The number of people in need of humanitarian assistance globally is at unprecedented levels, exacerbated by the climate emergency, conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic. As many as 828 million people worldwide are affected by hunger, and more than 100 million have been forcibly displaced from their homes by war, violence, persecution, and human rights abuses.
How CARE responds in emergencies
CARE and our partners respond quickly, at scale, to emergencies and disasters that affect the lives of millions of people around the world. Our emergency response experts provide emergency shelter, water, sanitation, food, and sexual and reproductive health support to those in need.
We use approaches that protect people’s dignity, and build resilience and social cohesion in communities before, during and after an emergency.
Our focus on women and girls
When a crisis hits, women and girls often suffer the most – and in ways that differ to men. For example, pregnant women and young mothers have specific healthcare needs which often go unmet during an emergency.
For this reason, gender is at the centre of CARE’s humanitarian response. We put a special focus on understanding and addressing the power and gender imbalances that affect women and girls in crisis situations.
Through our advocacy work, we call for women's voices to be amplified and their rights realised in humanitarian response. Our Women Lead in Emergencies approach supports women to take the lead in responding to crises that affect them and their communities.
A locally-led response
Since 2016, about half of CARE's humanitarian programming has been implemented fully or mostly with local partners.
Women are frequently the frontline responders within their communities when a crisis strikes, and they possess valuable knowledge, influence and expertise on what is needed. We prioritise working with local women’s organisations to ensure our humanitarian response meets the specific needs of women and girls.
Emergency appeals
With your support, we deliver life-saving assistance wherever and whenever disaster strikes.
Ongoing crisis response
We stay with communities long after the last cameras have gone away, supporting them to build their resilience and rebuild their lives for however long it takes.
-
Shelter
Emergency shelter protects vulnerable people from danger, suffering and exploitation following a crisis, whether man-made or the result of a natural hazard.
-
Women Lead in Emergencies
Supporting women at the frontline of conflict and disaster to take the lead in meeting the needs of their communities.
-
Humanitarian response in Yemen
Supporting communities affected by the crisis in Yemen to strengthen their resilience and help ensure the voices of the most vulnerable are heard.
-
Building resilience in Syria
Two-thirds of the Syrian population require humanitarian assistance, and 90% of families live in poverty. CARE is supporting communities to rebuild their lives and their livelihoods.
Latest crisis response news and stories
-
Internally displaced people in northern Syria brace themselves for yet another harsh winter
We spoke with internally displaced people in Syria about how they will try and keep warm this winter.
-
Ukraine: What does it feel like to live in a warzone for 1,000 days?
We spoke with women living in eastern Ukraine about what it has felt like to live in a warzone for 1,000 days. This is what they told us.
-
Bombings in Lebanon: "How my life has changed in three weeks"
Lewaa is Gender and Protection Officer for CARE Lebanon. Here to tells of how his life has changed since the escalation of the conflict, and his new route as an aid worker, distributing aid to those who urgently need it.
