Act2Aid, EU Aid Volunteers East Africa

Intro
Problem
Approach & Objectives
Testimonials
Impact
News
Donors and partners

The EU Aid Volunteers initiative, is an initiative to promote cooperation among European citizens, working together with communities in countries experiencing humanitarian crises or post-crises. The initiative brings volunteers and organisations together from different countries, providing practical support to humanitarian aid projects and contributing to strengthening local capacity and resilience of disaster-affected communities.

Countries

Uganda, Ethiopia and Kenya

Start project

December 2019

Donor

European Union

Challenge

Humanitarian disasters have dramatically increased the pressure on humanitarian organisations and there is a need for a greater number of qualified people. However, it is not always easy to enter the humanitarian field. EU Aid Volunteers give European citizens a chance to show their solidarity by collaborating in humanitarian projects worldwide. In many cases, this is the first opportunity for participants to be part of the humanitarian community. EU Aid Volunteers also allows organisations to cover their specific staff needs.

The EU Aid Volunteers initiative,is funded by the European Commission’s department for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) and managed by the EU Executive Agency for Education, Audiovisual and Culture (EACEA).

Objectives

The main purpose of the project is to contribute to a more effective humanitarian response, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and resilience in 3 countries (Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia) through strengthening local NGOs and programmes of ICCO and FCA.

In the coming months, we will deploy 26 European volunteers to Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia. The volunteers will be deployed to our regional and country offices and to our local partners in Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia. Many deployments will be a continuation of the previous deployment program and further develop the positive results reached. The volunteers will actively link and learn to enhance the impact of their deployment. The Wageningen University (Disaster, Conflict and Society department) will be part of the program as a technical partner to systematically foster that learning. Another technical partner is Church of Sweden.

Results

The direct target group of the project are our local NGOs and stakeholders, with special emphasis on the hosting organisations. The volunteers will support local NGOs and stakeholders in strengthening their capacity related to humanitarian aid, DRR and Resilience. Besides, the 26 deployed volunteers will also see their professional skills significantly improved. 350.000 European citizens will have greater awareness of the EU Aid Volunteering initiative and its results. The project has been extended by 12 months due to the delays caused by Covid-19. Therefore, the project duration is from December 2019 until December 2022.

Highlights

Volunteers
                      26
                    
Countries
                      3
                    
People trained by EUAV Volunteers 
                      xx

Who are our volunteers?

Amadeusz Marzec - Uganda

Senior EU Aid Volunteer in Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency based in Kampala

“On behalf of ICCO Cooperation I will be assisting Church of Uganda in enhancing their capabilities in disaster risk reduction and management.
Among many challenges Uganda has to tackle in order to provide their citizens with sustainable livelihoods are consequences of climate change. Food insecurity due to extreme weather events, increased frequency and intensity of natural disasters including droughts, floods and landslides in recent years are only a few to name.

My main goal for the deployment is to increase awareness and resilience of local communities to climate change and natural disasters. I believe that as the result of cooperation between ICCO and Church of Uganda we can implement long lasting solutions for the vulnerable communities across the country.”

Dominik - Uganda

Senior EU Aid Volunteer Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency in Kampala

“My name is Dominik. I am a social scientist by training and a humanitarian aid worker by choice. I have been a researcher for many years and conducted ethnographic fieldwork in the Balkans and the Middle East. Since 2016 I have been coordinating development and humanitarian projects in Tanzania and Zambia.

I am currently based in Kampala as a Senior EU Aid Volunteer Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency. Due to climate change East Africa in general and Uganda in particular are experiencing an increased number of natural disasters, such as droughts, floods and landslides, which are a serious threat to the livelihood and wellbeing of local communities. Throughout this deployment I will support the Church of Uganda in the development of its Disaster Risk Reduction program. I will do my best to raise local capacity and to improve the resilience of the most vulnerable communities”.