The last time Rami felt joy was a couple of months ago. He danced with his daughters Lamar and Naya after learning that, finally, after 7 years in Lebanon, he would start receiving cash assistance. He has no idea why it took so long, but baby Salwa, the latest addition to the family, might be the reason. She was officially registered, and the UN refugee agency added her to the records of their family composition ..read more

It is a bright and sunny Monday in Tmar Kaul, a small district in Cambodia’s northwestern province of Battambang. 14-year-old Tao Socheat is enthusiastically preparing her school bag – it is her first day back to school after recent floods forced the school the close for several weeks and she can’t wait to see her friends. Socheat is a seventh-grade student from Kouk Khmum secondary school located ​about 2.5 kilometres from her home. She lives with her grandparents and younger sister in a small house constructed entirely from rusted metal sheets ..read more

With EU humanitarian funding, aid agencies provide basic humanitarian assistance, including the rehabilitation of health centres and schools. We have committed nearly €17 million in 2021 alone to address some of the most basic needs for the displaced and local host communities. “First we fled into the bush when Al Shabab attacked our village”, explains Jifa Nguile who is over 70 years old. “But my sons then helped me and my granddaughters to flee first to Macomia and then to this place near Pemba, where we feel much more secure ..read more

Zuhur was an English teacher back in Syria. Her face brightens when she talks about those days. When the war broke out, Zuhur and her husband took refuge in Turkey with their 4-month-old son. Some 2 years later, they had another baby. Zuhur grew up in a big family. In Syria, she was surrounded by relatives, friends, colleagues, and her dear students. When she and her husband were trying to rebuild their lives, they were all alone in their struggles. Being away from her loved ones and not being able to practice her profession drove Zuhur to despair ..read more

During incidents, the UNRWA protection team directly interacts with the Israeli military to advocate for the protection of the children and to de-escalate the situation. The team also helps coordinate the evacuation of students and staff. Documenting potential violations, the team raises its concerns with the Israeli authorities. Whenever certain risks or trends become obvious, UNRWA tries to address them. For instance, the protection team has been instrumental in rolling out tear gas response trainings for students and staff ..read more

Even though she has lived in a displacement camp for the past 5 years with little food and water, 68-year-old Apuk Bak remains selfless. She is a mother, a grandmother and a women’s leader in the South Sudanese refugee community on the outskirts of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. “When I close my eyes to think of a wish, I only dream of serving my community and my family,” Apuk says ..read more

"It's really difficult for me to think about the incident and the loss that I suffered is unfathomable,” says Krishna Bahadur Newar, whose home in Barhabise, a municipality in Sindhupalchowk, was swept away by a recent landslide. “The sudden landslide not only took away my home and property but also my wife, leaving me and my injured son all alone. I was frightened and furious at the same time for losing everything," he says ..read more

“We are going to cut your baby daughter into pieces, then we are going to kill your boy and rape your wife to death in front of your eyes. Then, after you have seen all this, we are going to kill you too.” This is what members of one of the powerful criminal gangs active in El Salvador told Manuel* on a rainy afternoon, while he was standing on the doorstep of his little house ..read more

The current climate and environmental crisis calls on all of us to reduce the environmental footprint of human activity. How to do this in the context of humanitarian actions is of importance to the whole humanitarian community. For the past year, the European Commission has been on an environmental journey to find more ways of supporting the implementation of a greener humanitarian response. We also want to reduce the environmental and climate footprint of the humanitarian operations we fund as much as possible ..read more

Life has never been without its challenges for 14-year-old Firouzeh. Ever since a medical complication at birth, Firouzeh has been living with a physical impairment. Her parents fled poverty and insecurity in Afghanistan more than 25 years ago, seeking refuge in neighbouring Iran where they have lived as refugees since. With her father working as a daily labourer and her mother as a housewife, they live a meagre existence ..read more