Page 15 - LUA September-October 2025 for Magzter

RAISING AWARENESS,
UNLOCKING SUPPORT
For humanitarian organizations, delivering
aid is only half the battle. Equally important
is ensuring the world does not look away.
Steve Smith, President & CEO of Airlink,
emphasizes the need for awareness as a
catalyst for resources and partnerships.
“Airlink leverages opportunities across
We strive to do more, platforms with wide audiences -- online,
events, and in public spaces -- to share
and in showcasing and inform others of the need in Gaza and
our work, we aim to the immense efforts our humanitarian
inspire others to join and airline partners dedicate to the
Without compliance, credible NGOs risk region. In speaking about our work and
losing their ability to operate in Gaza us on our mission. our expertise, we uplift the collaborative
entirely. A grace period runs through early STEVE SMITH commitment we make together; the more
September, but many agencies fear they may AIRLINK people who are aware, the more action
soon be forced to halt operations altogether. will follow. We strive to do more, and in
These compounded risks make the role showcasing our work, we aim to inspire
of humanitarian logisticians more critical an airbridge operation that successfully others to join us on our mission.”
and more perilous than ever. moved aid into Gaza. Such windows of This dual approach, operational
opportunity, though rare and fleeting, and advocacy, is what sustains
BOTTLENECKS IN MOTION underscore the vital role logistics plays humanitarian supply chains over the
Even when aid is ready to move, when political or military conditions long term. By spotlighting both the
bottlenecks at the borders remain briefly shift. logistical challenges and the human
formidable. Trucks can wait days or weeks stakes, organizations like Airlink aim to
for approval to cross. Professionals from THE ROLE OF PARTNERSHIPS mobilize governments, donors, and the
doctors to logistics volunteers face similar Humanitarian logistics in Gaza are not public to support relief efforts.
uncertainty with visa approvals, which are carried out in isolation. It requires a
often delayed or sporadic. patchwork of international NGOs, local LOGISTICS AS THE INVISIBLE
Planning becomes a moving target. partners, and private-sector logistics FRONTLINE
Humanitarian groups attempt to remain providers working in tandem. CEVA Gaza’s humanitarian crisis illustrates a
flexible, prepositioning resources and Logistics, for example, has been engaged broader truth: in war zones, logistics is not
personnel so that they can deploy the to lend its global freight forwarding a background function. It is the frontline
moment approvals are granted. But in expertise to humanitarian operations. The of survival. The success of humanitarian
practice, this means mounting costs, idle World Food Programme (WFP) remains response depends not only on the
workers, and stockpiles of aid waiting just one of the largest and most critical players generosity of donors or the bravery of aid
out of reach of those who need it most. in coordinating food distribution under workers, but also on the precision of the
One example Airlink highlights is its strained conditions. logisticians who ensure resources cross
support for displaced Palestinian populations These partnerships are not just borders, clear customs, and reach their
outside of Gaza, where aid delivery is about moving boxes. They represent the final destination.
more consistent. Food parcels, trauma kits, shared responsibility of governments, Wars and blockades will continue to test
eyeglasses, and prosthetics have been delivered civil society, and the private sector to the world’s ability to move aid where it is
in partnership with local organizations. Doctors keep aid flowing despite formidable needed most. Gaza has revealed how fragile
and medical teams have been dispatched to obstacles. The integration of commercial these supply lines can be, but also how
nearby areas to treat those who managed to logistics expertise has been particularly resilient. Through persistence, adaptation,
cross the border for care. vital, bringing efficiency and scalability and cooperation across borders, the
During a temporary ceasefire in to humanitarian supply chains that are humanitarian lifeline remains intact, even
February 2025, Airlink also facilitated otherwise overstretched. under extraordinary pressure.

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