Crisis response

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.