8 Humanitarian Crises that Need Our Attention

Afghanistan 

Compounding crises have hurt Afghanistan over the past four years. Two decades of war and the exit of U.S. military control in 2021 left gaping holes in aid and the near elimination of women’s rights. Unable to attend university, visit a beauty salon, or even take a walk in the park, women are desperate for spaces where they can be together, learn, and grow. As opportunities for women shrink and poverty takes over, women are dying in childbirth, families are living in tents, and famine is around the corner. 

How Women for Women International is responding: 

Since 2002, we have operated in five provinces of Afghanistan, training 131,976 women in their preferred vocation and how to save money – equipping them to be providers and decisionmakers in their community. Despite the growing crises, we have continued our full program across the country as well as emergency response in Herat and Torkham – providing shelter, clothing, hygiene kits, maternity care, and mental health services to earthquake survivors and refugees returning from Pakistan. 

Burkina Faso

Since 2015, violence in Burkina Faso has spiraled out of control, displacing over 2 million people and leaving women extremely vulnerable to abuse. For an agricultural society dependent on crops for food and livelihood, farming has become a deadly gamble for women who are being attacked in rural fields. Hunger, malnutrition, and child mortality are on the rise.   

How Women for Women International is responding: 

Through our four different partners in Burkina Faso, we are providing displaced women with the support they need to adapt to the current crisis, including training in agricultural practices, mixed farming, and organic compositing in more urban settings. We are also working to raise awareness about pervasive harms like forced marriage, witchcraft allegations, and domestic violence. 

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) 

DRC has an extensive history of violence, brutal oppression by the colonial regime, and widespread violence amid the country’s struggle for independence. As of today, a record 7 million people are internally displaced in DRC. Women and girls suffer disproportionately from high rates of violence and extreme poverty throughout DRC, and services like healthcare, psychosocial support, security, and justice for survivors of violence are limited. 

How Women for Women International is responding: 

Since 2004, our programming in DRC has trained women in both practical skills and social power. A core component of our training is access to Village Savings Loan Association (VSLAs) to generate income and save money. 98% of our DRC participants report saving a portion of their earnings by the time they graduate, compared to 23% at enrollment. As tensions rise, we are continuing our Men’s Engagement Program, which effectively curbs domestic violence and money control.  

Mali

Armed conflict, drought, and political instability have created a dire humanitarian crisis in Mali. Poverty affects half of the population, particularly impacting women and girls. Amid a catastrophic food shortage, we are seeing a drastic rise in early and forced marriage, gender-based violence, and sexual exploitation. Mali's central government expelled U.N. peacekeeping operations at the end of 2023, leaving the country to face armed groups and civilian violence on its own. 

How Women for Women International is responding: 

Through our partnership with Femmes et Développement, we are delivering emergency food baskets, small livestock like chickens, and vegetable growing kits to sustain women and their families. We are also connecting survivors of violence with case management support and establishing a referral system so that women can rapidly access the health and psychological services they need.

Palestine

Since October 2023, over 46,000 people in Gaza have been killed, most of the population has been displaced, and 92% of homes have been destroyed. Murders, domestic violence, and economic turmoil are also on the rise in the West Bank, where people are living under a blockade. Access to food and healthcare is severely restricted. Even before this latest escalation, Palestinian women experienced high levels of intimate partner violence and discrimination. 

How Women for Women International is responding: 

We are helping our partners in Gaza and the West Bank provide lifesaving food, warm clothing, blankets, diapers, hygiene kits, and trauma-informed counseling. Our supporters have helped create two tent encampments and keep a community kitchen operational for over a year. As we celebrate the ceasefire, we know the road to recovery will be long. We are committed to the rebuilding of Palestine by launching our holistic Stronger Women, Stronger Nations program as soon as it is possible.

Sudan

Both genocide and famine have been declared in Sudan. Since fighting broke out in April of 2023, more than 60,000 people have been killed, and 11 million people have been displaced. 25 million people (more than half the population) need humanitarian assistance – it is now the largest humanitarian crisis on record. Death by starvation is a daily occurrence and the health system has collapsed. Civilians are subject to frequent attacks and women are being raped, sold into slavery, and killed at alarming rates. 

How Women for Women International is responding: 

Through our local Conflict Response Fund partners in Sudan, we are meeting women’s most urgent needs like food, housing, and healthcare. To help with the growing famine, our partners are delivering emergency food kits to displaced women and girls. In addition to training midwives and supporting mobile clinics, we are providing trauma counseling for survivors of gender-based violence, documenting cases of rape, and conducting community prevention programs. 

South Sudan

The youngest country in the world, South Sudan’s political stability has been marred by intercommunal hostility and violent clashes since its independence from Sudan in 2011. With the war raging in Sudan, thousands are fleeing into South Sudan. For women and girls, the worsening climate and deforestation places a great risk on their safety—they are regularly targeted for kidnapping as well as brutal acts of violence by roving soldiers.

How Women for Women International is responding: 

Women for Women International began operating in South Sudan in 2006, working with displaced women and survivors of sexual and physical violence. Our first office was established in Rumbek before relocating to Yei. Through our Stronger Women, Stronger Nations program, women choose and pursue different vocational tracks, including baking, sewing, and harvesting crops. They strengthen their skills in earning and saving money to sustain their livelihoods. We also run our Change Agents and Men’s Engagement programs in South Sudan to further women's rights and transform communities.

Syria

After nearly 14 years of civil war, 7.2 million Syrians have been displaced and 90% live below the poverty line. The fall of the brutal Assad regime leaves a great uncertainty as refugees return home to a country without jobs, housing, or stability. Many women endured unimaginable sexual violence during the war and now face the risk of rejection by their communities.

How Women for Women International is responding: 

Since 2003, we've served Syrian refugees in Iraq with our holistic programming—helping women build skills, earn money, and create new lives. Since 2020, we've partnered with Women Now for Development to provide vocational training on the outskirts of Idlib and the countryside around Aleppo. We are pivoting to direct emergency aid in the wake of Syria's current context, including case management, cash support, safe shelter, medical care, and trauma counseling – with a focus on women freed from torture prisons.