“Here at Disaster Aid we know that without financial support from many sources we would only be able to contemplate what might be possible in bringing relief to disaster survivors.”
No two disasters are ever the same. We need to be both flexible in our responses and appreciative of what the generosity of our supporters allows us to do. This video tries to put that into perspective.
We hope you will consider us worthy of your support in future, and if you already are a supporter then, “Thank you.”
Robert Strachan
Chairman
Welcome to Disaster Aid UK & Ireland…
Disaster Aid UK & Ireland is one of the founding partners of Disaster Aid International (DAI). DAI is an international organisation, involving Rotary Clubs around the world, with the mission to:
- Respond to disasters with the supply of humanitarian aid to the affected communities and/or individuals.
- Work in partnership on humanitarian projects funded by other organisations including Rotary clubs and Rotary districts.
In contrast to many other disaster-response groups, our aim is also to provide an infrastructure that allows affected communities to regain their normal lives.
Disaster Aid UK & Ireland is a project of the Rotary Club of Denton & Audenshaw, supported and endorsed by many clubs in Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland (RotaryGBI) and adopted by the Rotary Clubs of: Altrincham; Nantwich; New Mills, Marple & District; Newton-le-Willows; Poynton & District; St Helens and Wolverhampton St. Georges.
Disaster Aid International
The Disaster Aid International country partners are UK & Ireland, Australia, USA, Malaysia, Brazil, Uruguay, and New Zealand. They work together within Disaster Aid International to provide aid to communities affected by disasters around the world;
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- Continually review the type of aid (see Product Range) we can provide so that it is appropriate for both immediate needs and the future demands for rebuilding stable communities;
- Raise funds to respond to disasters;
- Identify countries for deployment (see Deployments and Fund Raising Campaigns);
- Coordinate aid distribution with other agencies, authorities and the United Nations Cluster System;
- Provide training for local partners and communities in the use of aid;
- Follow up on communities to which we have provided aid in the past.
Deployments
In the event of a deployment, Disaster Aid International will send out fully trained Disaster Aid Response Team volunteers (DARTS) to the affected country in order to:
- Conduct an assessment of the disaster and local needs;
- Coordinate with relevant governments, aid agencies and the affected communities to ensure that aid is deployed where most effective;
- Manage the effective distribution of equipment, tents etc. to the sites of deployment;
- Train members of the local community so that they can be involved in the distribution and deployment of the equipment, tents etc.;
- Work to ensure that deployments are designed to support longer term sustainability;
- Monitor and evaluate our deployments to ensure that both the products we are deploying as well as the means of distribution are relevant, effective and reach out to the most vulnerable.
Would you like to become a DART Volunteer? Find out how
How Disaster Aid UK & Ireland works
The origins of Disaster Aid UK & Ireland goes back to the 1970s when it started as The Rotary Emergency Box Trust which then subsequently became part of Disaster Aid International in 2010. It is based within the Rotary Club of Denton and Audenshaw. The Trustees, most of whom come from several different Rotary clubs, meet every month. In-keeping with a tradition of volunteer involvement and empowerment within the organisation, a general meeting is also held every other month to include the other volunteers involved in organisation activities.
We are a voluntary organisation which depends on the professional skills of our members. We are conscious that our donors expect the funds that we raise to go where it is most needed. We are therefore proud that are overheads are kept to a minimum