When an emergency happens, it’s vital women and girls receive help fast, because all too often they are ones most at risk. The threat of violence against women and girls is heightened, and they may have additional needs such as sanitary products or reproductive services.
During a crisis, CARE and our partners deliver emergency supplies such as food, clothing, cash, and sanitary products, and help make sure women and girls have the shelter, healthcare and the protection they need to stay safe.
Salma’s story: I took only what I could carry
This kind of support is vital for women like Salma, who is one of the fourteen million people who have had to flee their homes since conflict broke out in Syria 12 years ago, leaving everything they’ve ever known behind and often taking nothing but the clothes on their backs.
When the conflict first started, Salma didn’t know what to do or where to go. "Everybody around us fled," she said. "I looked at my small motorcycle, piled my children onto it and took only what I could carry.”
As the conflict raged, Salma struggled to provide for her family. She told us:
I lost my job when the war started. I had no income and could not buy food. My only wish was to give my children a glass of milk.”
CARE is helping women like Salma to rebuild their lives
As well as providing emergency support in the immediate aftermath of a crisis, CARE works with communities to help them rebuild their lives. This includes running programmes to help women start their own businesses and lift themselves and their communities out of poverty – just like Salma did after receiving a business grant from CARE.
Women in crisis situations need your support
Following the devastating earthquakes earlier this year, many families in Syria are now facing a crisis upon a crisis. Where houses, schools and other buildings once stood, there are now collapsed walls and piles of rubble. Basic infrastructure, everyday appliances and tools for work have been destroyed. Treasured items are broken or missing.
But the crisis in Syria is just one of many happening right now around the world. For every woman like Salma we have helped, there are many more who still need support. Together, we can help women come out of a crisis stronger and more determined than ever before.
Images © Abdullah Hammam/Syria Resilience Consortium