Implementing strategic stock to improve humanitarian aid response
Author
Summary, in English
Relief Aid in East Africa
Over a period of six months during second half of 2011, the global humanitarian Community responded to one of the most severe droughts the world has ever seen. A total of 13 million people were given emergency assistance including food, water and shelter. Unfortunately,
this intervention is not an isolated event. The countries located in East Africa have a dire history of political instability, civil war, regional conflicts as well as floods and draughts. As a consequence, millions of people live in poverty and daily struggle against the risk of starvation. To escape conflict zones, natural disasters and areas prone to extreme food shortages people flee their homes to live as refugees. For instance, it is estimated that about one million Somalis live as refugees in the Horn of Africa.
Several decades of chronic food deficits in East Africa has led to massive support from the humanitarian community. Governments around the world, the United Nations as well as non-governmental organizations have responded by supplying food directly to the people in need. One of these organizations is Global Food Aid (GFA). GFA has operated in the various countries in East Africa since the 1980s. Together with the respective governments, GFA is involved with food distribution in response to for instance sudden-onset disasters, refugee camps and long-term development programmes.
Project: strategic stock
In responding to the current drought, GFA has received substantial criticism from global media. Primarily, the reactions concern the inability to assist the people in need in a timely manner. It has simply taken too long time to transport and distribute the food. This is not the first time this type of criticism hits GFA and therefore headquarters (HQ) has informed about a new initiative for responding to various emergencies around the world.
To decrease the lead times of GFA’s food supply chain, a new initiative to pre-position stock in strategic locations is going to be rolled out to the organization’s field offices. The roll out
will be done in several steps where step one focuses on a selected pilot case. The purpose to run a pilot case is to learn and understand the feasibility of strategic stock in the food supply chain before expanding globally. HQ has decided that the pilot case should be conducted in the Port of Mombasa. Mombasa has been selected because of its important role for distribution to many of the countries and large emergency operations in East Africa.
You have been engaged byHQto take charge of the pilot case in Mombasa. You are acting as a group of logistics and warehouse experts of GFA. Your mission is to plan, run and evaluate the strategic stock project. Thus, during this project, you are in charge of and therefore
responsible for all port staff and activities in Mombasa, Kenya. Specifically, you will coordinate all shipping, warehousing and transportation activities related to the project at hand.
Over a period of six months during second half of 2011, the global humanitarian Community responded to one of the most severe droughts the world has ever seen. A total of 13 million people were given emergency assistance including food, water and shelter. Unfortunately,
this intervention is not an isolated event. The countries located in East Africa have a dire history of political instability, civil war, regional conflicts as well as floods and draughts. As a consequence, millions of people live in poverty and daily struggle against the risk of starvation. To escape conflict zones, natural disasters and areas prone to extreme food shortages people flee their homes to live as refugees. For instance, it is estimated that about one million Somalis live as refugees in the Horn of Africa.
Several decades of chronic food deficits in East Africa has led to massive support from the humanitarian community. Governments around the world, the United Nations as well as non-governmental organizations have responded by supplying food directly to the people in need. One of these organizations is Global Food Aid (GFA). GFA has operated in the various countries in East Africa since the 1980s. Together with the respective governments, GFA is involved with food distribution in response to for instance sudden-onset disasters, refugee camps and long-term development programmes.
Project: strategic stock
In responding to the current drought, GFA has received substantial criticism from global media. Primarily, the reactions concern the inability to assist the people in need in a timely manner. It has simply taken too long time to transport and distribute the food. This is not the first time this type of criticism hits GFA and therefore headquarters (HQ) has informed about a new initiative for responding to various emergencies around the world.
To decrease the lead times of GFA’s food supply chain, a new initiative to pre-position stock in strategic locations is going to be rolled out to the organization’s field offices. The roll out
will be done in several steps where step one focuses on a selected pilot case. The purpose to run a pilot case is to learn and understand the feasibility of strategic stock in the food supply chain before expanding globally. HQ has decided that the pilot case should be conducted in the Port of Mombasa. Mombasa has been selected because of its important role for distribution to many of the countries and large emergency operations in East Africa.
You have been engaged byHQto take charge of the pilot case in Mombasa. You are acting as a group of logistics and warehouse experts of GFA. Your mission is to plan, run and evaluate the strategic stock project. Thus, during this project, you are in charge of and therefore
responsible for all port staff and activities in Mombasa, Kenya. Specifically, you will coordinate all shipping, warehousing and transportation activities related to the project at hand.
Department/s
Publishing year
2012
Language
English
Publication/Series
Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Topic
- Transport Systems and Logistics
Keywords
- humanitarian logistics
- port operation
- operations management
- strategic stock
- supply chain
- food
- shipping
- warehousing
- transportation
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 2045-0621