2. What is the main problem with the current ARAPU process????’ Action Response is a London-based charity dedicated to providing fast responses to critical situations throughout the world. It was founded by Susan N’tini, its Chief Executive, to provide relatively short-term aid for small projects until they could obtain funding from larger donors. The charity receives requests for cash aid usually from an intermediary charity and looks to process the request quickly, providing funds where and when they are needed. ‘Give a man a fish and you feed him today, teach him to fish and you feed him for life, it’s an old saying and it makes sense but, and this is where Action Response comes in, he might starve while he’s training to catch fish.’ (Susan N’tini)

Nevertheless, Susan does have some worries. She faces two issues in particular. First, she is receiving complaints that funds are not getting through quickly enough. Second, the costs of running the operation are starting to spiral.

She explains: ‘We are becoming a victim of our own success.

We have striven to provide greater accessibility to our funds; people can access application forms via the internet, by post and by phone. But we are in danger of losing what we stand for. It is taking longer to get the money to where it is needed and our costs are going up. We are in danger of failing on one of our key objectives: to minimise the proportion of our turnover that is spent on administration.

At the same time, we always need to be aware of the risk of bad publicity through making the wrong decisions.

If we don’t check applications thoroughly, funds may go to the ‘wrong’ place and if the newspapers get hold of the story we would run a real risk of losing the goodwill, and therefore the funds, from our many supporters.’