Skip to main content
Flood victim Fagesi Jere (85) from Mphamba Village, Nsanje, Malawi. Photo: Chris Gagnon/Concern WorldwideFlood victim Fagesi Jere (85) from Mphamba Village, Nsanje, Malawi. Photo: Chris Gagnon/Concern WorldwideFlood victim Fagesi Jere (85) from Mphamba Village, Nsanje, Malawi. Photo: Chris Gagnon/Concern Worldwide

Emergencies

Emergencies

Why emergencies? Many of the countries in which we work are highly vulnerable to emergencies and shocks as a result of conflict and natural disasters. These vulnerabilities are unfortunately likely to increase in coming years as the effects of climate change worsen.

Our goal is to respond rapidly to save lives and reduce suffering and this is exactly what we do. In an emergency situation, we act quickly to save lives. Once the immediate crisis has passed, we remain on the ground helping to rebuild livelihoods and infrastructure so that communities are better prepared for future crises. Additionally, we advocate for changes in the way the world responds to emergency situations.

Thousands of people are taking shelter in metro stations in Ukraine due to the conflict.
Thousands of people are taking shelter in metro stations in Ukraine due to the conflict.
Concern Worldwide team responding to flooding in Sitteb Village, Sudan Photo: Ibrahim Adam Osman / Concern Worldwide
Concern Worldwide team responding to flooding in Sitteb Village, Sudan Photo: Ibrahim Adam Osman / Concern Worldwide
Fire fighters clear debris from a fire station in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
Fire fighters clear debris from a fire station in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
Concern staff member Amani Sahmarani distributes emergency supplies in Lebanon. Photo: Concern Worldwide.
Concern staff member Amani Sahmarani distributes emergency supplies in Lebanon. Photo: Concern Worldwide.
People look at a house that was destroyed by the earthquake in Haiti.
People look at a house that was destroyed by the earthquake in Haiti.
Samira's husband and Concern staff bringing water to their home the morning after Samira delivered a baby girl. Samira, a young Somali mother with seven children, received water from Concern Worldwide in time for the birth of her 7th child. Photo: Concern Worldwide
Concern staff bringing water to family in Somaliland. Photo: Concern Worldwide

A closer look at our emergency programmes

We aim to contribute to lasting improvements in the lives of the extreme poor through the implementation of rapid responding, risk reduction and community resilient programmes. Here we spotlight three of our approaches.

Rapid emergency response

One of the main objectives of our emergency programme is to respond rapidly to emergencies in order to save lives and reduce suffering. For example, by March 2017 drought and conflict had left nearly 23 million people in South Sudan, Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. We expanded our emergency response in these countries to directly assist 1.5 million people in the most vulnerable communities.

In Bangladesh, our rapid scale-up during the influx of an estimated 671,000 Rohingya refugees fleeing conflict in Myanmar demonstrated the flexibility and agility of our systems in coping with the sudden arrival of an unprecedented number of refugees. In Cox’s Bazar district, we screened over 61,000 children under five years old for malnutrition, and provided therapeutic feeding for around 2,700 severely malnourished children. We also provided health, nutrition and counselling services to over 13,000 women.

Disaster risk reduction

Community resilience

Apoline Niyosenge is taught how to wash her hands properly by Concern community worker Abel Bamwisho, DRC. Photo: Pamela Tulizo

Help those in need across the world

  • Our mission is to permanently transform the lives of people living in extreme poverty.

  • When an emergency strikes we are among the first on the ground.

  • We go to the ends of earth to deliver aid where it's needed most.

Donate now
Share your concern
Share