya Floods

As highlighted in the Kenya Floods section, Oxfam prioritised cash support alongside GBV awareness raising and psychosocial support for their response in the affected community. Integrating a gender-based approach to the programme was imperative, due to the impact of the flooding creating a higher protection risk for women and girls through loss of homes and livelihoods and challenges in accessing appropriate healthcare services, including mental health support. Oxfam and their local partner were able to reach 150 survivors of GBV with essential services and support.

Maryann Wanjiru, from Oxfam’s partner, WFK, said: “The counselling services were able to help these individuals to come to terms with what has happened, but also to be able to forge a clear way forward to restore themselves, restore their dignity, restore their business.

The medical services also came in handy, with the surge of cases of sexual and gender-based violence, but also looking at some of the physical injuries that people sustained while trying to rescue others and household items.”

Mirabel Otieno^[6] was also displaced by the floods and the mother of three’s husband is missing. She said: “We were sleeping, and we heard people screaming. We went outside to check what was happening and we saw our neighbour’s house being carried by the floods. I ran back to the house to rescue my kids because they were sleeping. I lost everything and I was left alone to fend for my kids. I went to someone’s house, and he allowed us to stay for only one night. During the night, he tried to take advantage of me, and I refused, and I told him I just gave birth through C-Section. But he didn’t listen to me, he went ahead and took advantage of me. I was going through a lot, and I tried committing suicide. I started going for counselling for one hour, once per week. I don’t know where I would be if it wasn’t for the therapy. I want to improve my life and get a home of my own where my kids will be proud to bring their friends.”

This testimony and the integrated programme that Oxfam adopted highlights the importance of ensuring gender-based approaches and services are incorporated into all humanitarian response, as often women and girls are the most impacted. A gender-centred approach must be prioritised to ensure that interventions are effective and equitable, and through this, humanitarian actors can uphold the rights, safety, and dignity of women and girls, strengthening more inclusive communities in the long-term.