About BuildAction

Delivering assistance

BuildAction is the operational arm of the Disaster Management Commission, with access to the extensive knowledge and resources of the RICS and the Commissioners. BuildAction aims to meet the needs identified in the humanitarian sector by working in partnership with humanitarian and development organisations. This is to ensure that vulnerable communities hit by disaster receive effective professional support in order to improve their chances of social and economic recovery.

BuildAction Volunteers

BuildAction provides professional expertise to support otherwise under-resourced projects. BuildAction can assign volunteers to projects using a database, maintained by the Commission, with information on individual volunteers and firms worldwide who can provide pro bono expertise, time and professional support to projects funded and implemented by international agencies and local partners.

It places volunteers in disaster related projects in developing countries and works through firms providing staff or the individual recruitment of volunteers. Those with the relevant experience and specialised or generic skills are then assigned using detailed project profiles that are developed with the client organisations. The volunteers, having received appropriate technical and humanitarian training, are mobilised following disasters, or on disaster risk reduction projects.

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BuildAction acts as an intermediary between the supply of volunteers and the demand for volunteers from humanitarian and other aid organisations who require built environment expertise. RICS funds the basic operational costs of BuildAction as part of its corporate social responsibility and 'public interest' mandate.

BuildAction operates in partnership with governments, UN and other humanitarian and development agencies; and, where appropriate, local civil society partners in developing countries. BuildAction services are provided according to the specialised needs of the client communities and the humanitarian and non-government agencies serving them- respecting diversity of culture, race, creed and customs of communities being provided with advice and assistance.

How and where we work

BuildAction supports disaster management initiatives without discrimination and in line with the Red Cross and NGO Code of Conduct. BuildAction endeavours to support projects which adhere to Sphere standards and ILO mandates on labour and employment.

BuildAction provides support to projects relating to man-made and natural disaster relief, recovery and risk reduction. This support focuses primarily on vulnerable communities in developing countries. The programme is demand-led and hence requires that all projects have a clear benefit for disaster-hit communities or to strengthen capacity of local and international humanitarian and development agencies and governments working to serve these communities.

Projects

• Haiti
• Uganda
• Kenya
• DR Congo
  

Email: info@buildaction.org