Addressing Humanitarian Public Health Challenges through collaborative research and innovation - A case study

Jess Camburn, ELRHA Director

17th September 2015 Dealing with Disasters: Health Centred Disaster Risk Reduction: A New Agenda for a New Era.

ELRHAs ultimate beneficiaries –– are crisis affected communities, and particularly affected vulnerable groups, in least-developed and middle income countries.

In this sense, the impact which ELRHA as a whole strives to achieve is improved effectiveness of humanitarian action.

Despite this, ELRHA is not a ‘frontline’ agency and is not operational in the field. Additionally, we do not fund traditional humanitarian response or direct assistance in crises. Instead, to reach beneficiaries, ELRHA seeks to impact humanitarian policy, processes and practices by providing better evidence of ‘what works’ and influencing behaviour and structures within the humanitarian system.

Our approach to impact

Where and how can we impact the system?

Humanitarian system

Local NGOs/CBOs

UN Agencies

INGOS

National and regional

Government

Donors

Two different Programme approachesResearch for Health in Humanitarian Crises - A collaborative applied

research fund- Funded by DFID & Wellcome

Trust

The Humanitarian Innovation Fund (HIF)- A multi-donor innovation

programme

Aim is to improve health outcomes by strengthening the evidence base for public health interventions in humanitarian crises

Encourages world class research through fostering collaboration between operational humanitarian agencies and research institutions.

Systematic review: identifying the evidence underpinning current practiceFunding types• ‘Core’ grants: Research projects of up to 2 years in context of ongoing humanitarian

crisis• ‘Rapid response’ grants: Pre-approved research in acute phase of future rapid-onset

crisis, to be triggered when crisis occurs (with some up-front ‘start-up’ funding).• ‘Emergency’ research grants: Launched in response to exceptional large-scale public

health emergency, e.g. Ebola outbreak 2014-2015.

Enhancing Community Resilience in the Acute Aftermath of Disaster: Evaluation of a Disaster Mental Health Intervention

Humanitarian system

US University

Affected people Nepal

Affected people

HaitiLocal NGO Haiti

Local NGONepal

R2HC Influencing the system

Humanitarian system

US University

Affected people Nepal

Affected people

HaitiLocal NGO Haiti

Local NGONepal

R2HC Influencing the system

National & regional

governments

The HIF aims to support the emergence of a humanitarian system that is capable of innovating and adapting to meet the needs of today and tomorrow.

Developed a range of innovation grants and innovation management approaches suitable for humanitarian contexts

WASH thematic working stream (£4million)• Gap analysis identifying needs and space for innovation• Selection of key challenges• Brokering of new R&D teams- bringing together new actors

Project example: Integrating social enterprise into emergency faecal sludge management

Partners: GOAL, Sanergy, Kakuma Refugee Camp

Influencing the system

Humanitarian system

GOAL

Sanergy Nairobi

Kakuma Refugge

Camp

Influencing the system

Humanitarian system

WASH Cluster GOAL

Sanergy Nairobi

UNHCR Kakuma Refugge

Camp

Influencing the system- secondary impacts

Humanitarian system

• R2HC Ebola response

• WHS innovation stream

• Research Councils engaging with collaborative research

Influencing the system- secondary impacts

Humanitarian system

• R2HC Ebola response

• WHS innovation stream

• SPHERE standards

• Research Councils engaging with collaborative research

Transferrable lessons for health centered DRR

To influence and achieve impact in a complex and global system you don’t always have to work with the established actors.

Different skill-sets and different perspectives can bring identify incremental improvements and occasionally transformative solutions

However, such and approach needs ‘enablers’ that are able to connect the dots and build new relationships both within and without the system. It also requires a funding environment that values collaboration and partnership.