ACT Global Alliance
Act for Peace is a member of the global ACT (Action by Churches Together) alliance. ACT is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies in over 150 countries worldwide.
ACT was established on August 25, 1995 and came into being as a result of the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 when churches and their related agencies around the world responded to the disaster.
ACT members’ strong local roots enable the alliance to provide locally based knowledge, analysis and understanding of emergencies and disasters. ACT recognises that, in addition to identifying vulnerabilities and providing for people’s immediate needs when crises occur, a vital component of its response is recognising the valuable gifts communities in crisis contribute: coping mechanisms and strategies for survival, skills and strengths, wisdom and knowledge and resilience and courage. Strengthening local capacity lies at the heart of our responses to emergencies.
ACT offers assistance to people caught in natural and environmental disasters, as well as in emergencies caused by war and civil conflict. Striving to reach people in need across front lines, national borders and other ethnic, political or religious divides, ACT provides assistance irrespective of race, gender, belief, nationality, ethnic origin or political persuasion.
ACT Case Study: 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami
Overall, the huge achievements accomplished in response to the tsunami demonstrates the commitment of the ACT alliance, and that of the very communities affected by the disaster, to reclaim hope and overcome overwhelming odds. The unprecedented appeal raised US $102.3 million for programmes in India, Indonesia, Somalia and Sri Lanka.
India
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Close to 300,000 people supported with crisis assistance |
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4,595 permanent houses constructed |
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90,261 cases of free outpatient treatment |
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27,730 people provided with free health care through outreach health camps |
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More than 10,000 families assisted with livelihood recovery
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Indonesia
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Close to 164,704 people supported with crisis assistance |
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7,111 children provided with supplementary feeding and nutrition |
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7,446 patients served through mobile and fixed clinics |
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1,466 permanent houses constructed |
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More than 12,000 families assisted with livelihood recovery |
Sri Lanka
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10,720 households provided with life support |
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1,576 children provided with supplementary feeding and nutrition |
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More than 10,250 families assisted with livelihood recovery |
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948 permanent houses constructed |
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2,706 persons received primary health care |
Somalia
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Close to 44,000 people provided with access to clean and safe water |
Most of the ACT members, including Act for Peace are continuing to assist many of the same communities through the longer term process of rehabilitation and reconstruction. This includes strengthening the resilience of these communities for the future by increasing their preparedness and reducing the risk of disasters. In addition, the continuing work of ACT members is addressing the inequities in the humanitarian assistance delivered by focusing on the needs of marginalised people, such as the Dalits in India.
Evaluations of the appeal programmes have brought out many useful lessons to guide future responses. For example, findings underlined the importance of faith in the affected communities' healing process, and that ACT members were able to incorporate the psychosocial needs of multi-faith communities in the support provided. Many people interviewed emphasised the dramatic impact of permanent housing assistance on their recovery. In addition, greater emphasis should be given to the needs of the elderly in the future, as a particularly vulnerable group with fewer means of longer term recovery.
