FAQs

No. Jersey Overseas Aid is managed by a small team of professional staff and governed by a six-member Commission, which is appointed by the States of Jersey (the Island’s elected parliament) and Chaired by Jersey’s Minister for International Development.

JOA is accountable to Jersey’s parliament as a whole rather than the government of the day. This independence – enshrined in the Overseas Aid Commission (Jersey) Law (2005) – helps us pursue its long-term objectives unencumbered by short-term political considerations.

JOA is wholly funded by the States of Jersey from tax-payer monies. 

JOA is the Island’s official, relief and development agency, funded by the Government of Jersey. We distribute funding that will help people in some of the poorest countries in the world to become economically resilient, and we help those impacted by natural and manmade disasters. We also support local Jersey charities working abroad and provide volunteering and career opportunities to Islanders.

We follow a rigorous selection process for our multi-year development grants, concentrating these on six countries selected for their need, lower levels of corruption compared to similarly-poor nations and the strength of their relationship with Jersey. These grants are also concentrated on three key themes - Dairy for Development, Financial Inclusion and Conservation Livelihoods - selected for their effectiveness in bringing lasting change and because they are areas in which Jersey has skills and knowledge that can be shared.

We also respond to multiple humanitarian crises, including underfunded ‘orphan’ emergencies as well as those which make the headlines. Our Commission regularly reviews humanitarian proposals prepared by our professional staff so that they can decide where Jersey’s funding can have greatest impact and which of our approved partners are best placed to deliver this.

Learning is central to JOA’s approach and evidencing the success of our projects is core to our work. As part of the selection process for JOA’s development projects, each proposal must be accompanied by a logical framework that outlines the key areas of change the project is intending to have and the indicators by which this change will be measured, as well as the frequency of measurement and means of verification. These logical frameworks are interrogated as part of the assessment process, with JOA staff feeding into the final design of each logical framework, once a project has been approved.

Each logical framework is unique to the intended project, with the type and number of indicators varying according to the nature and the size of the project. Multi-year projects – with a value of over £1m – often have over 20 change-orientated indicators in order to track success, as well as activity-level indicators to measure whether or not implementation is on track. For a project designed to enhance the wellbeing and resilience of low-income households living on the fringes of – and reliant on – a deteriorating marshland or forest, measurements might include:

• “% of participating households reporting reduction in negative coping mechanisms including the use of resources from conserved areas”
• “% change of targeted households engaged in sustainable off farm businesses”; and
• “% change in the number of targeted people with an acceptable Food Consumption Score during the ‘lean’ months, when hunger is most prevalent.

Dedicated in-country project staff are responsible for regularly monitoring JOA-funded projects, through approaches such as household surveys, business performance records, and national data. Details of project progress – as well as ongoing project results – are then provided to JOA bi-annually, which are subsequently reviewed as a part of JOA oversight.  In addition, JOA’s Monitoring & Impact unit conducts in-country monitoring visits of JOA’s multi-year development projects, to review activities and assess the effectiveness and efficiency of each project. These visits take place mid-way into a project and involve a one-day office assessment of the partner organisation followed by several days engaging with project stakeholders.

Once a multi-year development project ends, an independent evaluation is commissioned to assess the extent to which the project was relevant, effective, coherent, efficient, impactful, and likely to be sustainable. The evaluation also provides the opportunity for learnings to be collated and shared, contributing to wider knowledge and understanding of how best to address key challenges and contribute toward change in such contexts.

JOA’s budget is voted annually by the States of Jersey from tax-payer monies, as part of the Government Plan recommended by the Council of Ministers. Since 2021 Jersey Overseas Aid’s budget has been formally tied to Jersey’s Gross Value Added (GVA), meaning it varies automatically and proportionately with the Island’s economic fortunes – if the economy shrinks, so does the amount of funding allocated to aid.  In 2022 JOA received 0.27% of GVA (£13.6mill) from the States of Jersey.  

JOA’s mission is to translate the generosity, skills and compassion of the people of Jersey into effective assistance for the world’s most vulnerable people. In per-capita terms Jersey is one of the wealthiest places in the world, and we believe it is morally right – and an expression of our island identity and values – to share some of our wealth and expertise to address poverty and suffering in countries much less fortunate than our own. Jersey’s aid is also creating a better world for our own children by contributing toward global prosperity that will provide a safer and securer world for future generations.

Furthermore, as a wealthy jurisdiction and international player, it is important for Jersey to undertake the responsibilities, as well as the benefits, of this role. In 1970, many wealthy, civilised jurisdictions made an agreement to help the world’s poorest. This agreement has been reaffirmed many times, by many nations, including Jersey. Jersey’s aid work also benefits our own community, enabling life-changing volunteer opportunities that forge links between people in Jersey and communities all over the world, and strengthening local skills and expertise. Charity begins at home, but it doesn’t end there.

Poverty entails more than the lack of income and productive resources to ensure sustainable livelihoods. Its manifestations include hunger and malnutrition, limited access to education and other basic services, social discrimination and exclusion as well as a lack of participation in decision-making. Ending poverty in all its forms is the first of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which promises to leave no one behind and to reach those furthest behind first. National programmes to tackle poverty and international efforts supporting these objectives, as well as the creation of a supportive international environment, are crucial for a solution to this problem.

For over six decades, leading economists – including Jeffrey Sachs and Anthony Clunies-Ross – have estimated that extreme poverty could be ended if wealthy nations contributed approximately 1% of their wealth annually toward tackling poverty. Evidence shows that the goal to end poverty is not simply idealistic but, with commitment and strong-partnerships, is a tangible possibility. Globally, extreme poverty has declined greatly over the past 100 years, with considerable advancements in regions such as Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and East Asia contributing to this success story. 

More recently, World Bank data shows that in 2015, only 10% of the world’s population was living in extreme poverty, a notable drop since 1990, when nearly 36% of the world’s population was deemed to be living in extreme poverty. The substantial gains made globally have not been equal, with sub-Saharan Africa and fragile states continuing to experience high levels of extreme poverty. However, positive developments both in these challenging contexts, and in regions that have already effectively eradicated extreme poverty, provide valuable learnings around the changing trends in global poverty and contributing factors, with advancements in data and knowledge having the potential to better identify and target areas of poverty. 

JOA only partners with organisations that have been approved following a rigorous selection process including a field visit before a project is approved. All JOA project funding is subject to a Grant Agreement, that includes a range of terms to ensure high standards of financial management. Throughout the implementation of all projects, our partner organisations report regularly to us and submit yearly financial reports accounting for all funds expended. JOA’s dedicated Monitoring & Impact Officer conducts in-country monitoring visits of JOA’s multi-year development projects spending time with both the partner, their in-field teams and the intended beneficiaries of the project. A final project evaluation is always undertaken along with a financial audit.

JOA never sends money to governments of other countries.

JOA only partners with organisations that have been approved following a rigorous selection process, which includes an analysis of the organisation’s experience and expertise and a review of constitutional documents, accounts, and policies and procedures.  

JOA cannot accept donations. Should islanders wish to support victims of humanitarian emergencies such as natural disasters and conflict, they can do so through many of the flash appeals launched by humanitarian agencies.

Sending money, not physical items, is the quickest and most cost-effective way to provide life-saving support.