Integral was launched as an alliance in October 2004 in Toronto. Prior to the start of Integral there was a 2-year consultation period in which the desire and will to model a new collaborative way of working was discussed and tested.
The most important aspect of Integral’s work is running a joint Disaster Response process. Through this process Members benefit from shared information, resources, contacts and funding. Membership provides expanded reach through trusted operational and local Partners.
Integral has two strategic objectives outside of its work in disasters – to create learning spaces to share strengths, best practices and strategic issues, and to build a strong relational alliance that encourages collaboration. Members benefit from both external input and from experience and good practice being generiously shared with one another.
Integral Members are very different, varying in size, operational capacity and culture. The single unifying factor is strong underlying Christian values and a belief that more people can be helped by working collaboratively.
Membership in Integral is by invitation only.
No. Integral only works through its Members. Integral Members run and support projects in over 85 countries, across 34 sectors, and have a network of over 580 local partners.
Integral is funded through Membership fees.
The Integral Disaster Response Process would be initiated if two or more Integral Members are responding. The aim of Integral in times of disasters is to co-ordinate responses to ensure Members don’t duplicate efforts, making sure all aspects of the disaster are covered and acted upon.
Micah Global is a Strategic Partner of Integral. Integral is an alliance of international relief and development agencies raising funds in their headquarter countries to support their own work, or work with Partners in countries around the world. Micah Global is an international network of Christians active in relief, development, care and advocacy and has members from all around the world, with the majority coming from the Global South.
Localisation is an important area of our work – our Integral Localisation Statement and commitments can be viewed here.
‘Integral works to bring together the strengths of all of its Members in disaster response – supporting very localised and often church-based responses, supporting the work of local Partners and enabling a directly implemented emergency response by its Members – in order to best meet the needs of communities affected by disaster. Integral recognises the combination of approaches by its Members as a strength, providing the opportunity for the work of those who implement directly (operational Members) to complement and strengthen the work of Partner-led Members (cooperational Members) and their local Partners before, during and after a disaster.’ From the Integral Localisation Statement.
The Integral Marketing group has contributed to the Integral Localisation agenda by mapping the local communications gathering capacity of its Members so that it can be shared across the alliance. They have also published a Storyteller’s Guide which brings together industry best-practice about dignity in humanitarian storytelling.
