Why are disaster relief and community development important?

Sustainable community development is required to break the downward spiral of poverty and instability. Sustainability requires local ownership and should address needs across all impacted sectors (i.e. safety, education, clean water, economic opportunity and access to healthcare) of society simultaneously. HISG works with a wide range of implementing partners and local connections to integrate these different impacted sectors into development initiatives and maximize impact. Crisis is a cyclical occurrence in any development initiative. Integrating disaster preparedness into community development minimizes the impact of cyclic disasters and supports a more rapid recovery.

Disaster relief provides the opportunity to enter the development cycle in areas where HISG has not previously operated. From the start, relief operations are carried out with a focus on long-term community development. HISG engages local ownership and conducts relief operations that support a rapid transition to development initiatives.