Disaster management
In addition to our four solution areas, we also work with disaster management – supporting urgent, high-impact initiatives that lie beyond our core focus but align with our values and mission.
A disaster is a serious disruption in the functioning of a community or society, causing widespread human, material, economic, or environmental losses that exceed the affected community’s capacity to cope using its own resources.
H&M Foundations Disaster Management Strategy focuses on supporting partners across all four disaster management phases to build resilient communities that can handle and recover from disasters, ensuring the well-being of people. Below we outline the four phases of disaster management and examples of activities we support for each phase:
- Mitigation – involves actions to prevent, lessen, or diminish the impact of disasters by reducing risk and vulnerability.
- Preparedness – the ongoing process of planning and training to organise actions for disaster events.
- Response – measures that are taken immediately before, during, or after an emergency to manage its consequences.
- Recovery – the process of restoring an affected community to a pre-disaster or improved state.
For example, we partner with Start Network, a global coalition of aid agencies, to help communities build resilience against climate-related disasters. We’re also working with SEEDS in in Assam and Uttar Pradesh in India, where we’re building the resilience of people exposed to disasters and climate change.
Emergency relief
The H&M Foundation also provides emergency relief donations in the wake of natural disasters to support affected communities. We work with trusted humanitarian organisations and have a framework in place that enables us to respond quickly when disaster strikes. Support is based on a set of criteria, including the scale of the disaster, the vulnerability of those affected, and the presence of an appeal for international assistance. In rare cases, we may also respond to exceptional situations outside these criteria. Our goal is always to provide timely and impactful support where it’s most needed.
