Activity 1
Humanitarian organisations
Humanitarian actors are civilians, whether national or international, UN or non-UN, governmental or non-governmental, which have a commitment to humanitarian principles and are engaged in humanitarian activities. Humanitarian actors must obtain access to all vulnerable populations in all parts of the country and must ensure that all vulnerable populations receive aid in an equitable, neutral and impartial manner and without any political conditions attached.

NGO role
Human security is fundamentally concerned with helping people to deal with unforeseeable threats and sudden downturns, whether international financial crises, environmental disasters or incapacitating illnesses. NGOs, are one of the most visible sets of actors in the related fields of human development and human rights, they play a significant role in helping to achieve human security. NGOs are especially well suited to action for human security because of their size and reach, closeness to local populations, willingness to confront the status quo, and they have ability to address transnational threats through coalition-building. Work in refugee camps is a major part of the service that NGOs provide for refugees. Distributing supplies, providing fresh-water, coordinating resettlement programmes and assisting in the day-to-day running of the camp are all essential functions of an NGO.

Take a look at the two photographs below and try to imagine what life is like for refugees in refugee camps. What do you think that these people need to survive? Remember that these camps are not situated near built-up cities, but rather they are often constructed in the middle of deserts and barren land.

What do you think is the role of a humanitarian organisation?
Are humanitarian organisations necessary or do they take over a role that governments should perform?
What specific jobs do humanitarian organisations engage in?
Where do they receive funding for their operations?

Links of major NGOs and humanitarian organisations worldwide
http://www.msf.org/
http://www.icrc.org/
www.caritas.org/
http://www.medecinsdumonde.org/
http://www.oxfam.org/
http://www.amnesty.org/
http://www.unhcr.org.uk/index.html

Try to identify at least 5 NGOs or humanitarian organisations who are actively involved in your country.

What is the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS)?

The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) is an international humanitarian organisation with a mission is to accompany, serve and defend the rights of refugees and forcibly displaced people.

JRS programmes are found in over 50 countries, providing assistance to refugees in refugee camps, to people displaced within their own country, to asylum seekers in cities and those held in detention. The main areas of work are in the field of Education, Advocacy, Emergency Assistance, Health and Nutrition, Income Generating Activities and Social Services. In total, more than 376,000 individuals are direct beneficiaries of JRS projects.



A map of where JRS works throughout the world

Activity 2
Look at the following photos of JRS projects and activities and discuss what type of service or support each photo is depicting.
Then look at the captions and match them with the appropriate photo.

A.                                                                       B.

C.                                                                      D.

E.                                                                    F.

Photo Captions

1. JRS-assisted secondary school for girls, Yei, southern Sudan.
2. Doctor examines patient in Chennai.
   
3. Reconstruction project in Guinea.
4. Young refugees learn traditional Romanian skills.
5. Refugee food assistance in Rwanda.
6. Landmine victims are rehabilitated in Kosovo.