1. PRESENTED BY GROUP D: Patrick, Iain, Paul, Albert and Carrene
How to avoid
RELIEF PHASE DEPENDENCY
And encourage
SUSTAINABLLE DEVELOPMENT

2. “A PERSON IS AID DEPENDENT WHEN
THEY CANNOT MEET IMMEDIATE BASIC
NEEDS IN THE ABSENCE OF RELIEF
ASSISTANCE”
Definition of Relief-Aid Dependency
Dependency and Humanitarian Relief, A Critical Analysis
– Paul Harvey and Jeremy Lind

3. Dependency According to Group D
It is possible that relief interventions can
undermine ongoing developmental programs. Once
people have become accustomed to receiving relief
aid, the fear is that they will be less willing to help
themselves and become dependent on hand-outs.
We have broken down short-term and medium to
long-term areas of relief that are at risk for relief
communities to become dependent on.

4. SHORT TERM
First Response
MEDIUM / LONG TERM
Secondary Phase
Food
Water
Shelter
Medical treatment
Sanitation
Protection
Relocation
Access to water
Education
Day care centres
Legal status
Livelihood (Jobs)
Sanitation
Access to services
Community counselling
RISK AREAS FOR DEPENDENCY

5. SUGGESTIONS
HOW TO AVOID
RELIEF DEPENDENCY
 In a situation with stable government a
management structure such as IMS should
be introduced immediately
 From the start the controller needs to be clear
on the objectives of the relief
 And if you not clear of the objectives – be clear
that you are not clear!!
 State targeted time frame
 Be clear on exit strategy as soon as possible
 The plan should be implemented
 Communication not only within agencies
but crucially with relief communities
 Self-responsibility of the relief community:
they should be engaged to help themselves

6. SUGGESTIONS
HOW TO AVOID
RELIEF DEPENDENCY
 Accountability in what needs to be achieved
 “Free” should be avoided where possible
 Beware of media that can create wrong
expectations, which can create dependency
 Link not only with relief agencies, but also
development agencies
 Look at long term sustainable options such
as Play-Pumps
 Set up community counselling based on
cultural beliefs - not dependent on the
organisations to council
 Discover skills of those affected – used in
assistance and migrate to sustainable
development

7. "THE DESERT IS EXPANDING, AND STEADY DELIVERIES OF"THE DESERT IS EXPANDING, AND STEADY DELIVERIES OF
FOOD AID TO THE BARREN REGION HAVE DRAMATICALLYFOOD AID TO THE BARREN REGION HAVE DRAMATICALLY
EXACERBATED ITS PROBLEMS INSTEAD OF ALLEVIATINGEXACERBATED ITS PROBLEMS INSTEAD OF ALLEVIATING
THEM. IN THE PAST, PEOPLE SLAUGHTERED THEIRTHEM. IN THE PAST, PEOPLE SLAUGHTERED THEIR
ANIMALS FOR FOOD DURING DIFFICULT TIMES, BUT EVERANIMALS FOR FOOD DURING DIFFICULT TIMES, BUT EVER
SINCE THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAM BEGAN FEEDING US,SINCE THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAM BEGAN FEEDING US,
HARDLY ANYONE DOES THIS ANYMORE. EVERYONE JUSTHARDLY ANYONE DOES THIS ANYMORE. EVERYONE JUST
WAITS FOR THE NEXT DELIVERY."WAITS FOR THE NEXT DELIVERY."
Dependency Highlighted
Kenya’s former
Health Commissioner
Musa Okola

8. A LONG LIST
OF EXAMPLES
The 1980 famine in Karamoja (Uganda) was,
in terms of mortality rates, one of the worst
in history. 21% of the population died,
including 60% of the infants. Approximately
82% of the Karamoja population lives in
poverty (defined as less than US$1/day)
• People hang around waiting for food aid
• Loss of traditional strategies of survival
• Demoralisation and disempowerment of the
people
• Strife between communities who receive and
those that don’t
• Perpetual squatting
• Politicians use aid for personal gain

9. Http://siteresources.worldbank.
org/DATASTATISTICS/Resourc
es/table6_11.pdf
AID DEPENDENCY RATIOS

10. SELF RELIANCE
“It is important to involve the refugees in the
provision of assistance and allow the
community to share the responsibility of
caring for itself and its vulnerable members.
This minimises dependency and encourages
self reliance.”
UNHCR 1999:97

11. 1999 Super Cyclone Orissa
1999 Super cyclone Orissa
Storm surge 26 feet carrying 20km inland
17,110km2 of crops destroyed
275,000 homes destroyed leaving 1.67 million
people homeless (another 19.5 million affected)
9,803 deaths
406,000 livestock perished
$4.5 billion worth of damages

12. SUCCESS
FACTORS
1. Knowledge of pre-cyclone
society
2. Food For Work (FFW)
3. Benefits and encouragement for
vulnerable
4. Community mobilisation
5. Community institutions

13. SUSTAINABILITY
“Sustainability, in a broad sense, is the
capacity to endure. For humans it is the
potential for long-term maintenance of
wellbeing, which in turn depends on the
wellbeing of the natural world and the
responsible use of natural resources.”
WIKIPEDIA

14. A Basic Overview of Ethiopia
Ethiopia is a complex emergency
Lack of infrastructure and education
HIV/AIDS, population growth and violence all
complicate the problems created by the drought
The drought and aid dependency undermines livelihoods
Dry land consists of 66.6% of the country’s total
landmass
Knowledge of dry land biodiversity is limited
Indigenous practices are either unknown or
undocumented

15. HARO MICHAEL KEBELE ADMINISTRATION
Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief
Jemo Berdade is a
farming town 4hrs from
Addis Ababa
128 families in the
community
Farmers have to contend
with dry land
Limited resources
 Few sources
of support
CPAR’s Moving Beyond
Hunger (MBH) Program
intervened
Provided technical and
material support
Assisting in improved
cultivation practices
Farmers now have enough
food to eat during the year
Surplus to sell hence
earning income
Introduction of irrigation

16. SUSTAINABLE OPTIONS
Ideas to Avoid Dependency
Bring in development agencies
Encourage relief community to help themselves
Discover skills of those affected
Include reputable job agencies or unions
Ownership of projects by the relief community
Organising and mobilising communities to work on their own
self-sustaining projects
Communities can council and support themselves
Teach agricultural, farming and planting

17. THANK YOU
Be conscious about the existing community when trying to
assist and do development with the relief community.