DART: THE ESSENTIAL FIRST STEP IN DISASTER-RELIEF
JULY 18, 2023
WHEN DISASTER STRIKES
We live in a world in which disasters are inevitable, and – accelerated by the climate crisis – many disasters are increasing in frequency and intensity. While we cannot eliminate them, we can provide essential relief and support the recovery of those impacted.
Through our nearly 20 years of providing community-inspired, volunteer-powered disaster relief, All Hands and Hearts (AHAH) prides itself on its ability to monitor, assess and respond to disaster activity worldwide.
When disaster strikes, all teams step into action. We monitor the situation and strive to provide support where needed while ensuring safety risks are considered. It is a collaborative effort to ensure everything behind the scenes is prepared for our Global Response team to have the greatest impact. Our team conducts a remote assessment to identify the needs of impacted communities and the local capacity to meet these needs, paying close attention to historically underserved populations. The assessment also identifies potential funding opportunities to ensure we have the resources to conduct relief work if the need on the ground is high. The safety and wellbeing of our staff and volunteers are of utmost importance to AHAH, and a thorough risk assessment is conducted at this phase before any decisions are made to enter a disaster-impacted zone.
Once the remote assessment has concluded that our volunteer mobilization model will add critical capacity to local efforts, and the risk assessment determines there will be no threats to the safety of staff or volunteers, our Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) is deployed.
WHAT IS DART?
DART stands for Disaster Assistance Response Team and is All Hands and Heart’s first boots on the ground after disaster strikes.
DART is responsible for assessing the need and organizational capacity to develop AHAH’s community-inspired, volunteer-powered response programs in disaster-affected areas. The team investigates all the relevant information regarding the country, its regulations and the disaster’s impact on a community to evaluate the feasibility of opening a response program.
A crucial element of DART is establishing relationships with the local leaders, government and residents and other potential partners to enable a collaborative, community-inspired approach.
The deepest impact occurs when the specific needs, challenges, perspectives and traditions of those impacted are woven into the solution.
We believe strongly in community-led initiatives, and DART is the vital first step in pushing this belief forward.
DART’s objective is to find suitable locations and project(s) for AHAH to launch new programs — disaster-related and adequate to the volunteer model. In addition, DART is often responsible for setting up initial aspects of the program that will be operated by a new group of staff members.
WHO IS ON DART?
DART is generally formed by six members; the Global Response Manager and DART Specialist from the Operations department, previous or current AHAH staff or alumni volunteers and one local guide. An individual from the impacted area or someone deeply familiar with the region is as mandatory as it is vital in order for DART to connect with the impacted communities and local stakeholders effectively, especially if a translator is needed.
Based on need, each team can consist of staff or volunteer members to provide the following:
- Technical Support – Provides technical engineering, architectural or specific construction knowledge and expertise. This individual may, for example, assess risk when entering damaged structures or provide expert chainsaw advice. This individual is also important for assessing potential scopes of work.
- Partnerships Support – Point of contact for coordination and communication with external stakeholders, the internal Development team and securing a local partner when a program is approved.
- Medical Support – A medically trained individual with emergency or pre-hospital care experience. This individual is required based on the outcomes of a risk assessment completed before deployment if the medical training held by the Global Response Manager or DART Specialist is considered insufficient.
- Logistics Support – Point of contact with the internal logistics team for all essential materials and supplies on a deployment, which is typically limited and constantly changing.
Want to stay up to date with All Hands and Hearts’ disaster response efforts?
If you have any questions, please reach out to our team by emailing [email protected].
