Medium.com writes about LIFE

Medium.com has done us the honour of featuring LIFE in an in-depth article: “LIFE and the shifting paradigms of humanitarian aid”.

It looks at the major challenges the humanitarian sector has faced in recent years, such as funding difficulties, inadequate impact studies and heavy, rigid operating structures. Even as the need for assistance grows, driven by more and more conflicts and the effects of global warming, the sector is running up against limits on its ability to act effectively.

It is against this backdrop that organisations like ours, the French NGO LIFE, have emerged, offering new ways of working.

At LIFE, we take an innovative approach that breaks with the conventions of the humanitarian sector. Rather than investing in heavy infrastructure, we favour remote working and keep our logistical footprint to a minimum, putting local people and ecosystems at the heart of what we do. Our aim is to help the communities we support become self-reliant by involving local players such as businesses, local NGOs and religious groups in the process.

This approach is part of the localisation movement, which in the humanitarian field calls for local players to have a greater role in decision-making and action on the ground.

This approach has many benefits, including a better understanding of local needs and smoother coordination of humanitarian efforts. Challenges remain, however, as shown by the EMPOWER project in Ethiopia, where tensions arose because it was managed remotely by international organisations.

At LIFE, we begin every project with a thorough assessment of local needs and potential partnerships, so that each intervention is relevant and effective. This step-by-step, collaborative method aims to meet people's real needs in a targeted way while strengthening their self-reliance. Reforestation, building drinking water wells, supporting education for all and more: our work on the ground to achieve this is varied and complementary.

By working in coordination with local authorities and promoting a “temporary humanitarian” approach, we seek to end long-term dependence on international aid and to foster sustainable, self-reliant development for communities.