How does The United Church decide which partners and projects to support? What criteria for selection does it use?
In the case of a disaster, our first contact is with our partners in the area. They tell us whether they have the capacity or need to be involved in the response. Their assessment of the situation and how their skills and strengths are appropriate is what they use as the basis of a proposal. We would not wish partners to feel pressured to do relief work or reconstruction. Partners themselves decide how far they might expand their workload, but we support the use of their strengths and skills in disaster recovery projects. This support may range from providing relief packages to training on disaster management or supporting an advocacy campaign for proper compensation. Our partners already work with the most marginalized and discriminated against, and it is to these groups that their response is targeted.
