Humanitarian Aid International

Humanitarian Aid International (HAI), headquartered in New Delhi, India established in 2016, is pioneering a unique transformative approach within the global humanitarian sector. HAI aims to leverage the connection and presence of grassroot organisations and bring them together under one umbrella to address humanitarian crisis. We work for the endowment of an equitable humanitarian sector rooted in local and traditional capacity strengthening. Our mission is to provide transformative humanitarian aid and development support, empowering local communities by promoting localised solutions, strengthening capacities, and advocating for the dignity of life and the rights of the most vulnerable. By utilising innovative and context-driven models, we address structural inequities, decolonise aid frameworks, and support local actors to foster resilience, equity, and sustainable growth in society. We envision a world where every individual has access to the resources and opportunities necessary for a dignified and prosperous life. HAI aspires to eradicate poverty, hunger, and conflict by embracing indigenous value systems and leveraging Global-South cooperation. Through collaboration with local actors and integration of their wisdom into international frameworks, we aim to build resilient communities and break the cycle of social isolation, restoring hope for a more equitable and sustainable future.

Our key programs include Relief and Resilience Action Program where we bring the communities to lead their own recovery through Survivor and community led response(SCLR) approach and strengthen them through capacity building and livelihood building before and after disaster. Secondly, Building climate resilience in ecosensitive zones where we lead the disaster preparedness in the sundarbans and communities with in to prosper through sustainable practices and thirdly, Refugee program where we support refugee community of minorities through education and health support.

Through our flagship initiative, the Local Organisations’ Coalition for Advancing Localisation (LOCAL), HAI is trying to resolve deeply embedded structural inequities and operational inefficiencies with local organisations by centring local actors in disaster response, risk reduction, and sustainable development. This initiative is underpinned by a commitment to the principles of localization, equity, and resilience, reflecting a broader paradigm shift towards a more inclusive and contextually relevant humanitarian ecosystem. Through this platform, HAI has addressed 39 disasters so far and provided emergency relief within 36-72 hours of the emergency.

HAI also provides a tech-based solution through a first-of-a-kind innovation of the Dashboard for Aid Transparency and Accountability (DATA) platform to facilitate the humanitarian aid infrastructure and bring transparency, accessibility, integrity and accountability in the aid flow from funding to on-ground action enabling better decision-making. The platform can be accessed through https://data.india.org/. Currently, 52 NGOs and donors use DATA to identify overfunded, underfunded, and neglected disaster areas, enabling donors to make informed, strategic decisions that optimise resource allocation. This reduces duplication and fosters effective coordination across the humanitarian sector while addressing the issue of corruption and mismanagement.

We have also set up a National pooled fund for emergency response and provide insurance to the frontline workers who navigate through the disaster recovery. Our tech4aid initiative helps us to map the post disaster impact for better assessment of damage and initiate recovery for the communities.

HAI has remained closely engaged with several key global coalitions and stakeholders including the UN led Agenda for Humanity, the Grand Bargain, Charter4Change, the Alliance for Empowering Partnerships (A4EP), and Start Network among several others. HAI has been a consistent advocate for capacitating participatory global networks on South-South cooperation and strengthening LNGOs across the global South in collaboration with actors from the global North. HAI is also leading a comprehensive global study on the Status of Humanitarian Frontline Workers in partnership with several key stakeholder organisations and academic institutions to highlight issues related to income disparity, lack of social security, and opportunities for Indigenous and local humanitarian actors in the global south and the global north.