Crisis fatigueWhen we think back to Ethiopia and Live Aid in the 1980s, people were shocked by horrific images of starving children beamed via television into their living rooms. Now, scenes of suffering children in destroyed cities such as Aleppo or rural Somalia are a daily occurrence on TV and social media. Shock tactics and tugging at heartstrings can boost cash contributions for a limited time, but such hyperbole ultimately desensitises us to high levels of suffering. The Syrian refugee crisis – another ‘worst crisis since World War II’ – is emblematic of such fatigue. When the UN launched its fundraising campaign for Syria in 2013, 68% of the appeal was funded. Declining interest saw this amount fall to just 51% in 2014, and to 43% in 2015. Aid industry stuck in crisis modePart of the problem lies with an aid system designed primarily to respond to crises, rather than prevent them. Currently, less than 5% of humanitarian aid and 1% of development funding is spent on preparedness and prevention. Part of the problem lies with an aid system designed primarily to respond to crises, rather than prevent them.
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