JOA’s 2021 Humanitarian Response

01 January 2022
In total, JOA provided over £3 million worth of emergency humanitarian support across the globe in 2021, including responding to the COVID-19 pandemic which continued to significantly impact low-income countries and amplify existing needs. JOA funds contributed to the global equitable vaccine roll out schemes implemented by UNICEF and the British Red Cross.

Outside of our COVID-19 response, JOA continued its commitment to four of the world’s worst protracted crises – Syria, Yemen, Ethiopia and the Central African Republic through funding the UN’s Country Based Pooled Funds (CPBFs). For the fourth consecutive year, JOA also contributed funds to the START Fund, a rapid financing mechanism, managed by NGOs, which provides support in sudden-onset small-to-medium scale crises.

JOA provided support to multiple humanitarian emergencies in 2021:

Gaza and the West Bank

In May 2021, we contributed £100,000 and £130,000 to Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) and International Health Partners (IHP) respectively. MAP’s grant addressed Gaza’s healthcare system - already stretched by 14 years of blockade and closure and a COVID-19 surge – and enabled them to procure urgent medicines and disposables alongside ongoing support to the central blood bank to ensure humanitarian aid is delivered rapidly to those injured. Funds to IHP ensured life-saving medicines were available to meet the severe humanitarian needs facing impoverished communities in the occupied territories of Gaza and the West Bank.

Haiti

In August 2021 Haiti suffered another devastating earthquake which left 650,000 people in need of immediate support – JOA provided funding to the Red Cross to support search and rescue efforts, helping local authorities and communities to pull survivors from the rubble and proposition items including hygiene kits, jerry cans and mosquito nets.

Afghanistan

JOA was quick to respond to the Taliban’s take-over of the country. Jersey provided £100,000 to the Red Cross to aid their efforts to provide urgent health care services, water, sanitation and financial support to communities impacted by the upsurge in violence. £150,000 was awarded to UNHCR to contribute to preparations in neighbouring countries – Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – for the anticipated arrival of new refugees, in addition to addressing the immediate needs for an estimated 600,000 newly Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Afghanistan. Jersey contributed £125,000 to Street Child’s provision of protective services for 15,000 vulnerable children, especially girls, in two Afghan provinces with the most Internally Displaced Persons caused by the ongoing conflict. In December 2021 we granted a further £120,000 to both the Red Cross and UNHCR’s efforts in Afghanistan bringing Jersey’s total contribution to £615,000.

Bangladesh

£250,000 was allocated to the UNHCR’s efforts to provide essential assistance to Burmese Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar.

South Sudan

Jersey funded a two-year intervention delivered by International Health Partners to provide essential medicines to displaced and vulnerable people (£69,300).

Ethiopia

£100,000 was granted to Crown Agents to support survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and members of other vulnerable groups living in IDP camps near Tigray.