Action Fund

More than twenty years of people power. 

That’s the story of ActionAid USA. Since 2001, we have advocated for policy change, responded to humanitarian crises around the world, and worked to tip the scales in favor of the marginalized. 

Our work is guided by principles of feminist leadership, rooted in accountability and transparency, and dedicated to an inclusive use of power. Together, we tackle symptoms of unequal power – poverty, hunger, gender-based violence, climate change, conflict, and disaster. Together, we challenge the ideologies, legal systems, and social norms that lie underneath. Together, we speak truth to power. 

As we celebrate more than two decades of life-changing work, I invite youto continue your support of our work. Our efforts would not be possible without you.

Disasters, humanitarian crises, and conflicts have a disproportionate effect on women and girls. When a disaster, like a tsunami or earthquake, strikes, women are typically the first to respond, and are often affected more than men in the aftermath. Violence against women and girls increases during all emergencies, especially during times of conflict, and to make matters worse, women are often excluded from decision making processes and denied access to essential resources. The increased vulnerability that many women and girls face during emergencies is the direct result of the gender inequality and discrimination that women and girls experience in their daily lives, yet, women and women's organizations are significantly underrepresented in humanitarian response. That’s why, at the onset of a crisis or disaster, ActionAid does things differently. Our emergency response is guided by our Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) and Humanitarian Signature – our federation-wide, nonnegotiable approach to humanitarian preparedness, response, and recovery which all humanitarian interventions must adhere to.

1. Shifting the Power: ActionAid’s presence and relationships with localorganizations in communities where we work are enhanced through our response, continually expanding on local capacity. We enable local leadership to design and implement programs, and support local leaders to access national funding and advocacy opportunities.
2. Women’s Leadership: We ensure power is shifted to women leaders in order to address existing power imbalances at all levels by promoting the leadership of women who are affected by the crisis. This means that we will focus on women’s rights programming, including protection programming, so that women have the space, and agency, to lead change processes.
3. Accountability to Affected Communities: Effective humanitarian response means that all stakeholders are accountable to affected communities. ActionAid works with communities and local organizations to support them to hold powerful decision makers to account, and to ensure that they are responding appropriately to the needs expressed by the communities themselves.
4. Sustainability and Resilience: Underlying the Humanitarian Signature, it is crucial to link emergency response to resilience-building and longer term sustainable change, including empowering individuals, training them to know and advocate for their rights, and addressing underlying inequalities through all of our programming.

Thank you for being a champion of our work and for your commitment to human rights around the world! If you can, please consider sharing this project within your network, so we can achieve our vision of a just, equitable, and sustainable world...together!

This year, the need to support refugees has never been more vital, as there are currently more than 84 million people across the globe who have been forced to seek refuge in new environments due to ongoing emergencies.

Some refugees are externally displaced, others internally, but all are forced to find new homes, build new ties, and find ways to support their loved ones, often while facing the discrimination and hostilities of unfamiliar, new surroundings. Because of this, we believe that everyone, everywhere no matter what or where they’re fleeing, has the right to access safe spaces and resources to ensure, at minimum, that their basic needs are met.

We know that disasters, crises, and conflicts disproportionately affect women and other vulnerable groups. They increase the likelihood of human rights violations and often leave those who are already marginalized excluded from decision-making processes and access to resources.

As an unapologetically feminist organization, we recognize that women and women’s rights organizations are significantly underrepresented in humanitarian response. That’s why we’re first to raise particular concern for women and girls, who face an increased risk of gender-based violence, trafficking, and exploitation during times of displacement.

This must change. ActionAid believes in a just, equitable, and sustainable world in solidarity with people facing poverty and injustice. For five decades, we have been working alongside local partners in areas of conflict and disaster, not only providing short and long-term assistance and support, but also promoting the leadership of women and other at-risk groups.

Together, we can challenge the ideologies, legal systems, and social norms that keep refugees marginalized.

Thank you for your partnership.

Thank you so much for your support of this project. I’m writing to share some updates from ActionAid’s emergency responses. We appreciate you taking the time to learn about and support our work.

As we have seen in our work, climate disasters, conflicts and displacements disproportionally affect women and marginalized populations. ActionAid’s humanitarian signature focuses on local leadership that is women-led and rights-based. Thanks to generous donors like you, we’ve been able to educate local leaders on gender-based violence and Covid-19 prevention. We have also supported children impacted by disasters by providing educational materials and toys. Please consider sharing this project with your network, so we can continue to support those on the frontlines of poverty and injustice.

Now more than ever, your commitment to climate justice makes a difference. Thank you for your support and solidarity.

Dear ActionAid Supporter,
 
As this difficult year winds down, we at ActionAid USA have been reflecting on our successes and our struggles. We have achieved a tremendous amount during this difficult time, and none of it would have been possible without your support.

This year, we continued to navigate an unrelenting pandemic while simultaneously responding to climate and humanitarian disasters across the globe. We joined many others in speaking truth to power on vaccine apartheid and were bold in our support of those impacted by Israel’s airstrikes. Our team continues this life-changing work as we advocate for ambitious global climate action and support communities in Haiti and Afghanistan to remain resilient in the face of ongoing crisis.  

Through it all, we are inspired by and deeply grateful for your commitment to those on the frontlines of poverty and injustice. 

Please accept our heartfelt thanks for all you do. Know that during this arduous year, you made a lasting impact. 

In deep appreciation, 
The team at ActionAid USA