Help Around the World
I write a lot about what is happening in other parts of the world. Having grown up in a very stable country that has avoided direct front line conflict for a long time, I consider myself to be very fortunate. Organizations like the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, also referred to as Doctors Without Borders) operate in some of the most distressed countries and are on the front lines of conflicts. Many conflicts have become more dire in the past few years as the Pandemic has complicated operations and strained current frameworks. Donations to both organizations assist with medical care, emergency shelter, critical aid, good hygiene, clean water, sanitary kits, psychological support, and so much more.
Humanitarian organizations are needed to help set up basic infrastructure in places of conflict, war, and disaster. There are many global and grassroots organizations that assist around the world.
Photo by: Squarespace
While this is not an exhaustive list of involvement, it does highlight some of the biggest aid projects that the organizations have been working on in recent years. The information below is a snapshot in time. For updated information you can visit the websites for UNHCR and MSF. In November of 2022, the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan leaders have signed a truce. Both UNHCR and MSF have operated to assist displaced persons during this war. Support from these organizations will be needed on an ongoing basis. Hopefully the truce will allow for humanitarian supplies travel more easily.
~~~ UNHCR ~~~
UNHCR 2021/2022 Donor Impact Report
January 2021: Over 200,000 people have been displaced due to insecurity with general elections in the Central African Republic.
February 2021: Conflict in Yemen’s Marib Region continues, and famine is a threat for 20 million people.
March 2021: Fire in a Rohingya Refugee camp destroyed the camp set up in Bangladesh’s Kutupalong settlement.
April 2021: Ongoing armed attacks in Mozambique continue to displace people in the region. Over 700,000 people have been displaced since the start of the crisis three years ago.
May 2021: 450,000 people were displaced due to a volcanic eruption in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
June 2021: Displaced Venezuelans have been struggling with the southern hemisphere winter season.
July 2021: Violence in the Tigray region of Northern Ethiopia continues as hundreds of thousands flee as refugees to neighboring countries including Sudan.
August 2021: Support efforts continue in Afghanistan to help internally displaced persons, which are mostly women and children.
September 2021: Covid-19 continues to affect so many in countries where UNHCR is active. Ongoing health, water, and sanitation assistance is ongoing.
October 2021: Refugees in eastern Europe continue to face hardship in finding shelter and food.
November 2021: Ethiopian refugees in eastern Sudan face risk of flooding in the rainy season of Sudan. Approximately 80% of the world’s displaced people come from countries that face an immediate threat from the climate emergency.
December 2021: In Cameroon’s far north region, there is ongoing fighting over dwindling water supplies. This has displaced tens of thousands in the region.
UNHCR 2020/2021 Donor Impact Report
January 2020: Violence in Sudan’s West Darfur Displaces tens of thousands. Many fleed to Chad or were displaced internally. UNHCR assisted displaced persons.
February 2020: Fighting escalated in North West Syrian Idlib province. UNHCR assisted displaced persons.
March 2020: Covid-19: The virus has had a severe impact on forcibly displaced persons, who are more likely to be living in poverty and have less access to healthcare. UNHCR scaled up health, water sanitation and hygiene services to keep people safe.
April 2020: Central Sahel Region (Burkino Faso, Mali, Niger): world’s fastest growing displacement crisis. UNHCR scaled up protection and assistance to displaced persons.
May 2020: Rohingya refugees: Cyclone Amphan was the strongest storm ever recorded in Bay of Bengal. Rohingya fleeing Myanmar. UNHCR provided emergency response and strengthening shelters.
June 2020: Cold Winter for Venezuelans: dispaced persons were especially vulnerable. UNHCR provided shelter blankets and food.
July 2020: Aid Funding gaps in Yemen from various countries resulted in severe lack of funds. 20 million Yemenis rely on aid for survival. UNHCR was able to continue to assist the program.
August 2020: Lebanon Port Explosion: UNHCR was able to provide on ground assistance.
September 2020: Fires in Moria Camp in Lesvos Greece. UNHCR was there to support.
October 2020: Underfunding due to COVID-19 pandemic has made humanitarian projects more challenging to fund. Funding from donors has allowed UNHCR operations to continue.
November 2020: Eritrean refugees in Tigray Ethiopia, flee to Sudan. UNHCR on site to assist with relocation efforts.
December 2020: Climate change risk increasing risks for displacement. UNHCR is increasing climate action and identifying at-risk populations.
Afghanistan (Details as of September 10, 2021)
“Afghanistan is on course to witness the highest ever number of documented civilian casualties in a single year since the UN’s records began.”
390,000 fleeing Afghanistan since May 2021.
3 million civilians are already displaced.
2.2 million civilians are refugees in Iran and Pakistan.
Women and children represent 80% of those forced to flee.
“More women and children have been killed in 2021 than in any year since records began.
Ethiopia (Details as of March, 2021)
Eritrea Refugees fleeing to Tigray Region (Ethiopia), and forced to flee to Sudan.
Ongoing civil war between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and national government.
Since November 2020, Ethiopia’s Tigray Region has been under a state of emergency.
Approximately 2.3 million people affected.
Ethiopia is the second largest refugee-hosting country in Africa.
Conflict is making it difficult to provide aid in Tigray Region.
UNHCR has been assisting with relocation of Eritrean refugees to southern camps in Tigray Region and to Sudan as well as providing shelter.
UNHCR working to establish a protocol for verification and assistance to these refugees.
Ethiopia has many challenges now including urgent need for food, health and nutrition, clean water, hygiene, sanitation, shelter, and emergency infrastructure.
Sudan (Details as of March, 2021)
UNHCR is screening and registering new refugees to the country, and providing temporary shelters.
Medical assistance for most vulnerable: pregnant women, persons with disabilities, unaccompanied children.
Increased refugees coming from Ethiopia and from Eritrea.
Need protection, education, health, access to clean water, sanitation, shelter and core relief.
Continued development of refugee sites.
~~~~ Medecins Sans Frontier ~~~
MSF Canada 2021 Annual Report
Afghanistan has seen great misfortune since the withdrawl of forces in 2021. MSF continues to assist in providing medical assistance to patients in all regions of the country.
Hundreds of thousands have been displaced in the Central African Republic. In 2021, there was ongoing fighting between armed opposition and the government forces. MSF runs multiple programs continue to provide medical treatment to so many in need.
After the presidential assassination in Haiti in July 2021, there has been ongoing unrest in the country. Less than one month later, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit the country. MSF continued to run emergency operations, and ran mobile clinics.
South Sudan has a volatile security situation despite having a unified government. Food insecurity, disease outbreaks, and sever flooding continue to affect the country. It is estimated that by the end of 2021 approximately two thirds of the country required humanitarian assistance.
There are approximately 2.7 million displaced people in northern Syria. Where the security situation permitted safe operation, MSF supported eight hospitals in Idlib and Aleppo governorates.
In 2020, due to Covid-19 pandemic, MSF had interventions from 72 to more than 85 countries around the world. Below is a summary of some of the aid projects they are involved in.
Democratic Republic of Congo (2020 Annual Summary)
$174 million in aid
1.69 million outpatient consultations
2020 Staff Local: 2707
2020 Staff International: 362
Armed conflict, displacement, sexual violence, measles epidemic, Ebola outbreak
South Sudan (2020 Annual Summary)
There are no roads or cars, only boats in some areas requiring urgent care. “Since there is no phone network, people usually send the strongest person available to walk fast and inform us that someone needs medical care, or they ask fisherman or commercial boats on the river to tell us.” - Mamman Mustapha – MSF project coordinator from Nigeria.
Niger (As of September 24, 2021)
Southern Niger teams treating a high number of children with malaria and malnutrition.
“Between July and October, the rainy season and seasonal food insecurity triggers a spike in malaria and malnutrition rates” The combination of struggles leads to 1 million children affected by malnutrition annually, and approximately 50,000 die each year.
Mozambique (As of 5 July, 2021)
Cabo Delgado, one of Mozambique’s poorest provinces
Armed groups attacking villages since 2017
May 28, 2020 violence increased in Macomia. Internal displacement is a continued challenge in the region.
If you got through the entire article, I appreciate you taking the time to read through the content and learn about the challenges faced by so many around the world. Organizations like the UNHCR and MSF help a lot of people around the world. For updated information you can visit the websites for UNHCR and MSF.
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Disclosure: I do not receive any form of compensation to promote either organization.
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