Interview from “10 years of Dutch Relief Alliance in 10 stories”

When Pascalle Grotenhuis and Garance Reus-Deelder ran into each other in a refugee camp in South Sudan, it felt a bit unreal. Now, reunited in The Hague, they reflect on that moment – and on how the Dutch Relief Alliance grew into a partnership that’s as agile as it is ambitious.

The Dutch Relief Alliance is horrified by the devastating scenes from the side of the Israeli aid operation managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Since May 27, thousands of Palestinians—deliberately starved for over 13 weeks—attempt to reach urgently needed food. Reports indicate that so far at least 50 people are killed and dozens injured while desperately trying to reach the food parcels.  

The Dutch Relief Alliance is looking for a new intern to help strengthen the team.

Internship Dutch Relief Alliance  
Duration of 5 months (starting in September 2025)

32-40 hours per week

Location: Netherlands

After 9 weeks of total blockade the possibility for survival is fast decreasing as starvation and disease spread rapidly in Gaza. According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza 57 children have already died from malnutrition, while 290,000 are in imminent danger of dying from malnutrition. All bakeries have closed, there is almost no clean drinking water, and all major food distribution points have closed down. In the meantime, more than 3,000 trucks with life-saving relief assistance such as food, water and medicines, are waiting at the border.

Dutch Relief Alliance Joint Response Wraps Up with 66,000+ People Reached

Amid devastation and displacement, Dutch Relief Alliance Joint Response efforts brought critical support to Lebanon’s most affected.

Tropical Cyclone Jude is the third cyclone to affect Mozambique in the past three months, with Cyclones Chido (December 2024) and Dikeledi (January 2025) causing massive destruction in the northern provinces of Cabo Delgado and Nampula. In response to this urgent crisis, the Dutch Relief Alliance has launched an Acute Joint Response of three million euros, funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Started on April 2nd 2025, this rapid intervention ensures that partners will deliver humanitarian assistance to the people of Mozambique.

The Dutch Relief Alliance is sounding the alarm as we are fast approaching a situation in which we will no longer be able to deliver humanitarian services in Gaza. 

Myanmar has been struck by severe earthquakes. In response to this urgent crisis, the Dutch Relief Alliance has launched an Acute Joint Response of three million euros, funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Starting on the 1st of April 2025, this rapid intervention ensures that partners will deliver humanitarian assistance to the people of Myanmar.

The scale of devastation in Gaza is unlike anything seen in recent years. In response to this urgent crisis, the Dutch Relief Alliance will launch an Acute Joint Response of three million euros, funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Starting on January 24th 2025, this rapid intervention ensures that partners will respond within 72 hours to deliver humanitarian assistance to the people, including children, in Gaza over the next six months.

At the start of a new year, we would like to take a moment to look back on a year full of collaboration, impact and progress. Thanks to the commitment of our partners, valuable cooperation and mutual trust within the Dutch Relief Alliance, we have been able to provide life-saving aid in crisis situations all over the world this year as well. It is with pride that we look back, but with at least as much ambition that we look ahead to 2025 – a special year when the Alliance will mark its 10th anniversary and once again join forces to provide emergency relief to people around the world.

As of January 1, Christel Sjauw-Koen-Fa-Mulder will assume the role of Chair of the Dutch Relief Alliance, succeeding Tram Nguyen, who has led the alliance of Dutch, local, and national humanitarian organizations over the past year. Simultaneously, Garance Reus-Deelder will take over as Chair of the Supervisory Board from Reintje van Haeringen. Both new chairs will fulfill these roles on behalf of Plan International in 2025, taking over this responsibility from CARE.

The Dutch Relief Alliance is looking for a new intern to help strengthen the team.

It has come to our attention that phishing emails have been sent from our account impersonating the Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA) office. We are taking this matter very seriously and are actively working to investigate and secure our systems.

Important Reminder: DRA Will Never Request Personal Information or Donations by Email

Ahead of the Grand Bargain Annual Meeting in Geneva, a new report has been released by the Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA), shedding light on the importance of locally led humanitarian action. The report, titled Grand Bargain 3.0: The Story of the Dutch Relief Alliance, emphasizes the need for a paradigm shift in how global humanitarian aid is delivered, prioritizing local leadership and sustainable partnerships.

In October last year, the Afghan province of Herat was struck by a 6.3-magnitude earthquake. Dutch humanitarian organisations and their Afghan partners rushed to support the survivors. One year after, the Joint Response organisations produced a poignant report on the disaster and the emergency response: When every second counts: Humanitarian reponse after the Herat Earthquake.

The Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA), in collaboration with the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has released a comprehensive report detailing the outcomes of their “Risk Sharing Pilot in Humanitarian Programming.” This initiative, launched in 2024, focused on exploring risk-sharing strategies in humanitarian contexts across three country programs: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, and Yemen.

Due to the war in Sudan, the risk of famine is striking Sudan hard. According to a new publication of IPC, the international food insecurity standard, half of the Sudanese people is facing malnutrition. The Dutch Relief Alliance, present in Sudan for several years, is now launching an extra Acute Joint Response of three million euros.

The Dutch Relief Alliance is looking for a new intern to help strengthen the team. Starting in  September 2024 for a duration of 5 months, between 32-40 hours a week.

The Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA) Gaza Joint Response consortium welcomes the findings and recommendations of the independent review on the adherence of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to the humanitarian principle of neutrality.  The review group, led by former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna, concludes that UNRWA has the most elaborate set of rules in place to ensure neutrality and that it is irreplaceable and indispensable to Palestinians in Gaza as a humanitarian lifeline.

The Dutch Relief Alliance is looking for a new intern to help strengthen the team. Starting in  February 2024 for a duration of 5 months, between 32-40 hours a week.

In Yemeni society, women are among the most vulnerable groups affected by the ongoing war in the country. They face gender inequalities associated with highly complex social norms, as well as challenges in the political and legal system. To protect themselves and provide support to their families and children, Yemeni women especially need awareness of their rights. It turns out women-led groups play a leading role when it comes to providing that support.

Dutch Relief Alliance partners are calling on all parties to protect civilians and to ensure safe and unhindered access for humanitarian actors in Gaza. Dutch Relief Alliance partners have started an Acute Crisis Joint Response to assist people in need of urgent humanitarian aid in Gaza. As a result of the escalation of violence on 7 October 2023, a humanitarian crisis is unfolding on an unprecedented and alarming scale. 

Dutch Relief Alliance partners, in partnership with the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are preparing to launch an Acute Joint Response to assist people in need of urgent humanitarian aid in Gaza. As a result of the escalation of violence, the humanitarian crisis is rapidly increasing in scale. People have limited or no access to basic needs such as water, food, healthcare and shelter.

Violence, food shortages, economic hardship, natural disasters, poor health care: Afghanistan has been facing major crises for decades. That is why the partners of the Dutch Relief Alliance have joined forces to organise a range of relief activities in the Afghan provinces of Nangarhar and Herat. Watch this short documentary, produced by SAW Afghanistan.

Dutch Relief Alliance partners Stichting Vluchteling, CARE Nederland, Cordaid, and Terre des Hommes join hands and respond to the humanitarian needs that are rapidly worsening since storm Daniel hit eastern Libya. This Acute Joint Response starts 17 September and will last six months. Life saving activities are being implemented in the east of Libya and include Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Health, Emergency Food Security & Livelihoods, Shelter & Non Food Items, Protection and Multipurpose Cash Assistance.

On the 19th of August we come together to celebrate World Humanitarian Day. We pay tribute to the humanitarian workers who provide lifesaving work to communities affected by crisis the world over. To show support the Dutch Relief Alliance is highlighting some of the humanitarians working in our Mozambique, Somalia, Sudan and Syria Joint Responses. In difficult circumstances, communities in need can count on them #NoMatterWhat.

The Syria Earthquake Joint Response is a 6-months crisis response project that will end on 10 August 2023. The aim of the project is to provide life-saving assistance to people severely affected by the earthquake. ZOA in the Netherlands, as lead of the Dutch Relief Alliance consortium, is looking for a consultant based in the Netherlands or abroad with extensive experience in conducting assessments and a good understanding of the Syrian context to conduct the external end evaluation.

Yemen is known as one of the countries with the greatest water scarcity in the world. About 18 million people do not have access to safe, clean drinking water or sanitation facilities. Lack of clean drinking water is becoming one of the biggest challenges people will face in the coming years. Within the Yemen Protracted Joint Response, CARE and partner Elemental Water Makers, have been working on a possible solution.

Are you looking for a meaningful internship in the humanitarian sector? The Dutch Relief Alliance is looking for a communication intern, starting within September 2023, exact start date flexible, for 4-5 months, between 32-36 hours per week. This internship combines conducting communication research with gaining hands-on experience in the communication work field.

The Dutch Relief Alliance is looking for a new intern to help strengthen the team. Starting as of September 2023 for a duration of 5 months, between 32-40h a week.

Improving effectiveness by leveraging local knowledge, context awareness and connections with communities. Localisation contributes to more equitable partnerships between local and international actors. For those reasons locally led action is one of the key priorities of the Dutch Relief Alliance. In this interview Shahida Suleiman, the chair of our Local Advisory Group and Deputy Director at Save Somali Women and Children (SSWC) tells us how we are doing on localisation. What is needed and how an we improve?

At the heart of the Dutch Relief Alliance lies the ambition to put the Grand Bargain commitments into practice.  In the run up to the Grand Bargain Annual meeting in Geneva, we published our yearly review on the current state of affairs in the alliance. How did we do this year? Read all about it in our publication: Beyond 2.0: Dutch Relief Alliance and the Grand Bargain Commitments.

As complex crises unfold in Myanmar and Sudan, the alliance introduces two new acute joint response.  Over a month ago conflict erupted in Sudan putting millions of people in need of humanitarian assistnace. On the other side of the globe crises struck Myanmar as it had to deal with the ravages of Cyclone Mocha. Through our Acute Crisis Mechanism, we have managed to launch a quick response meant to effectively deal with the determined needs of the affected people.

The Dutch Relief Alliance is excited to start three new innovation projects that intend to tackle challenges identified in the Somalia, Syria and Ethiopia Protracted Joint Responses. Two more innovation projects are in the pipeline for the South Sudan and Yemen Joint Responses. As the alliance will participate in the RILx23 next week, let’s look closer at what these projects will entail. How do they count on meaningfully taking on challenges faced by these crises?

Being in a chronic state of emergency, Somalia is not often in the news as a place where people celebrate. Then how come Sandra Kabiru, the country coordinator from World Vision international, is calling for a celebration? After a six-month Acute Response, launched due to prolonged drought, Kabiru offers a positive message as the response comes to a close.

On February 6th, an Earthquake of 7.7 magnitude hit Gaziantep with tremors felt across the Syrian Arab Republic.  Thousands of buildings have been damaged, affecting 8.8 million Syrians. The Dutch Relief Alliance partners used the already ongoing Protracted Joint Response to coordinate and address some of the most immediate needs of the affected population. An Acute Joint Response was added to scale up the response activities in the most severely affected locations. Recently the Joint Response lead Marleen Spieker from ZOA sat down with partner organizations in Syria to discuss the situation as it is developing.

The ongoing violence across Sudan has a devastating impact on thousands of civilians, resulting in loss of life, widespread destruction of infrastructure, and forced internal and cross-border displacement. The organisations collaborating in the Dutch Relief Alliance Sudan Joint Response, who have been providing humanitarian assistance in the country since 2019, remain fully committed to supporting the crisis-affected population in Sudan.

Ethiopia continues to suffer the strain of climate change through drought and flooding while experiencing ongoing violent conflict in certain parts of the country. This prolonged crisis has  affected over 23,81 million in terms of malnutrition, displacement, and destruction of property and livelihood. In 2022 a protracted joint response was launched to deal with the more long-term challenges Ethiopia is facing. The chair of the Dutch Relief Alliance Arjen Joosse visited Ethiopia in March to gain insight into the country’s humanitarian situation.

Political instability, violent conflict and an economic crisis have left 15 million people in Sudan in urgent need of emergency aid. With the Sudan Joint Response, a collaboration of NGOs united in the Dutch Relief Alliance are working on future-proof solutions to the complex crises in the country. As one of the speakers at the European Humanitarian Forum 2023, Plan International’s Eiman Ibrahim explains how this works in Sudan.

The Dutch Relief Alliance and the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs are hosting a humanitarian talk at the European Humanitarian Forum 2023 (EHF2023). The forum, held in Brussels on 20 and 21 March, will be addressing important issues in the humanitarian sector. Together with partners from Somalia and Sudan, we will be discussing our experience in addressing the funding gap through localisation and quality funding. Join us and register online: European Humanitarian Forum 2023

The Dutch Relief Alliance has initiated an acute response to the severe crisis in Syria due to the earthquakes of February 6. Alliance members are working alongside local partner organisations to provide immediate humanitarian relief to people in need in the affected areas of Ar-raqqah, Aleppo, Hama, Idlib, Latakia and the Tartus governorates.

Are you looking for a meaningful internship in the humanitarian sector? The Dutch Relief Alliance is looking for a communication intern, starting within March, exact start date flexible, for 4-5 months, between 32-36 hours per week. This internship combines conducting communication research with gaining hands-on experience in the communication work field.

The Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA) is a strong supporter of localising humanitarian assistance. Together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we actively promote more equitable relations between international and local actors. We do this in our strategies, our structures and responses. We have asked Hasan from Yemen and Paulin from DRC – members of the recently installed DRA Local Advisory Group –  to reflect on the topic and come with recommendations.

Over the years, the DRA has delivered humanitarian aid to more than 4 million people in 23 crises worldwide, working together with more than 100 local organisations. The DRA has incorporated the Grand Bargain commitments in its operations model and sees a role in furthering these commitments to encourage more effective interventions and to reduce the need for humanitarian aid.

In response to severe droughts and food insecurity in the Horn of Africa, the Dutch Relief Alliance will initiate two new Acute Crisis Responses in Kenya and Ethiopia to provide urgent humanitarian food assistance to communities in affected regions. The Acute Responses are funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and will remain active for the next 6 months. DRA Partners are already active in the region, supporting communities affected by drought in Somalia.