Patricia Bittner, Pan American Health Organization

Donations Control: Mastering the Chaos

 

  1. Introduction

    In-kind donations in the wake of a disaster can be a mixed blessing. They are crucial to helping a country or a community get back on its feet. But if they are not attuned to the real needs of the victims, they can overwhelm disaster managers, contribute to chaos, and lead to a secondary disaster. How do we convince a well-meaning public, barraged by media images of disaster victims with health and shelter needs, that not all donations "are created equal?"
  2. Learning Objectives
  1. Discuss some of the more tenacious myths concerning disasters that lead to an overwhelming response of in-kind donations.
  2. Consider what donations are and are not appropriate, and why
  3. What steps can be taken to stem the flow of inappropriate donations?
  4. Learn about the SUMA system, a tool for transparency and accountability in the management of disaster relief supplies.
  5. Share effective donations control measures with colleagues
  1. Key Points

a. Setting the stage: a look at the flood of international assistance that has hit disaster-stricken countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Video presentation.

  1. Myths and realities concerning disasters
    1. The affected community is too overwhelmed to take responsibility for or participate in their own recovery.
    2. Everything is needed, and it’s needed now.
    3. Foreign medical volunteers with any kind of medical background are needed.
    4. Epidemics and plagues are inevitable after every disaster.
    5. Things are back to normal within a few weeks.
  1. What is needed and what is not?
    1. Used clothing, shoes, household goods, etc.
    2. Household foods
    3. Household medicines or prescriptions
    4. Blood and blood derivatives
    5. Medical or paramedical personnel or teams
    6. Field hospitals, modular medical units
    7. Cash
  1. What can be done to stem the flow of inappropriate donations?
    1. Start before the disaster occurs
    2. Adhere to a common message about effective donations
    3. Give people alternatives
    4. Cultivate the media
    5. Work with groups present in the disaster-affected area prior to the disaster.
    6. Pressure national and international groups to organize a campaign
  1. SUMA: the Humanitarian Supply Management System
    1. SUMA is about information, one of the scarcest commodities in any disaster situation.
    2. What SUMA does: identifies and prioritizes supplies; provides a snapshot of donations; maintains inventory control; keeps everyone informed.
    3. SUMA is not just a supply management software, it is a management system: training program, staff, manuals and documentation, software, logistics.
    4. SUMA works as well in natural disasters as in complex or manmade disasters. Has been used in the US and abroad.
    5. Beyond emergency situations, SUMA can be used for day-to-day supply management.
  1. Lessons Learned
  1. Most of the persistent myths surrounding disasters are simply not true. Experience has demonstrated that the reality is quite different.
  2. Cash is the most effective donation following any disaster. Unfortunately, it is difficult to convince donors of this.
  3. The time to start thinking about disaster donations is before the disaster occurs. Systems should be in place to control the inevitable influx of donations. Public education campaigns can help stem this unnecessary flow.
  4. SUMA provides a powerful tool for transparency and accountability in the management of humanitarian supplies.

V. References