The Asia-Pacific region continues to be the world’s most disaster-prone region and is the most affected by natural disasters. The poorest countries and communities within the region are highly susceptible to the damages caused by these disasters. In 2018 alone, 25 million people were affected by natural disasters in the Asia-Pacific region, costing USD 15 billion in total damages.
By 2050, disasters are forecasted to affect an average of 350 million people each year, cause billions of dollars in damage and climate change, and increase the internal displacement figures to 14 million people. It is therefore of paramount importance that humanitarian organisations are prepared and ready to respond. In the financial year 2018, World Vision responded to 66 disaster responses in Asia Pacific, including the Indonesia Central Sulawesi tsunami and earthquake, the India Kerala floods, the Myanmar-Bangladesh refugee crisis, Lao flash floods, Philippines Typhoon Mangkhut, China Sichuan earthquake and Papua New Guinea highlands earthquake.
As trends indicate that more frequent global natural disasters will continue, child-focused organisations like World Vision need to be equipped to provide humanitarian assistance quickly and more efficiently, improving the lives of children and their families and building their resilience to cope with natural or manmade disasters.
Keeping pace with the fast-changing nature of humanitarian assistance, World Vision is working on expanding its Cash and Voucher Programming (CVP) approach in context-appropriate environments. For CVP to become a pivotal response approach to meet the shifting needs of millions facing conflicts, disasters and displacement, World Vision has invested in the Asia Cash Preparedness Learning Lab (ACPLL) initiative.
As a global Christian humanitarian organisation partnering with children, families and their communities, World Vision International is committed to responding to the needs of the most vulnerable by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice so that they reach their full potential.
Even when disasters strike, whether natural or manmade, we take action by responding to the pressing and ever-changing needs of the affected people, especially children, and provide contextually appropriate life-saving assistance. From relief to recovery, rehabilitation to transition, our aim is to help children and their families rebuild their lives and build their resilience to cope with future disasters.
At the World Economic Forum in January 2018, World Vision International leadership reiterated the importance of Cash and Voucher Programmes (CVP) in the future of humanitarian work, further solidifying World Vision’s commitment at the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit to deliver 50 per cent of its humanitarian assistance through a multi-sectoral and multi-purpose cash-first approach by the year 2020. To deliver on this commitment, World Vision has invested in setting up systems and processes like innovative digital payment, identification systems and shared value partnerships. World Vision is also building the capacity of staff to implement efficient humanitarian cash and voucher programmes, tracking the delivery of assistance from donor to beneficiary.
World Vision believes that wherever contextually appropriate, cash-based programmes should be the norm, not an exception and is working towards building on national and regional safety nets that can strengthen social protection systems.