Emergency & Disaster Relief Fund

One of MADRE's strengths is our ability to meet the urgent needs of women and families as we work towards a long-term vision of social justice. To enhance our capacity to respond to crises, MADRE launched an Emergency and Disaster Relief Fund. The Fund enables us to act immediately and effectively when disasters strike, bringing urgently needed resources directly to the women and families most in need.

Women are often hardest hit when disaster strikes because they are over-represented among the poor and often have no safety net. Women are also primarily responsible for those made most vulnerable by disaster—children, the elderly, and people who are ill or disabled. That's why it's crucial that women not only receive aid, but that women at the community level are integral to designing and carrying out relief efforts. The experiences of relief agencies show that when emergency aid is distributed by community women, it has the best chance of reaching those most in need.

Profiles of MADRE's Emergency & Disaster Relief Initiatives

	Gaza: After the Airstrikes Just days after the Israeli airstrikes against Gaza began, MADRE was working to facilitate an emergency response to the rising crisis. Relying on our partnership with the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, MADRE was able to channel life-saving support into areas in Gaza where it was most needed. Continue Reading »
	Haiti: After Hurricane Ike After a series of storms devastated Haiti and Cuba in August and September of 2008, MADRE sent emergency aid to our partner organizations in both countries. The storms wreaked havoc, causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage and a humanitarian crisis in Haiti especially, as crops were wiped out by widespread flooding. Continue Reading »
	Burma: After Cyclone Nargis On May 2, 2008, Cyclone Nargis made landfall in Burma and caused an estimated 146,000 fatalities and over $10 billion in damages. MADRE supporters responded and MADRE was able to reach out to women and families impacted by the storm through a network of partner organizations who work in Burma. Continue Reading »
	Nicaragua: After Hurricane Felix During the Hurricane Season of 2007, Level 5 Hurricane Felix killed hundreds of people, destroyed homes and caused extensive forest loss. MADRE immediately began working with our partner organizations in Nicaragua to provide emergency relief for the families in the areas hardest hit by the storm. Continue Reading »

A Small Organization with a Big Impact

While international relief agencies have a critical role to play when disaster strikes, large-scale relief operations are not always best suited to meet the needs of those most impacted by disaster. MADRE believes that women who are affected by disaster have a clear understanding of what kind of support they need, but they usually lack the resources to meet those needs.

That's why MADRE supports and strengthens community women's efforts in times of crisis. By partnering directly with local women's organizations, MADRE is able to mobilize resources quickly and efficiently and carry out relief efforts in ways that are responsive to the priorities and perspectives of local communities.

For example, in 1998, Hurricane Mitch devastated Nicaragua's North Atlantic Coast. Decades of government neglect pushed some Indigenous communities off the map of relief operations. Responders didn't know where these villages were, much less how to reach them in flood conditions. But MADRE delivered aid directly to women in the region. They knew where every family lived, which households had new babies or disabled elders, and how to reach remote communities by canoe.

Rather than replicating the work of existing organizations, MADRE's relief and reconstruction programs leave resources and training in the hands of community women who become equipped to rebuild their lives and communities on a stronger foundation.

More Information & Resources

• Prioritizing Women's Human Rights in Times of Disaster: Problems & Solutions
• From Disaster to Development: Community Women's Leadership in Times of Crisis
• After Disaster Relief: 10 Pointers for Charitable Giving that Sustains Social Change
• What Do Women's Human Rights have to do with Global Warming?