The United Kingdom-based humanitarian organization Christian Aid is set to cut its staff nearly in half as part of an international restructuring.
On Tuesday, a Christian Aid spokesperson told the charity news outlet Civil Society that the organization plans to reduce its current staff from 720 to about 400 workers.
It is part of an organizational overhaul focusing on partnerships supported by five hubs based in Bogota, Colombia; Abuja, Nigeria; Nairobi, Kenya; Amman, Jordan; and Dhaka, Bangladesh.
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“We expect to communicate decisions in the second half of June, once the consultation has closed,” the spokesperson told Civil Society. “Role changes would happen from the end of October, once any staff being made redundant have completed their notice period.”
Christian Aid explained in an announcement earlier this week that the restructuring plan follows 12 months of discernment on the future of the charity group.
Christian Aid Chief Executive Patrick Watt said the organization is “committed to shifting power to people whose lives are scarred by poverty, so they can make their voices heard, and create their own opportunities for a better life.”
“We want to focus our efforts on where we add value and, wherever possible, step back from work that can be done more effectively by partner organizations. Two key questions we have asked ourselves in designing this new model are, ‘Why us?’ and ‘Why not local?’” he stated.
“It is clear that the role of INGOs is changing as the world around us changes. It needs to transform further if we’re to contribute more effectively to tackling poverty and marginalization. Christian Aid is committed to that transformation.”
Watt clarified that the restructuring plans “are not driven by cuts to official aid,” but added that “recent decisions by donor governments validate our choice to be a majority voluntary-funded organization, which collaborates intentionally with institutional funders where we share a common agenda.”
Christian Aid was originally founded in 1945 by a group of churches in the British Isles to assist people displaced by the ravages of World War II.
In 2019, the organization announced plans to cut programs in 12 countries and also closed down its regional offices in England, according to Civil Society.
During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, Christian Aid furloughed about one-fifth of its staff and temporarily cut wages of workers to secure its “core international work.”
