In the world’s most troubled and vulnerable countries, Mission East works with both short-term disaster relief, long-term development and everything in between, which helps get a country and its people back on track – also called ‘nexus’.
When Mission East moves into a country with relief, a long stretch of work begins. It spans from providing food, water and blankets in emergency situations to a slow rebuilding of a community before actual development work begins.
In the reconstruction phase, which in humanitarian terms is called ‘nexus’, the situation is very fragile. Fighting can flare up in war-torn countries like Afghanistan and Iraq. New floods or droughts could worsen the situation in countries such as North Korea and Myanmar. And uncertain political situations can overturn the projects and work that the civil population and NGOs are initiating.
Mission East has great expertise in working in the nexus. We have developed a special approach that combines a detailed analysis of local contexts, program flexibility and resilience to new potential crises. It is important for us to gain a deep understanding of local issues and to establish well-established relationships with local organizations, communities and authorities when operating in fragile nexus contexts.
Mission East collaborates with local partners on development programs to improve food security, resilience and food supplies for remote communities. Knowing that the situation is fragile and can quickly turn for the worse, we adapt our activities to meet the changing circumstances.
And that’s exactly what lies in the nexus work. On the next pages you can read examples of Mission East’s work in nexus.
The Mission East nexus expertise
In its recently completed evaluation of Mission East, Danida (the development aid chapter of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs) highlights our unique expertise in the nexus area: “In terms of its two-pronged approach focusing on both humanitarian aid and long-term development, Mission East is particularly strong in promoting nexus by connecting emergency relief with livelihoods, food security and the development of local organizations. ”
(Source: Mission East – Review Final Report July 2019)
Mission East works both with relief work, development assistance and what lies between, which is an interaction between relief and development called nexus
