DRA: working for increased impact

The new DRA Impact Report provides a summary of our activities during 2017 – including details of joint humanitarian responses in 11 countries.

The Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA) was established in 2015 to improve the effectiveness of the national humanitarian effort. Increased collaboration and a strong commitment to both innovation and the priorities of the UN-endorsed Grand Bargain are at the core of all DRA activities – allowing for humanitarian responses with increased impact.

70% of the population of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions live below the poverty line. The protracted conflict has caused prices to rise and income to go down due to lower salaries, increased unemployment and suspended pensions and social benefits.

As it is the 5th year of the conflict, with not much savings left, some people try to leave the conflict affected areas in search of a new peaceful existence. Dorcas continuously tries to find these new areas where people move to and are in need of assistance.

Top marks for DRA aid effort

The new policy memorandum issued by the Department for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation – headed by Minister Sigrid Kaag – emphasises the importance of the Dutch national aid effort.

The document also highlights the significant work of the Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA) and secures the alliance’s operations for the coming years. Existing agreements on cooperation and financing with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) remain in place.

In the Horn of Africa millions of people face hunger because of the continuing drought and ongoing local conflicts. 7.8 million people in Ethiopia and 6.2 million people in Somalia are food insecure. Without intervention, those numbers are expected to increase drastically. Seven Dutch aid organizations that are part of the Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA) are taking action to help some of the most vulnerable people affected by the crisis.

INTRODUCTION