It has been a year plus since the World Health Organization declared the Corona Virus a global pandemic. Millions of people have succumbed to the disease as millions more get infected and fall sick from the virus. Millions of people have lost their jobs, governments have restricted movement, vulnerable communities have fallen prey to widespread food insecurity among many more humanitarian crises.

How have humanitarians and development workers been affected by the pandemic and how have they adjusted to offer more help to the affected communities worldwide?

We break down the emerging trends in the world of humanitarian crises after COVID 19.

A different operational reality

As more governments implemented lockdowns and restrictions of movement, humanitarians were forced to employ different approaches to how they administer their services. The International humanitarian sector has adapted to working with local humanitarian sectors to achieve their goals. More local volunteers are taking up the role of spreading awareness about the pandemic through various channels of communication.

In other areas of the world, local responders spearheaded food provisioning exercises in partnership with international organizations.

Networking and Partnerships are here to stay

Local, national and international organizations and communities had to rely on existential networks that had been built before in order to facilitate quick responses to disasters and crises. This type of partnership is a sure way of getting to the grassroots of crises besides minimizing costs.

Upskilling of Humanitarians and Development Workers

With the onset of a ravaging pandemic, humanitarians and development workers ought to increase their expertise and experience through training and learning based on current events.

This is especially necessary for local responders who are on the ground offering direct services to vulnerable communities.

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Funding to enable local humanitarian action

It is evident that local humanitarian responders played and will keep playing a pivotal role in administering humanitarian action at the grassroots. Mechanism to expand local humanitarian action through funding is necessary for future emergency planning.

Some of the key ways local responders and organizations raised funds during the pandemic include:

• community involvement in raising funds,
• boosts from international organizations,
• private and government donations

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