Who we are

Action by Churches Together (ACT) International is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide.

ACT members are Protestant and Orthodox churches and their related agencies, drawn from the membership of the World Council of Churches and Lutheran World Federation.

Established on August 25, 1995, the global ecumenical organisation came into being as a result of the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, when churches and their related agencies around the world responded to the disaster through a mechanism that was ACT's precursor -- the then Church Action Aid.

ACT members’ strong local roots enable the alliance to provide locally based knowledge, analysis and understanding of emergencies and disasters. ACT recognises that, as important as identifying vulnerabilities and providing for people’s immediate needs are when crises occur, a vital component of its response is recognising the valuable gifts communities in crisis contribute: coping mechanisms and strategies for survival, skills and strengths, wisdom and knowledge, and resilience and courage. Strengthening local capacity lies at the heart of our responses to emergencies. The ACT alliance coordinates its global responses to humanitarian crises through the ACT Coordinating Office (CO), which is based in the Ecumenical Centre, Geneva, Switzerland, where it is registered as a legal entity.