Background and COntext

Background and Context

India is among the world’s most disaster-prone countries, experiencing recurrent floods, cyclones, earthquakes, heatwaves, and complex humanitarian emergencies. These shocks disproportionately affect marginalised communities, where pre-existing vulnerabilities such as poverty, displacement, gender inequality, and fragile public services exacerbate humanitarian need.

While international assistance plays an important role, local organisations and communities are almost always the first responders. Yet they remain chronically under-resourced, under-recognised, and excluded from timely decision-making and funding. Strengthening locally led, principled, and accountable disaster response is therefore essential not only to save lives, but to support dignified recovery and long-term resilience.

India is among the world’s most disaster-prone countries, experiencing recurrent floods, cyclones, earthquakes, heatwaves, and complex humanitarian emergencies. These shocks disproportionately affect marginalised communities, where pre-existing vulnerabilities such as poverty, displacement, gender inequality, and fragile public services exacerbate humanitarian need.

While international assistance plays an important role, local organisations and communities are almost always the first responders. Yet they remain chronically under-resourced, under-recognised, and excluded from timely decision-making and funding. Strengthening locally led, principled, and accountable disaster response is therefore essential not only to save lives, but to support dignified recovery and long-term resilience.

India is among the world’s most disaster-prone countries, experiencing recurrent floods, cyclones, earthquakes, heatwaves, and complex humanitarian emergencies. These shocks disproportionately affect marginalised communities, where pre-existing vulnerabilities such as poverty, displacement, gender inequality, and fragile public services exacerbate humanitarian need.

While international assistance plays an important role, local organisations and communities are almost always the first responders. Yet they remain chronically under-resourced, under-recognised, and excluded from timely decision-making and funding. Strengthening locally led, principled, and accountable disaster response is therefore essential not only to save lives, but to support dignified recovery and long-term resilience.

HAI's Disaster Response Strategy

HAI's Disaster Response Strategy

Humanitarian Aid International (HAI) works to ensure that disaster response is timely, locally led, and centred on the rights and dignity of affected people. Our approach recognises that effective humanitarian action must be rooted in community knowledge, trusted local institutions, and ethical practice.

HAI’s disaster response strategy focuses on:

  • Supporting frontline responders through rapid, flexible funding and technical accompaniment.

  • Strengthening local leadership by enabling community-based and national organisations to design and lead response efforts.

  • Promoting accountability and duty of care, ensuring responders are protected and affected communities have voice and agency.

  • Bridging humanitarian response and recovery, linking immediate relief with longer-term resilience and inclusion.

Through partnerships, pooled funding, and advocacy, HAI works to rebalance power in humanitarian response—placing those closest to crises at the centre of solutions.

Humanitarian Aid International (HAI) works to ensure that disaster response is timely, locally led, and centred on the rights and dignity of affected people. Our approach recognises that effective humanitarian action must be rooted in community knowledge, trusted local institutions, and ethical practice.

HAI’s disaster response strategy focuses on:

  • Supporting frontline responders through rapid, flexible funding and technical accompaniment.

  • Strengthening local leadership by enabling community-based and national organisations to design and lead response efforts.

  • Promoting accountability and duty of care, ensuring responders are protected and affected communities have voice and agency.

  • Bridging humanitarian response and recovery, linking immediate relief with longer-term resilience and inclusion.

Through partnerships, pooled funding, and advocacy, HAI works to rebalance power in humanitarian response—placing those closest to crises at the centre of solutions.

Humanitarian Aid International (HAI) works to ensure that disaster response is timely, locally led, and centred on the rights and dignity of affected people. Our approach recognises that effective humanitarian action must be rooted in community knowledge, trusted local institutions, and ethical practice.

HAI’s disaster response strategy focuses on:

  • Supporting frontline responders through rapid, flexible funding and technical accompaniment.

  • Strengthening local leadership by enabling community-based and national organisations to design and lead response efforts.

  • Promoting accountability and duty of care, ensuring responders are protected and affected communities have voice and agency.

  • Bridging humanitarian response and recovery, linking immediate relief with longer-term resilience and inclusion.

Through partnerships, pooled funding, and advocacy, HAI works to rebalance power in humanitarian response—placing those closest to crises at the centre of solutions.

DISASTER RESPONSES Over the years | DISASTER RESPONSES Over the years | DISASTER RESPONSES Over the years
DISASTER RESPONSES Over the years | DISASTER RESPONSES Over the years | DISASTER RESPONSES Over the years
DISASTER RESPONSES Over the years | DISASTER RESPONSES Over the years | DISASTER RESPONSES Over the years
DISASTER RESPONSES Over the years | DISASTER RESPONSES Over the years | DISASTER RESPONSES Over the years
DISASTER RESPONSES Over the years
DISASTER RESPONSES Over the years
DISASTER RESPONSES Over the years | DISASTER RESPONSES Over the years | DISASTER RESPONSES Over the years
DISASTER RESPONSES Over the years | DISASTER RESPONSES Over the years | DISASTER RESPONSES Over the years
DISASTER RESPONSES Over the years | DISASTER RESPONSES Over the years | DISASTER RESPONSES Over the years
DISASTER RESPONSES Over the years | DISASTER RESPONSES Over the years | DISASTER RESPONSES Over the years

How a Disaster Response Pooled Fund Helps

How a Disaster Response Pooled Fund Helps

A Disaster Response Pooled Fund enables fast, flexible, and coordinated humanitarian action when crises strike. Unlike traditional project-based funding, pooled funds can be deployed quickly, responding to real-time needs identified by local actors.

By contributing to HAI's Disaster Response Pooled Fund:

  • Resources reach the frontlines faster, reducing delays during the critical early days of a crisis.

  • Local organisations gain access to predictable funding, allowing them to plan, scale, and sustain response efforts.

  • Decision-making is shared, ensuring funding priorities reflect community realities rather than external assumptions.

  • Donor impact is multiplied, as risks, learning, and outcomes are collectively shared.

HAI’s pooled fund model strengthens local humanitarian ecosystems, supports ethical response practices, and ensures that disaster-affected communities receive assistance that is timely, appropriate, and dignified.

A Disaster Response Pooled Fund enables fast, flexible, and coordinated humanitarian action when crises strike. Unlike traditional project-based funding, pooled funds can be deployed quickly, responding to real-time needs identified by local actors.

By contributing to HAI's Disaster Response Pooled Fund:

  • Resources reach the frontlines faster, reducing delays during the critical early days of a crisis.

  • Local organisations gain access to predictable funding, allowing them to plan, scale, and sustain response efforts.

  • Decision-making is shared, ensuring funding priorities reflect community realities rather than external assumptions.

  • Donor impact is multiplied, as risks, learning, and outcomes are collectively shared.

HAI’s pooled fund model strengthens local humanitarian ecosystems, supports ethical response practices, and ensures that disaster-affected communities receive assistance that is timely, appropriate, and dignified.

A Disaster Response Pooled Fund enables fast, flexible, and coordinated humanitarian action when crises strike. Unlike traditional project-based funding, pooled funds can be deployed quickly, responding to real-time needs identified by local actors.

By contributing to Disaster Response Pooled Fund:

  • Resources reach the frontlines faster, reducing delays during the critical early days of a crisis.

  • Local organisations gain access to predictable funding, allowing them to plan, scale, and sustain response efforts.

  • Decision-making is shared, ensuring funding priorities reflect community realities rather than external assumptions.

  • Donor impact is multiplied, as risks, learning, and outcomes are collectively shared.

HAI’s pooled fund model strengthens local humanitarian ecosystems, supports ethical response practices, and ensures that disaster-affected communities receive assistance that is timely, appropriate, and dignified.

Contribute to the Disaster Response Pooled Fund

LET’S MAKE DISASTERS LESS DISRUPTIVE #ResponseToResilience

Last year alone, 2,936 lives were lost, 3,63,381 homes destroyed, and 61,826 cattle perished due to hydro-meteorological disasters in India. Now, imagine that each of those homes sheltered an average of four people. That means over 1.4 million lives were shattered overnight. Contribute today and save lives!

View Details

Donate

Contribute to the Disaster Response Pooled Fund

LET’S MAKE DISASTERS LESS DISRUPTIVE #ResponseToResilience

Last year alone, 2,936 lives were lost, 3,63,381 homes destroyed, and 61,826 cattle perished due to hydro-meteorological disasters in India. Now, imagine that each of those homes sheltered an average of four people. That means over 1.4 million lives were shattered overnight. Contribute today and save lives!

View Details

Donate

Contribute to the Disaster Response Pooled Fund

LET’S MAKE DISASTERS LESS DISRUPTIVE #ResponseToResilience

Last year alone, 2,936 lives were lost, 3,63,381 homes destroyed, and 61,826 cattle perished due to hydro-meteorological disasters in India. Now, imagine that each of those homes sheltered an average of four people. That means over 1.4 million lives were shattered overnight. Contribute today and save lives!

View Details

Donate

Contribute to the Disaster Response Pooled Fund

LET’S MAKE DISASTERS LESS DISRUPTIVE #ResponseToResilience

Last year alone, 2,936 lives were lost, 3,63,381 homes destroyed, and 61,826 cattle perished due to hydro-meteorological disasters in India. Now, imagine that each of those homes sheltered an average of four people. That means over 1.4 million lives were shattered overnight. Contribute today and save lives!

View Details

Donate

Contribute to the Disaster Response Pooled Fund

LET’S MAKE DISASTERS LESS DISRUPTIVE #ResponseToResilience

Last year alone, 2,936 lives were lost, 3,63,381 homes destroyed, and 61,826 cattle perished due to hydro-meteorological disasters in India. Now, imagine that each of those homes sheltered an average of four people. That means over 1.4 million lives were shattered overnight. Contribute today and save lives!

View Details

Donate