Cholera Epidemy, DRC, (18-006-RO) (not activated)

Alert Type: Other Appeal

Alert Title: Cholera epidemy in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Alerting Organisation(s): Naboskab International Forening

Date Received: 24. May 2018

Decision Date: 01 June 2018

By: DERF Fund Management

Crisis location(s): Health Zone of Fizi and Nundu, Baraka, Ubwari, Lulimba and Kalundja in Territory Fizi South Kivu, affected area 40 villages in territory Fizi type: Rapid onset humanitarian crisis as per Alert Note

Decision: Not to activate the DERF to respond to the experienced cholera epidemy in Fizi, South Kivu, DRC

Reasons: (1) The submitted Alert note does not substantiate that the experienced crisis is a Rapid onset humanitarian crisis, rather it seems it might be an ongoing crisis experienced as part of the protracted crisis in the DRC and hence does not fall within the DERF mandate; and; (2) 6 Danish CSOs with no separate Danida humanitarian funding agreement are known to CISU as active in DRC in addition to the Alerting organisation. Of these, only one is known to have experience in implementing with public financing (in this case CSF funding). The criteria for activation of the DERF that there is Danish presence and capacity in the crisis locality is therefore not med.

Assessment: The Alert Note submitted does provide some information about the existence of a health crisis. The DERF is mandated to support Danish CSOs, who have no separate humanitarian partnership agreement with the Danida, together with their partner organizations provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to crisis affected populations in poor countries in specific conditions as explained below.

As per its mandate, the DERF can be activated for financing humanitarian response in the following three types of crisis (i) slow onset humanitarian crisis; (ii) rapid onset humanitarian crisis; and/or (iii) spike in a protracted humanitarian crisis. In addition hereto, the DERF must be able to finance humanitarian response by potential grant holders within three months of the beginning of the crisis. On the basis of the information provided in the Alert Note, it is assessed that the humanitarian crisis in question does not fall within either of the above 3 categories, but rather is a part of the ongoing protracted crisis experienced in the DRC, and specifically related to the non existing access to functioning health, WASH and government infrastructure. The assessment is therefore that the mentioned crisis is not eligible for DERF funding.

The DERF management suggests that ongoing protracted emergencies as these with medium to longer-term life-saving response needs require more substantial levels of funding and responses, and better links with development financing in order to build resilience. Eligible applicant organisations are hence encouraged to seek such including considering the relevance of seeking the Civil Society Fund's Fragile Context Window, which is also administered by CISU.

In addition to the overall criteria of "type of crisis", the DERF has five additional criteria that must be fulfilled; (1) critical emergency and/or protection needs exist; (2) particular vulnerable groups exist; (3) timeliness of potential DERF funded interventions; (4) existence of a funding gap in the current response; and, (5) Danish presence and capacity to respond exists. The last criteria is assessed as not fulfilled as only 1 of the known 7 organisations active in the DRC is known to have experience with implementing public funding in the DRC and hence capacity is not substantiated.