Frontline support needed in Colombia
When a crisis hits, whether it is an earthquake, a cyclone, or an outbreak of conflict, local civil society organisations are always the first to arrive at the scene: they know their communities, speak the local language and best understand the needs of the children and families that are affected.
Last week, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia, the strongest to hit the country in a decade. Fifteen of Colombia’s 32 provinces were affected by the earthquake, which killed at least 289 people and injured 4,187. Buildings have collapsed, critical infrastructure has been severely damaged and thousands of families have been displaced. The area worst affected, Chocó, has been one of Colombia's poorest departments and has long dealt with violence from armed groups.
Our member Taller de Vida has been working in communities across Colombia to support vulnerable children and families since 1996, and this week, they have been faced with the biggest challenge of their lives. They are doing everything they can to support children and families impacted by the disaster, but they need urgent support on the frontline.
Family for Every Child’s Frontline Fund exists for this exact purpose: to support our members, immediately, when they are faced with an emergency situation.
Across our alliance, our member organisations have been the first at the scene in devastating emergencies, and through the Frontline Fund, we have been able to offer almost instant support. Between 2025 and 2026 alone, this has included responses in Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Jamaica, among others. In Cambodia, First Step Cambodia has delivered child safeguarding and psychosocial first aid to over a thousand children displaced by the Cambodia-Thailand border conflict, working across eight safe centres in Siem Reap province.
In Sri Lanka, the Foundation for Innovative Social Development (FISD) distributed relief packs of essential household items to families in Anuradhapura District after Cyclone Ditwah caused some of the country's worst flooding and landslides in recent history. And in Jamaica, Community Based Rehabilitation Jamaica (CBRJ) reached families of children with disabilities in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, visiting communities that were without full transport and phone access weeks after the storm.
Conflicts and natural or climate crisis-driven disasters generate humanitarian emergencies worldwide. In all cases, local civil society organisations respond first and remain on the frontline for the longest period of time. They are best placed to support the immediate needs of their communities, and through the Frontline Fund, we can channel funds directly to them. It’s one of the most effective and tailored ways to respond to humanitarian crises, and our most efficient way of getting aid to affected children and families.
Local knowledge is essential
Local civil society organisations are essential in the immediate aftermath of a disaster, and they need to be supported. Our members know the community before the crisis, so they know where to look once disaster strikes. A deep understanding of the local context means aid can be delivered efficiently, affected families and children know where to look for support, and those who are delivering aid are trusted members of the community themselves. Supporting local civil society organisations directly is a case for localisation.
Beyond the emergency phase
International attention moves on, but local CSOs remain. Our members will remain there once the emergency phase ends because they are already deeply embedded in their community.
First Step Cambodia is still supporting displaced families months after the border conflict began, because those families still cannot return home. In Jamaica, Community Based Rehabilitation Jamaica are still following up with families, well after the initial hurricane response, visiting homes, gathering information on each family's ongoing needs, and registering children with the National Disability Council to help them access long-term support beyond what CBRJ alone could provide.
That long-term presence means local CSOs are usually managing several things at once. There is the immediate response of providing food, shelter and medical care in the first days. There is longer-term support, since displacement, trauma, and damaged infrastructure do not resolve within a single grant cycle.
Families told CBRJ their children were regressing without the therapy the centre had provided before the hurricane, and reopening it mattered to them as much as the relief supplies did. As one parent told staff during a home visit, "I am glad you have not forgotten us." And there is the flexibility to adapt as a crisis changes shape, as First Step Cambodia did when it shifted its focus between districts as displacement patterns moved, and as FISD did when it adjusted its response once second-phase needs, such as warm clothing for families exposed to cold nights, became clear only after initial needs had been met.
Funding models built for one-off emergency responses do not always align with this. Recent cuts to international aid budgets have only added to the pressure. A local organisation needs to move fast when a crisis hits, but it also needs funding flexible enough to adapt to the situation on the ground, and continued support after the crisis fades from the mainstream.
Frontline Fund: humanitarian response at the local level
This is the thinking behind our Frontline Fund, which channels emergency funding directly to member organisations responding to crises as they happen. The Fund puts resources directly into the hands of organisations already on the frontline, such as Taller de Vida's work in earthquake-affected communities in Colombia, First Step Cambodia's work with displaced children, and FISD's and CBRJ's disaster response in Sri Lanka and Jamaica.
As climate-related disasters and conflict continue to drive humanitarian need, funding the organisations already on the frontline is the fastest way to get support to families when it matters most, and the most sustainable way to keep that support in place once the initial response ends.
Help local practitioners at the frontline in Colombia
On 10 August 2026, a powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck various regions of Colombia, causing severe damage across the country. Pereira, the city where one of our members, Taller de Vida, is located, is among the cities that have suffered the most significant damage. Many buildings, homes and infrastructure have crumbled, and thousands of families are facing uncertainty.
Our Member Taller de Vida is on the frontline, and we need your help to support them.
We are raising funds to directly support Taller de Vida as they work tirelessly to help their community through this challenging time. Please consider making a donation, and help us fund:
- Safe shelter for children without any family care
- Psychosocial support
- Food, clean water and hygiene supplies
- Mattresses and blankets
- Protection and referral support for children at risk
- Community support
- … and so much more!
100% of donations will be used to support Taller de Vida as they deliver direct frontline support to their communities in Colombia, impacted by this devastating earthquake. The funds from our giving community go directly to established members, and children and families who need support most.
We believe that this is one of the most effective and tailored ways to respond to humanitarian crises and our most efficient way of fixing funding gaps.