The Sphere Project was launched in 1997 by a group of humanitarian NGOs and the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement. Sphere is based on two core beliefs: first, that all possible steps should be taken to alleviate human suffering arising out of calamity and conflict, and second, that those affected by disaster have a right to life with dignity and therefore a right to assistance. In 2007, Sphere Project is celebrating its decadal journey to address the human sufferings of millions around worldwide.
There is a need therefore to document and to capture the experiences from various organizations and in different contexts about how Sphere did make a difference. But given that the Humanitarian work is complex and sometimes messy, it is critical that the way we document it reflects this complexity and critically challenges it, situates the work in the broader political, social and economic context, and provokes humanitarian workers into a deeper understanding of the nature and difficulties of good and accountable humanitarian action.
Keeping in view, Sphere Geneva has decided to document and capture the field experiences for wider sharing among various stakeholders. In this context Inter Agency Group (IAG), Orissa, India has made an attempt to document the case studies and mini stories on Sphere initiatives in Orissa. This anthology of case studies is the outcome of the series of consultation with seven organizations UNDP, UNICEF Action Aid, Catholic Relief Services, Concern Worldwide, Indian Red Cross, Lutheran World services, and World Vision. We hope this document of field stories about SPHERE would be useful to many humanitarian organizations as well as to the much wider community to promote Sphere in field. This document capture the experiences of the (Inter Agency Group's) IAG Orissa, India - IAG collective achievements during 2008 and was drafted highlighting the commitments to the Humanitarian challenges by various organizations in Orissa, India. SPHERE Geneva support and encouragement helped to make this fruitful exercise to to produce the document. We hope this document would help a lot to us transmit the experiences of the Commitment to humanitarian Challenges effectively to a wider community.
Dr. Antony Gnanamuthu
SPHERE Geneva - Focal Point
