Annual Report 23

Johanniter is a signatory to the Charter 4 Change. The eight voluntary commitments anchored in this charter aimed at strengthening the visibility and role of local partner organisations. At Johanniter, we want to emphasise the importance and contribution of local partners to donors and the public, and advocate for their direct support.

As an international non-governmental organisation (NGO), we work closely with national and local partners. We have set ourselves the goal of implementing the concept of localisation in humanitarian aid. Our partners’ role is to be strengthened in all phases of project planning and implementation. To that end, we support the long-term capacity building of our partner organisations. 

Planning, monitoring, evaluation and learning (PMEAL) - these are the key components of every project cycle. International Aid has developed its own PMEAL system and introduced it worldwide. In that respect, new tools have been developed and processes established.

Two global projects are being implemented by way of employee input:

Leadership Principles
To support our employees worldwide even more effectively, the new leadership concept was introduced with nine binding guiding principles forming the basis on which we want to treat each other. We attach great importance to caring cooperation. 

Leadership concept

Standardised remuneration system
We aim to create a global, appropriate, transparent, harmonised and fair classification and remuneration structure for all positions within Johanniter International Assistance. This is also aimed at facilitating and simplifying global mobility, i.e. the transfer within Johanniter from one country office to another.

Working in fragile states is not easy, in particular when procuring relief supplies. As part of our aid measures, we need medical supplies, medicines and food in particular. Procurement is particularly challenging in fragile contexts: transport routes are interrupted, violent conflicts lead to disruptions in the supply chain and, last but not least, those involved are also exposed to risks. This is why we are developing robust emergency plans, reviewing transport routes and increasingly focussing on local procurement to reduce dependence on long supply routes.

Emergency aid remains essential

In the third year since the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, about 40 per cent of the population is dependent on humanitarian aid. People in the east and south-east of the country above all are in need of support. Many are living in the ruins of their homes and are at least temporarily cut off from electricity and water supplies. They can no longer earn an income and their savings have been exhausted.

In conjunction with our partners ELEOS and NEW DAWN, we are supporting the people and making essentials available to them: hygiene articles, food, batteries and stoves for heating in the cold winter. Furthermore, destroyed roofs were re-roofed and houses are being sealed and windows installed.

Our partners distributed food, hygiene articles, building material and firewood to 327.000 people. Also more than three tonnes of medical suplies were delivered to hospitals in Ukraine and five ambulances and fire engines support with patient transport, mobile care and fire-fighting work.

Hundreds of thousands are fleeing

On 1 February 2021, the military once again seized power in Myanmar via a coup. Armed conflicts have been raging between the Burmese military and armed groups throughout the country since then. The military has been conducting regular airstrikes again since October 2023, in particular, in areas where the Karen and Shan ethnic minorities predominate. According to UN figures, a further 628,000 people have fled inside and outside the country as a result.

In conjunction with our partners, we are supporting the people in these regions with basic foodstuffs, sanitary facilities and cash aid. In neighbouring Thailand, in the town of Mae Sot, we are working with the Else Kröner Fresenius Foundation to support the establishment of an emergency clinic in the Mae Tao Clinic, which provides emergency medical care to Burmese refugees.

We helped after the earthquakes in February 2023

On 6 February 2023, devastating earthquakes shook Türkiye and Syria. More than 50,000 people lost their lives and 80,000 were injured. More than seven million people across the region were left homeless and have been dependent on humanitarian aid ever since. Many of those affected still live in tents or containers. In conjunction with our partners MAPS and BAHAR, we have been supporting the people in both countries with emergency aid measures since the first days after the earthquake. 

According to forecasts by our partner organisation MAPS, reconstruction in Türkiye alone will take at least another three to four years.

Outlook 2024:
In conjunction with our partners, we are facilitating income-generating measures, such as handicraft work, by way of which people can earn money again and at the same time support their communities in the reconstruction process. Our partners also offer courses for men and women who want to start their own business. Psychosocial support - in particular for children and young adults - in dealing with the traumatic experiences after the earthquake and during the long war in Syria, is a further focus in 2024.