Humanitarian Aid
HEKS gives humanitarian aid following natural disasters, and during or after armed conflicts, with a view to achieving an immediate and sustained improvement in the lives and circumstances of the people affected. HEKS empowers people who are at an economic and social disadvantage and people who are suffering political oppression, helping them to help themselves and working with them, wherever possible, to devise workable solutions. This sustainable project work, based on a partnership approach, strengthens the self-determination and dignity of the people.
The groups primarily targeted by HEKS are the poorer members of the population in rural regions. They often suffer the greatest damage in catastrophes, yet are often overlooked by international aid initiatives.
In the countries focused on by HEKS, humanitarian aid is teamed with disaster risk management in four areas:
- Emergency aid (e.g. distribution of relief supplies, provision of emergency accommodation)
- Reconstruction (e.g. dwellings and community infrastructures)
- Rehabilitation (income generation projects)
- Prevention of disasters and conflicts (e.g. civil engineering and agronomic projects, preventing or defusing conflicts). The mode of intervention is always guided by the specific needs of the population in any given case and is based on the skills of the local partner organisation.
In selected countries which are not the primary focus, HEKS concentrates its intervention on emergency aid, reconstruction and rehabilitation. HEKS has, however, built up a pool of delegates to ensure that, in case of need, it has rapid access to skilled professionals.
In adopting humanitarian aid as its clear priority, HEKS ensures that it has the necessary expertise and the required experience to guarantee the quality of its project work even in a complicated situation or a chaotic crisis surrounded by a media frenzy.
HEKS is a member of ACT (Action by Churches Together), the global alliance of Protestant and Orthodox churches and related aid organisations under the umbrella of the World Council of Churches. HEKS is also an accredited partner organisation of Swiss Solidarity.
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