Humanitarian aid for flood victims
We are an NGO based in Dar es Salaam. For a month now we have mobilized humanitarian aid for households affected by floods following heavy rainfall in various parts of the region. This effort was done in good faith. However, a community leader warned us that we have not followed the law. Is there a law that we need to follow and what does this law say about providing humanitarian aid to victims of floods?
GM, Dar es Salaam
Activities related to disaster management are regulated by the Disaster Management Act, 2022 (Act No. 6 of 2022) (DMA) and the Disaster Management Regulations, 2022 (GN No. 658A of 2022) (the Regulations). The DMA establishes disaster management committees from the national to the village level. These committees (depending on the level of authority) are composed of government actors including ministers, members of parliament, local government officials, police, Red Cross representatives, to mention a few. The Committees have various powers and functions including overseeing the management of humanitarian aid in the event of a disaster. The Regulations provide the procedure for collection of humanitarian aid and donations to persons affected by a disaster.
Regulation 11 restricts persons from soliciting aid for disaster victims without the authorization of disaster management committees in the respective area. Further, the regulation requires that all aid is collected by the disaster management committee. Regulation 26 requires the disaster management committee to keep a register of aid collected that shall be available and will include records on the type of humanitarian aid collected from donors. We advise that you contact the disaster committee in the areas you wish to provide humanitarian aid for further guidance.