U.S. entrepreneurs want to tear up the international aid system’s rulebook : Siobhán O'Grady / Washington Post

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The mysterious 'Fogbow' group is reshaping aid delivery in Gaza and Sudan

Summary:
An obscure and little-known American aid contractor named Fogbow has emerged as a powerful intermediary in U.S. humanitarian operations in Gaza and Sudan. Its role has raised eyebrows within the humanitarian community, especially given that many experienced NGOs have been sidelined. In Gaza, Fogbow is working closely with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), while in Sudan it is positioning itself as a key player in aid negotiations. Critics warn this opaque approach could undermine trust and effectiveness in international aid delivery.

The American venture capitalists who founded Fogbow want to shake up the world’s humanitarian aid system, drawing on the skills of U.S. Special Operations forces to deliver food to the world’s most desperate and inaccessible places: Gaza, Sudan and South Sudan. Fogbow says it can deliver aid faster, cheaper and farther into danger zones at a time when humanitarian donations are plummeting.

But aid groups warn that private companies working as “aid for hire” could end up harming vulnerable people. Humanitarians say that companies like Fogbow are bypassing an international system carefully built over decades, turning aid distribution into a private, for-profit venture, lacking oversight or transparency, and often driven by the agendas of combatants.

Quotes:

Massive cuts to USAID and reductions in the aid budgets of other nations are forcing the humanitarian system to evolve, (former WFP Chief David) Beasley said, and if services cannot be delivered more cheaply, “people are going to starve to death.”
“Fogbow’s emergence has alarmed some veteran aid workers, who say it is unclear why a new and largely unknown player is being entrusted with such a central role.”
“Fogbow’s presence in both Gaza and Sudan represents a dramatic shift in U.S. humanitarian operations—centralizing influence through a contractor few outside the government had heard of before this year.”
“While other NGOs were scrambling to figure out how to access aid corridors, Fogbow already seemed to have the right people on speed dial.”
“In both Gaza and Sudan, the group is acting as a go-between with local actors, contractors and U.S. government agencies—but with minimal public transparency.”
“The American venture capitalists who founded Fogbow want to shake up the world’s humanitarian aid system, drawing on the skills of U.S. Special Operations forces to deliver food to the world’s most desperate and inaccessible places.”
“Humanitarians say that companies like Fogbow are bypassing an international system carefully built over decades... turning aid distribution into a private, for-profit venture.”




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