Hope overcoming barriers: How Practical Action navigates difficult conditions

A man stands in front of seated individuals, gesturing as he presents information. A flip chart and a multilingual sign are in the background.

“It was just a normal, everyday Saturday. I was shopping in the souk, when my phone rang.

“It was my mother. She was talking quickly, telling me to get home immediately.”

This was the last time Walla, our head of People and Culture in Sudan, was in her local market.

Just a few hours later she and her family were in their basement, listening to the sound of bombs and gunfire rattle around their home. Nearly two years later, the Sudanese civil war, and the accompanying hunger, displacement and chaos for millions of people, continues.

Practical Action operates in places where sudden, unexpected social, political and environmental upheaval is not unusual.

Natural hazards, conflict, politics and poverty often combine to make conditions for our staff incredibly difficult.

What is most challenging, however, is the unpredictability of these events. They can occur at any time, presenting new and unexpected challenges which manifest themselves in a variety of ways.

In terms of our day-to-day work, we may not be able to get to the communities we work with, or supplies of crucial components may be impossible to get hold of.

On the other end of the scale, entire banking systems may fail, or an entire region may become just too dangerous to operate in.

Recently, communities we work with have had to cope with the sudden closure of programmes paid for by the US Government, meaning promises that were made to them were delayed, altered or even broken. Additionally, the recently announced cuts to the UK international aid budget risk leaving some of the world’s most vulnerable people with even less. These challenges perpetuate poverty, reducing the progress communities have worked incredibly hard to make.

To create a more just and equitable world in the long term, we believe that people must be given the opportunity to gain the skills, tools and knowhow to earn a living and make good decisions in the face of global problems, such as climate change, pandemics and natural hazards.

With reduced investment from key governments in development, we risk a vicious cycle in which we spend more on the long-term consequences of global social inequalities; civil wars, failed states and displacement.

It’s a tough landscape. But the truth is, if it was easy, Practical Action wouldn’t be working there. Quite simply, we use our unique brand of collaboration and ingenuity to take action where it’s needed.

Rapid societal change requires us to be agile and flexible. Funding from big donors dwindles as they become concerned about whether programmes can be delivered – and that makes the funding we receive from our individual supporters absolutely crucial. The donations they make enable us to make strong decisions and continue our life-changing work.

Taking a deeper dive into how Practical Action overcomes disruption and continues to help build thriving livelihoods even in the most challenging environments and circumstances, we spoke to Alex Bush, our Head of International Operations (pictured below).

What are the main disruptions that Practical Action often encounters around the world?

The countries where we operate often face political unrest, such as we’ve seen in Sudan, Kenya, Bangladesh, Peru, and Bolivia in recent years.

In Bangladesh, for example, when the government fell last year we had to temporarily cease all field work and close our main office for several weeks, to ensure the safety of our colleagues amid protests and violence.

Then there are natural hazards, such as storms, flooding, and earthquakes which disrupt everything from transport networks, to internet and phone coverage, which can make accessing and communicating with already very remote communities even more difficult.

When an emergency hits, although I’m always confident in our response, I also feel worried, knowing what my colleagues are facing on the ground – the fear, uncertainty, and risks they’re up against. It’s both concern for their wellbeing, as well as admiration for their dedication to the people we work with, even in the hardest times.

It must be difficult working in such unstable environments. Is the impact limited to the hands-on delivery of a project?

Instability, be it civil, political or environmental can have a huge impact on all aspects of our work. For example, changes in political leadership and governance can result in changes to local laws and regulations. We are careful to remain politically neutral, which means we must negotiate any rules and regulations carefully.

Peru has had three congresses and six presidents in just five years. We’ve shifted our focus away from developing relationships with national leaders, to building partnerships with more regional and indigenous governments. This way, we’ve been able to continue working with communities to prioritise biodiversity and tackle environmental degradation, even when the national government has been in disarray.

We also have a duty to protect the people we work with from harm, abuse, and exploitation, which often becomes an even bigger threat during periods of conflict or disaster. This requires ongoing training for our staff, and the provision of support and proper reporting channels.

Every aspect of our work, from logistics to communications, and finances to staff safety can be effected. But after decades working under these types of conditions, we know how to mitigate and cope with these challenges.

A group of people stands and watches as a few individuals walk up a rocky hill under a clear sky.

Why is Practical Action well-placed to deal with these difficulties?

We have years of experience working in difficult conditions. For example, we have been actively working in Sudan for more than 40 years, while many other NGOs have had to withdraw their operations. Our staff have the knowledge and expertise needed to find solutions to any issues.

One example is my colleague, Awadalla Hamid Mohamed, from Darfur (pictured below). He works with local governments, businesses, and communities affected by drought to improve access to clean water.

Throughout the civil war, military checkpoints and eruptions of violence make his work difficult, but he has developed relationships with many of the guards, so they allow him to travel unhindered because they trust him.

The companies Awadalla worked with to build a dam told him fuel costs were becoming prohibitive. He arranged for them to buy cheaper fuel from official local sources, thanks to his contacts. The dam was built in a short time and now supports the community by providing cleaning drinking water, irrigation for their crops, and water for their farm animals. People who have had to flee their homes because of the war now have a place they can live safely, with the resources they need to survive and even earn an income.

A man in traditional white attire and turban holding a — Awadalla Hamid Mohamed

You mentioned that there are also financial impacts of challenges like war, political instability and climate crises. Can you explain what you mean?

A significant proportion of our income comes from large-scale institutional donors, including governmental departments, such as the UK’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), and charitable foundations, such as the Z Zurich Foundation. But challenges like conflict or natural hazards often necessitate a change in their funding proprieties.

For example, since the civil war began in April 2023 in Sudan, many donors have, understandably, shifted their focus towards humanitarian relief, rather than longer-term development, which is our primary focus.

In response, we might have to change the type of work we deliver to remain compliant with the shifting requirements for funding. Or we may have to seek additional financial support as costs rise or our plans change. Communication is key to ensure donors know that we are doing all we can to meet our contractual obligations, but that sometimes our ability to continue is beyond our control. Unrestricted funding can be really useful in situations like these.

What is unrestricted funding, and why is it so important?

Unrestricted funding refers to money that is not tied to a particular project, meaning we can use it wherever the need is greatest. Only about 30% of our income is unrestricted so it’s limited, but it’s so valuable because it gives us the flexibility to cover costs some donors and grant-making organisations are unable to fund. It’s the lifeblood that keeps the operation going.

A key source of unrestricted funding is the donations made by our generous supporters, either in response to one of our fundraising appeals, as a regular gift, or as part of a legacy left in their Will. These donations are a critical lifeline in times of uncertainty to keep our projects running (particularly in conflict-impacted areas).

For example, in 2023 food and energy prices surged in the wake of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. All over the world inflation was rising, and our ability to deliver vital supplies to remote communities was put at risk.

Thankfully, we were able to appeal to our wonderful supporters for extra funds to ensure that solar powered water pumps could still be constructed in Turkana in Kenya, and essential materials to build toilets and handwashing facilities for rural schools in Peru’s Amazon basin could still be delivered. These generous donations meant that, when all our plans were in jeopardy, we were able to continue to provide clean water to people who really needed it.

Some of the challenges that we faced in 2024 and into 2025 have pushed people’s resilience to the edge. Yet despite everything, I’ve seen incredible determination – from our teams, the people we support, our donors, and supporters.

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