Disaster Relief
When disaster strikes, it tears the fabric of a community—but together, we can mend it with kindness, resilience, and hope standing strong with communities in Crisis
Each year, natural disasters and conflicts dominate global headlines, yet countless equally devastating crises unfold unnoticed. For the ninth consecutive year, we are amplifying the voices of those affected by the world’s most underreported emergencies—ensuring that no crisis, no matter how silent, is ever ignored.
Natural disasters don’t wait; floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, and wildfires leave devastation in their wake. Families are left without shelter, clean water, or food. Children are at risk of disease and malnutrition. The need is urgent, and the window to help is closing. But together, we can turn despair into hope.
We respond swiftly to disasters, providing lifesaving aid and long-term support to communities affected by disease outbreaks, earthquakes, extreme weather, humanitarian crises, hurricanes, typhoons, volcanoes, and wildfires. Our mission is clear: to save lives, build resilience, and foster hope for a brighter future.
Behind the statistics are human lives—-mothers, fathers, and children facing daily struggles without adequate humanitarian aid or international support. History shows that a lack of media attention often correlates with insufficient funding for critical assistance, compounding the challenges for those affected.
Top Crises
We are living in a world out of balance. Find out what is driving the most pressing humanitarian crises around the world.
11 December 2024
Last updated: 11 December 2024
Photo: Timothy Yangale for the STDWO.
Somalia: Conflict and drought drive destabilization
For the third consecutive year, Somalia remains on the Emergency Watchlist’s top 10. Al-Shabaab, a powerful armed group, conducted more than 120 attacks in the first nine months of 2024 and its influence could expand as the African Union’s stabilization mission (ATMIS) prepares to withdraw from the country. Meanwhile, rising inter-clan conflict has fueled instability.
Climate shocks also pose an enormous threat to the East African nation. Somalia is still recovering from a catastrophic drought that lasted from 2021 to 2023 and worsened hunger and childhood acute malnutrition across the country. Yet, despite Somalia’s extreme vulnerability to climate change, it has received less than 0.1% of global climate finance funding.
Burundi: Extreme weather and hunger
Burundi is one of the poorest countries in the world. 52% of children under the age of 5 are chronically undernourished in the small, densely populated East African nation. Subject to political tensions and violence throughout the recent past, the consequences of the climate crisis are only making things worse.
In 2024, the extreme impacts of El Niño impacted 298,000 people in Burundi—half of whom were women and girls. Around 48,000 people were forced to flee their homes due to catastrophes like torrential rain, landslides, and overflooding lakes. This increased the number of displaced people in Burundi to over 100,000.
Extreme weather fluctuations are also leading to increased hunger. 2.2 million people in Burundi suffer from acute food insecurity. 229,000 experience extreme hunger.
Mozambique: Food is always in short supply
Since 2017, conflict in Mozambique’s northern province of Cabo Delgado has displaced 1.7 million people, but the dire crisis goes largely overlooked. The insecure situation is forcing entire villages to flee, but even then, there is rarely enough food, water, or shelter.
Most educational and healthcare facilities in Cabo Delgado are closed, which means children go without school, families cannot access vaccines or medicine, and mothers are forced to give birth unaided.
Climate change has brought cyclones and droughts to Mozambique, destroying crops and making food even more scarce. Farmers have no seeds to replant their crops, and displacement has exacerbated a shortage of agricultural workers. 2.78 million people are affected by acute food insecurity with no end in sight.
Zambia: It’s either too wet or too dry
With over half of Zambia’s citizens relying on farming, extreme weather has left the population in crisis. In 2024, the country faced its worst drought in over 40 years, driven by El Niño and ongoing climate crises. 9.8 million people have been affected.
After heavy rains gave way to a drought, electricity shortages ensued, disrupting daily life as springs dried up and livestock perished. Harvests fell 43% below average.
The most vulnerable people, primarily women and children, are suffering the most; nearly 5 million people lack adequate food, with one in four children under five facing acute food insecurity. The catastrophic situation has forced women and girls to take long treks to find water, often at great personal risk.
Our Guiding Principle
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Our Vision
We envision a world where communities are resilient in the face of disaster, empowered with the resources and support needed to recover swiftly and sustainably. We strive for a future where every individual affected by crises can rebuild their lives with dignity, hope, and opportunity.
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Our Mission
Together with communities affected by conflict and disaster, we provide immediate relief, strengthen their ability to recover, and support their journey toward lasting peace, health and stability.
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Our Values
With courage, passion, and drive, we find practical solutions.
We treat every partner with transparency, honesty, and candour.
We place integrity and mutual respect at the heart of everything we do.
We deliver on our mission through partnership.
We focus on learning, sustainability, and innovation to exceed expectations.
Ways You Can Make a Difference
You have the power to make a difference — to help save our fragile world and uplift communities in 25 countries around the globe.
Make an Impact Today
Every effort, no matter how small, can transform lives, uplift communities, and build a better future. Whether through a donation, volunteering, or raising awareness, your support today can bring hope where it’s needed most.
Get Involved and Change Lives
Each of us holds the power to make a difference. By giving your time, resources, or voice, you can bring hope to those in need, support struggling communities, and inspire lasting change.
Empower Humanity Through Your Business
Drive meaningful change, support communities in need, and create opportunities for a better tomorrow. Every partnership, contribution, and effort from your business can uplift lives and foster a more compassionate, equitable world.
Giving Heals. Giving Helps.
Every action we take, every life we save or improve, is made possible by an act of generosity given freely. You don’t have to donate — and that’s what makes it so extraordinary when you support our course.
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