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HAD Becomes Member of the H2H Network

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June 24, 2020
HAD Becomes Member of the H2H Network

Here at HAD, we are delighted to share that we are now a member of the H2H Network and have been granted funding for a Covid-19 response capacity building project.

The H2H Network, which stands for ‘humanitarian-to-humanitarian’ network, consists of approximately 50 organisations that provide high-quality and integrated services to support other humanitarian responders. Network members address cross-cutting issues to help the overall response be more effective, of higher quality, and more efficient. Services on offer include data gathering, analysis and information management, community engagement, standard setting, capacity building, programmes and learning as well as security, logistics and stand by capacities. The H2H Fund is a network service that supports members to quickly provide their services in specific emergencies.

The H2H Network is supported by UK aid from the UK government and provides its members with tools, support and funding, through the H2H Fund, to help them quickly activate in an emergency.

H2H Network Supports Global Response to Covid-19

The H2H Network reactivated its fund for member agencies to deliver a deep and broad package of services in support of the humanitarian sector, globally and locally. The reactivation follows an initial round of funding in February 2020 when the H2H Network supported a package of humanitarian services aiming to counter misinformation with facts in relevant languages and accessible formats, focusing on countries with less resilient healthcare systems.

“There are many unknowns around the Covid-19 pandemic, but we can say for sure that it is likely to have a disproportionate impact on countries already dealing with issues such as climate change, conflict, inequality, and weak governance. Fast funding and early action from technical agencies supporting the broader humanitarian system can help ensure that the ongoing global health crisis doesn’t turn into a full-blown humanitarian crisis for many of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable.” – Rebecca Petras, H2H Network’s Director (interim)

The activation of the fund is intended to limit the global, regional, and local impacts of Covid-19 with a range of cross-cutting services to support communities and humanitarians faced with compounded emergencies. It fills gaps left when programmes from international NGOs were reduced because of the pandemic, and it provides new approaches to support vulnerable populations while also maintaining strict Covid-19 guidelines. Support is available at no cost to humanitarians and spans expertise in communications and community engagement, data and information, logistics and security, and quality and standards. Services include the following:

  • Support to the health sector to quickly disseminate epidemiologically accurate messaging.
  • Expertise in information and data analysis, assessment, visualization, and management.
  • Help for agencies building up monitoring and evaluation expertise.
  • New remote techniques for collecting feedback and needs from vulnerable populations while maintaining distance.
  • Capacity building and knowledge-sharing support, with an emphasis on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), mental health, and psychosocial programming.

One of the funded member agencies is MapAction. Ian Davis, Fundraising and Marketing Director, said “MapAction is excited to be a part of the H2H Covid-19 Support Package. We often coordinate and collaborate with H2H partners, as we provide expert humanitarian geospatial and visualization capacity. As a part of this package, we anticipate supporting more of them than ever, as we all bring our specialist skills and capabilities to bear against the effects of this pandemic.”

The H2H Network developed the scope of the activation in consultation with experts based in international agencies leading the response, including the World Health Organization (WHO), international Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Capacity Building in the Covid-19 context

HAD have been granted a DFID funded project through our membership with the H2H Network to remotely build the capacity of 30 NGOs across Iraq, Syria and Yemen to adapt to a Covid-19 context.

The project will benefit local NGOs who need to urgently adjust to Covid-19 to continue their regular programmes and to become Covid-19 responders.

“The H2H network is an empowering hub providing services and products to humanitarian organisations to ensure better response during times of crises. HAD believes strongly in greater collaboration and coordination within the sector and for this reason we are excited to be a part of, and to work with this exciting network of organisations.” – Tom Goodwin, Programmes and Grants Officer

We’re very excited to be a member of the H2H Network and look forward to what we can accomplish with their support.

Remember to sign up to our mailing list and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram to keep up-to-date with the latest HAD news.

Written by Romey Watters

Digital Marketing Officer

Islamic Relief UK Launches Emergency Coronavirus Appeal and Gives £500,000 To Support the Country’s Most Vulnerable People

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March 24, 2020
Islamic Relief UK Launches Emergency Coronavirus Appeal and Gives £500,000 To Support the Country’s Most Vulnerable People

HADs partner Islamic Relief UK has launched an emergency appeal to support the country’s most vulnerable people during the coronavirus outbreak through local charity partners. It is also immediately making £500,000 available to support these organisations.

The first partner charity that will benefit from the appeal is Sufra, a foodbank and community hub in the London borough of Brent and an existing local partner for Islamic Relief UK.

Islamic Relief UK is in discussion with a range of other partner organisations across the country. The aid charity is carrying out critical needs assessments, ensuring that the most vulnerable people remain its priority.

Islamic Relief UK is also supporting the Muslim Council of Britain’s recommendation to follow government advice on social distancing – which includes avoiding going to the mosque to prevent the spread of the virus.

Tufail Hussain, Director of Islamic Relief UK, said:

“As a faith-inspired development and humanitarian agency, Islamic Relief works to transform and save the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in over 40 countries. We also support vulnerable people here in the UK.

“The COVID19 outbreak is a global pandemic and this country is at high risk. Latest figures show 167 people have now died from the virus in the UK alone. More than 3,200 people have now tested positive for the coronavirus, but without access to tests for most people, the government has said that as many as 55,000 people could be infected.*

“As well as directly impacting people’s health, this outbreak is set to cause an economic fallout that this country hasn’t seen in decades, and it is the poorest and most vulnerable in our communities who will bear the brunt of it.

“As humanitarians inspired by our faith we are determined to help out. We are carrying out needs assessments and scoping out local partners in the UK to support. I am delighted that we are supporting Sufra, the food bank and community hub in Brent, Northwest London which provides meals to more than 100,000 families in need every year.

“May God protect all from this virus, may He bless those that are ill with a speedy and full recovery and may He protect those that are suffering hardship as a result of this pandemic, Ameen.”

Rajesh Makwana, Director of Sufra, said:

“The families we help can’t afford to hoard food; they’re knocking on our door in search of basic supplies. But this is just the tip of the iceberg – the UK is on the brink of a major recession, which means fewer donations alongside an acute rise in demand for emergency food aid.

“This is a toxic environment for an independent food bank like Sufra but we are extremely grateful for funding support from Islamic Relief UK. As an organisation working on the frontline, we are determined to continue supporting the most vulnerable for the duration of this crisis – we will do whatever it takes.”

Notes to editors

You can donate to Islamic Relief UK’s coronavirus appeal here.

Food Parcel contents and costs

£10 = 1 Person emergency food parcel contains: Rice cereal, tinned beans, lentils, long-life milk, pasta, tinned fruit, tinned vegetables, tinned fish, toiletries

£25 = 2 Person food parcel which contains: Bag of fresh fruits and vegetables, rice cereal, tinned beans, lentils, long-life milk, pasta, tinned fruit, toiletries

£50 = Family of four food parcel and contains: Bag of fresh fruits and vegetables, rice cereal, tinned beans, tinned vegetables, tinned fish, lentils, long-life milk, pasta, tinned fruit, toiletries, nappies, baby milk (if required)

About Islamic Relief

Islamic Relief is a faith-inspired, development and humanitarian agency working to transform and save the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in over 40 countries. Islamic Relief assists people according to need and does not discriminate in any way.

Set up in Birmingham in 1984 by a group of volunteers, we have assisted over 117 million people all over the world. We’re saving lives and empowering people to lift themselves out of poverty in over 40 countries – from Bangladesh to Bosnia, Pakistan to Palestine, Kenya to Kosovo. Islamic Relief is on the ground in some of the world’s most dangerous and difficult places – including Syria and Yemen – strengthening the most marginalised communities to withstand conflict and natural disasters and to build a brighter future. We also support vulnerable people in the UK in partnership with local charities and organisations.

What it means to be a Muslim Charitable Organisation – A reflection on the first Best Practice Forum January 2020

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January 22, 2020
What it means to be a Muslim Charitable Organisation – A reflection on the first Best Practice Forum January 2020
Thought leadership and capacity-building require spaces to nurture, consider, develop and spread new ideas and approaches. With that need of the sector in mind, the Humanitarian Academy for Development (HAD) hosted a conference bringing together academics, practitioners, donors and thought leaders within the Muslim charities sector on Wednesday 15 January. The conference was organised by the Muslims in Britain Research Network (MBRN), in collaboration with the Muslim Charities Forum (MCF) and HAD.

Thoughtful and innovative presentations

Attendees were part of thoughtful and innovative discussions and presentations which covered diverse topics. These included for example presentations on case studies from Muslim charities such as the work by Muslim Charity in protecting street children through an informal education centre in Bangladesh or the work of Islamic Help in building ‘eco villages’. A representative of Muslim Hands presented about the support his organisation provides to MotherKind Community health workers in Afghanistan, and a member of Muslim Aid spoke about serving the survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire in London. Presentations also covered more conceptual topics such as faith and ethics in global health, modest fashion in UK Muslim charities, sustainability, the tension between globalisation and localisation, and the importance of programmes for the work of charities.

Common trends, challenges and themes

The conference brought together actors from the same sector, with a diversity of organisations, roles, priority areas and projects represented at the event. Despite the diverse challenges and initiatives highlighted during the event, there were common themes that reflect a number of general trends across the sector for Muslim and other charities.

Localisation in a globalised world

One key trend that was recurring throughout the day (and which is currently a hot topic for the sector) is localisation. This was discussed in the context of globalisation, where international NGOs and charities are required to balance a global perspective with local needs and contexts. But beyond that, the issue of how INGOs work within their own countries and communities was also raised. Conference attendees discussed whether INGOs should be involved more within their local communities or mostly focus on beneficiaries from the global South.

Decolonisation of the sector

A further trend that came up repeatedly during the day was the issue of decolonisation of the sector and what one presenter termed the “humanitarian invasion”. This highlights a challenge for NGOs which are based in the global North but work in the global South. Conference attendees discussed how there can be a risk for such NGOs to adopt ‘colonial’ tendencies related to homogenisation, superiority of knowledge, lack of awareness of the role of local knowledge and context. This is obviously closely linked to issues of localisation and the #shiftingthepower campaign.

Accountability, transparency and governance

Moreover, there was a clear call for greater accountability, transparency and better governance within Muslim charities which are often perceived to be currently lacking. This was highlighted by a presentation on the development of the Muslim charities sector in Britain, which suggested that not enough charities are transparent in their financial reporting and that the sector could have greater impact by working in a more coordinated way. According to the presenter, Muslim charities in Britain raised approximately £450million in 2017; and the question is whether a shift towards greater transparency and accountability could improve the impact of this vast resource?

The importance of programmes

The importance of programmes for the charities sector was highlighted by presenters and participants. There was an emphasis on the potential for programmes to provide a number of opportunities for Muslim charities to increase their impact. Research is able to provide visibility about good practice initiatives, not only changing popular perceptions about the work that Muslim charities do but also as a fundraising tool for the charities themselves. Research within the sector can highlight trends, challenges and opportunities that can be used by charities to examine their own work and collectively find more innovative solutions to global and local problems. Research is also a key tool in challenging systemic issues rather than adopting a reactive approach to humanitarian and development work. The aim is to ensure that future platforms such as this event continue to bring together academics, programmesers, practitioners, donors and charities so that learning will be fostered across the sector.

Way forward

MBRF chairperson, Prof Alison Scott-Baumann, made a call to participants to challenge the corridors of power in an effort to ensure systemic change. She suggested key avenues for this include lobbying and advocacy by charities. Charities are in a unique position with vast knowledge about specific issues and events taking place across the globe. One of the challenges they face is transferring that on-the-ground knowledge to decision makers and policy makers. This could be done through lobbying MPs, providing evidence to parliamentary committees, high visibility advocacy campaigns and communicating better through the mainstream media to ensure support from citizens and politicians. Those present also highlighted the importance of religion and culture in the work that they do and in particular the importance of encouraging Muslim charities to promote their connection with faith as a force for positive change.

This event was a clear example of the positive impact across the globe of the work of Muslim charities and a first step in bringing together stakeholders who can make a difference, improve the sector and enhance humanitarian and development work across the global in thoughtful and innovative ways.

Written by Dr. Vanessa Malila

Research and Development Officer

HAD 2019: A Year in Review


December 19, 2019
HAD 2019: A Year in Review

2019 has been an incredible year for HAD. Our mission is to enhance the knowledge and skills of the humanitarian and international development sector through capacity building, applied programmes and leadership development and we believe we have definitely achieved this year.

Here are some of the highlights:

  • 1000+ aid & development professionals trained
  • 26 training courses delivered
  • 5 of our interns have secured employment
  • 21 graduates recruited on our graduate scheme
  • 10 global interns deployed to the MENA region
  • 9 new partnerships formed with universities or INGOs
  • 85 subject matter experts mobilised through our Train the Trainer course
  • Launched Mental Health First-Aid training
  • Launched Proposal & Report writing and Logical Framework Analysis training course

The achievements of 2019 have us all looking forward to an exciting and prosperous 2020.

To learn more about our achievements this year and see #HADInAction, read of our annual report:

Impact Analysis of HAD’s Capacity Building for Local NGOs Responding to the Syrian Crisis 2018

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October 23, 2019
Impact Analysis of HAD’s Capacity Building for Local NGOs Responding to the Syrian Crisis 2018

In order to allow local on-the-ground humanitarians to respond effectively to the Syrian Crisis, HAD implemented a capacity building project for Local NGOs. The aim of this project was to empower and strengthen the local NGOs responding to the Syrian crisis in Turkey and Jordan in order to maximise their effectiveness and efficiency in responding to the growing needs resulting from the on-going conflict in Syria”. The project ran across three countries- Turkey, Iraq and Lebanon, and lasted a duration of 12 months.

The programme consisted of 380 humanitarian professionals of senior, middle-management and programme levels and covered 15 different training courses delivered in English and Arabic :

  • Strategic Planning
  • Strategic Management
  • Management Development Programme (MDP)
  • Fundraising
  • Results-based Management (RBM)
  • Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS)
  • Design and Writing Proposals for Development Projects
  • Gender-based Violence (GBV) Prevention
  • PMD Pro
  • Humanitarian Human Resources
  • EFQM
  • Finance for Non-finance Managers
  • Governance
  • Peacebuilding in Conflict

HAD values the importance of capacity building and understands that in order to build the capacity of its trainees, they must be trained in a variety of areas in order to be equipped with the right tools to tackle humanitarian and development issues.

To learn more about this project read our case study here

Post-training HAD held an impact assessment study of the training evaluating the satisfaction, learning, application and impact of the training on its participants.

Some of the questions we sought to answer were:

1) Were the trainees satisfied with the quality of their training?

2) Did trainees learn, or acquire, the knowledge, skills, or attitudes the training was intended to convey?

3) If they learned, did the trainees apply their new knowledge, skills or attitudes?

4) What changes are recommended in trainee selection, training content, duration and delivery, and supporting inputs, including technical assistance provided by trainers in conjunction with training?

Here are some of the highlights:

The quantitative sample of the participants totally confirmed by 100% that the training they participated in was appropriate to their needs and the nature of their roles in their organisations.

97% of the participants confirmed that the training enhanced their skills.

85% of the participants believe that the training has already led to many positive differences and changes in their personal lives.

71% of the participants in the workshops stated that they have already noticed an improvement in the performance of their institutions as a result of participating in the training.

46% confirmed that the training has already provide more spaces for youth and women participation.

89% of the participants that the team of the work has become a strategic thinking and has the ability to guide the institution to achieve the goals differently.

80% of the participants stated that the Association has become using new tools and practical techniques in dealing with the challenges and problems effectively and confirmed that

The participants see that the managers of their institutions and individuals who participated in the workshops have already developed their performance by 80% in terms of efficiency.

Written by Hannan Almasyabi

Marketing Support Officer

HAD Joins NGOs Empowerment for Poverty Reduction Program


October 11, 2019
HAD Joins NGOs Empowerment for Poverty Reduction Program

HAD has partnered with IsDB, UNDP, Save The Children, SPARK, ISFD, and many other international partners in a 21 million USD program for NGOs Empowerment for Poverty Reduction.

The program

The program launched on 27th September 2019, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. It aims to build the capacity of NGOs to enable them to better tackle poverty in the least developed countries, especially in Islamic Development Bank member countries. These countries face multiple socio-economic hardships such as poverty, violent conflicts, and natural disasters. As a result, the NGOs Empowerment for Poverty Reduction Program was developed as a way to consolidate and coordinate the efforts of development actors, namely governments, NGOs, civil society, and donors.

At the project preparatory meeting that took place earlier in September, Mr. Khemais El Gazzah, Senior Advisor to ISFD Director General stated:

“Tackling poverty is one of the core mandates of the IsDB Group, yet it is not a one man-job and cannot be undertaken single handedly. That is why we and our development partners, are turning to empowering Non-Governmental Organisations.”

The objective

The overall objective of the project is defined as:

Empower NGOs to improve the socio-economic well-being of the hard-to-reach communities through refugees education, job creation, building resilience and community livelihoods development.

This will be achieved by providing training and e-learning modules on topics such as Organisational Accountability, Leadership and Management, Strategic Planning, Financial Management and Participatory Planning and Implementation to NGOs with access to these communities.

How will it work?

The system that brings the whole project together is an aggregation platform called TADAMON. TADAMON serves as a resource, data base and network to connect NGOs across the globe. It facilitates the sharing of knowledge, experience & best practices, crowd funding campaigns, and hosts information about projects and success stories.

The program will be rolled out in the 57 Islamic Development Bank member countries over the next five years.

Check back for more updates or subscribe to our mailing list

PVE, Development and Gender Workshop

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October 1, 2019
PVE, Development and Gender Workshop

HAD held a workshop on Preventing Violent Extremism, Development and Gender at the Annual Conference of the Conflict Research Society. The workshop took place at the University of Sussex in September. It was part of the Research and Development (R&D) department’s strategy to build strong partnerships with academics and practitioners in the sector.

The workshop was co-convened by the Head of R&D, Dr Jennifer Philippa Eggert, Professor Juanita Elias (Professor in International Political Economy) and Dr Nicola Pratt (Reader of International Politics of the Middle East) from the University of Warwick.

The event focused on bridging the gap between academia and practice and explored opportunities for collaborative programmes on gender-focused PVE and development work. Academics and practitioners from Australia, Germany, Kenya, Somalia and the UK participated in two group sessions on the PVE-development nexus and the PVE-gender nexus. The workshop provided a platform to critically explore whether Preventing Violent Extremism, development and gender frameworks are reconcilable, and if a gendered analysis can improve implementation and outcomes Discussions were specifically focused on the effect which the increasing introduction of PVE frameworks into development work has – and how development actors should respond to this trend.

Related articles:

PVE and Gender: A Case for Gender-Sensitive Counter-Extremism Approaches

Why work on Preventing Violent Extremism?

A New Internship Cohort: September

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September 16, 2019
A New Internship Cohort: September

This month marks the beginning of a new internship cohort in which the interns will be working within various departments at HAD, Islamic Relief Worldwide and Islamic Relief UK for the next three months.

This cohort consisted of 13 interns working in various departments including: Learning and Development, Research and Development, Marketing and Communications, Internal Programmes Department (IPD), Global Advocacy, International Finance Department and more.

We’re very excited to have such enthusiastic and skilled interns to be working alongside us at HAD and Islamic Relief. The programme is very much a give and take relationship and so we take great pride in the level of engagement our interns are exposed to during the three months of their internship. This engagement provides a level of development in our interns that in turn provides them with the experience needed to break into the industry as juniors in their roles.

The internship also provides a taster of what it is like both to work in a humanitarian and development sector, but also in their respective departments.

To learn more about our internship scheme click here:https://had-int.org/talent-development/

The Role of Faith in Psychosocial Response

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July 24, 2019
The Role of Faith in Psychosocial Response

Religion and belief can act as powerful coping mechanism for individuals dealing with traumatic experiences.

Despite this fact, the role of faith in psychosocial response to trauma often tends to be overlooked by practitioners working with survivors of trauma, R&D and IPD are addressing this significant gap by working on a one-year programmes project on ‘Developing a Faith Sensitive Psycho-Social Response to Trauma amongst Muslim Women’ (co-led by R&D and the International Programmes Division at IRW). Funding for the project has been approved by IR Canada.

HAD Postgraduate Fellows Sandra Iman Pertek and Kathleen Rutledge started their fieldwork in Tunisia, Turkey and Iraq, where they interviewed Muslim women who have experienced trauma following violent conflict and forced migration. Meanwhile, HAD’s Head of Research, Dr Jennifer Philippa Eggert, has just come back from Gaziantep, at the Syrian-Turkish border, where she delivered programmes training to our Syrian partner organisation Syria Bright Future (SBF). The training was aimed at preparing SBF for the upcoming field programmes phase of our programmes project on gender, faith and trauma in Syria.

The project involves data collection on the ground, in the form of interviews and surveys. Dr Eggert, the Head of R&D, will be the academic lead on the project. She will train the Syrian data collectors, and advise on the data collection and analysis in Syria, in close cooperation with SBF. The project is expected to help inform guidelines for practitioners on how to integrate a faith perspective into psychosocial response to trauma.

Read our project update

Related articles:

Field notes from Turkey: Women, faith and trauma amidst horrors of war and hardships in refuge

The Values Underpinning the Muslim Charity Sector

Keeping Faith in 2030; Sustainable Development Goals

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May 10, 2019
Keeping Faith in 2030; Sustainable Development Goals

‘Keeping Faith in 2030’: R&D concludes major international programmes project on religion and the SDGs in India, Ethiopia and the UK

Earlier this year marked the conclusion of a major R&D-co-led programmes project on religions and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ‘Keeping Faith in 2030’.

Understanding religious dynamics and the role of faith communities and actors is crucial for sustainable development and although it had previously been predicted that religion would become outdated and eventually obsolete, faith communities, actors and assets continue to occupy a critical space within development.

The programmes project aimed to enhance international and cross-sectional exchange about the role of religions in defining, implementing, and safeguarding sustainable development, as codified in the SDGs. It consisted of programmes partners and non-academic institutions in Ethiopia, India, and the UK, and thus created a space for academics and practitioners to collaborate on the role of religions and faith-based actors in development.

The programmes project was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council in the UK, and run by SOAS and University of Leeds in partnership with R&D. The project included data collection on the topic and four international workshops in the UK, India and Ethiopia attended by academics and practitioners. The fourth and final event took place on 12-13 February 2019 at SOAS in London and was attended by academics and practitioners from the UK and abroad.

Following the event, the final project report with findings and policy/practice recommendations was launched at the All Party Parliamentary Group for Faith and Society in the Houses of Parliament, Westminster on 13 February 2019. More information, including the final report and other relevant resources, can be accessed on the project website.

Download the final report here

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