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The Mandate

One of the most important principles of its work is impartiality and independence. Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe painstakingly observes its aim not to become an instrument for political, economic or military interests. Particularly in conflict areas it attaches great value to asserting its independence from all parties involved.

The nature and scope of the assistance are adjusted to the situation in the disaster zone within the framework of available possibilities. Aid measures are designed to suit the local conditions and are integrated in the economic, social and political context of a specific country or region.

In its activities Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe is committed to the basic principles of humanitarian aid as laid down in the Code of Conduct of the Red Cross and Red Crescent and of non-governmental aid organisations in the context of emergency assistance.

Working Method

On average Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe supports 150 aid measures annually. Its aim is the restoration of sustainable living conditions in disaster areas.

Sustainable and effective emergency assistance is not limited to mere survival aid. Preventative and pre-emptive measures aiming at precluding disasters or at least minimising the extent of damage are as much part of the work as programmes of rehabilitation and reconstruction.

Survival aid to alleviate the imminent and most pressing need. It may include the supply of every day necessities such as food, drinking water, blankets and medicine, and the provision of temporary shelter and social services. Normalising and reconstruction measures are designed to help people in disaster areas to take control of their lives once more. The backbone of the work is the restoration of habitation and livelihood.

The Organisation

Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe is part of the Evangelisches Werk für Diakonie und Entwicklung e. V., the Social Service Agency of the German Protestant Church – one of the biggest welfare institutions in Germany – , with its headquarter in Berlin.

It currently maintains three permanent regional offices in Africa, Asia and Latin America which are responsible for the coordination of aid programmes in the respective regions. If the need arises temporary project or field offices are set up in crisis areas and entrusted with operative assignments. In certain cases – and for a limited time – specialised consultants are recruited for specific projects.

For an effective performance Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe closely cooperates with local partners. It is also a member of ACT (Action by Churches Together), the global alliance of churches and aid agencies in the area of humanitarian aid.

Ombudsperson

Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe takes its responsibility towards its employees, members, partners and all supporters very seriously. Therefore, we appointed an external lawyer as ombudsperson to whom complaints and presumptions of unlawful or unethical conduct can be addressed.

The main tasks of the external ombudsperson are to confidentially handle information received from informants and to protect those providing the information as well as those directly concerned. This is guaranteed through the lawyers’ professional obligation to maintain secrecy. In addition, the Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe has waived its rights to information in order to protect informants.

If the ombudsperson receives a complaint, he will consult with the notifying party and agree upon further steps to be taken. Information will only be disclosed to Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe with the explicit consent of the informant and anonymously if that is desired. The ombudsperson regularly informs notifying parties about the status of the ongoing proceedings.

Martin Keil

+49 30 84716913 info@ombudsperson-keil.de

Finances

Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe does not dispose of a fixed budget. The funding for the aid efforts worldwide is derived from four different sources: Donations are by far the most important means of income. They guarantee an independent and flexible use of the funds.

Moreover, the sister organisation Brot für die Welt (Bread for the World) contributes up to ten percent of its annual income from donations to Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe. This enables a very rapid response to emergency situations. In certain cases other aid agencies such as Caritas international also support the work of Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe.

Public means, too, are an indispensable contribution to the overall financing. There are longstanding partnerships with the Foreign Affairs Office of the German Federal Republic (Humanitarian Aid Department), the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (Department for Food, Emergency and Refugee Assistance) and from time to time with individual provincial governments and cities. Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe is a recognized cooperation partner of ECHO, the Office for Humanitarian Aid of the European Commission, as well as of EuronAid, a network of European non-governmental organisations specialized in food aid and food security.

How to find us

Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe
Caroline-Michaelis-Str. 1
10115 Berlin
Germany

Arriving via public transport from Central Station (Hauptbahnhof)

Tram
Take tram M5 (direction Hohenschönhausen, Zingster Straße), M8 (direction Ahrensfelde/Stadtgrenze/Landsberger Allee) or M10 (direction Warschauer Straße). Exit at Naturkundemuseum (M5) or Nordbahnhof (M8/M10).

(approx. 13 minutes)

S-Bahn
Take S5 or S7 in the direction of Alexanderplatz/Ostkreuz. Transfer to S1 (direction Oranienburg/Frohnau) or S2 (direction Bernau/Buch) or S25 (direction Hennigsdorf) at Friedrichstraße. All located at the basement. Exit at Nordbahnhof.

Your contact person for further questions

Elisabeth Grün

Service für Spenderinnen und Spender

+49 30 65211-4711 service@diakonie-katastrophenhilfe.de

Further information

DKH Annual Report 2017

Transparent and concrete find out in the annual report, which global aid programs we have done. You will find background reports, information about our way we work and of course the detailed figures in the balance sheet and financial statements.

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