Text by Åsne Gullikstad.
In the shadow of Ukraine and Gaza, millions of people around the world are affected by crises few people are aware of. Here are some of the “forgotten” crises where NCA is present.
Several humanitarian crises in the world rarely make the media headlines and do not receive the necessary support from donors and the international community. Here is an overview of some of the world’s largest humanitarian crises where NCA is working.
The Crisis:
In April 2023, a civil war broke out in Sudan. The war has led to millions being displaced both within Sudan and to neighboring countries. According to the UN, more than half of Sudan’s population faces critical food shortages.
In the coming months, 756,000 people in Sudan could face catastrophic food shortages and risk starvation, warned the UN and aid groups in June 2024.
What NCA is doing:
NCA has been working with development in Sudan for over 50 years. Since the war started in 2023, we have ensured access to clean water, toilets, and hygiene packages with soap and sanitary pads for thousands of people.
We also work against gender-based violence, including preventing child marriages and teenage pregnancies.
The civil war in Sudan started in 2023. The picture shows destruction in Omdurman outside Khartoum, which has been heavily affected. Photo: Ivor Prickett/The New York Times/NTB
The Crisis:
Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world and has experienced many crises, including the 2010 earthquake that killed at least 200,000 people.
The country is also affected by a spiral of violence with armed gangs in and around the capital, which worsened significantly this year.
Nearly 580,000 people were internally displaced in June - a 60 % increase from March, according to the UN’s migration organization, IOM.
What NCA is doing:
NCA has been working with development in Haiti for many years and has programmes in the south of the country. Through local partner organizations, we help improve water and sanitation conditions.
We also work with local partners to strengthen agricultural production so that people can improve their diets and earn incomes.
Violence from armed gangs has severely affected the civilian population in Haiti for a long time, but it got even worse this year. Here from the capital, Port-au-Prince. Photo: REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol/NTB
The Crisis:
Burkina Faso is experiencing multiple crises, including violence from armed groups, poverty, inequality, food shortages, and climate change. As a result, more than 1.4 million people have fled their homes, making Burkina Faso one of the fastest growing displacement crises in the world, according to UNHCR.
What NCA is doing:
NCA’s programme in Burkina Faso started in 2020. We mainly work with water, sanitation, and hygiene services, gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health, and peacebuilding. Much of this support goes to internally displaced refugees.
We provide emergency contraception at rape crisis centers and health stations. We also engage in peacebuilding by empowering individuals and groups in communities to mediate conflicts.
The Sahel region, including Mali and Burkina Faso, is severely affected by crises. Here from Burkina Faso, where refugees from Mali reside in the camp in Goudebo. Photo: Joerg Boehtling/Imago/NTB
The Crisis:
Approximately 32% of Mali’s population will need humanitarian aid in 2024, according to the UN. The causes include armed conflicts and climate crises such as drought and flooding.
The security situation has become increasingly tough, with jihadist groups taking more control over larger geographical areas. Hundreds of thousands are internally displaced.
What NCA is doing:
We provide increased access to water, sanitation, and hygiene services and prevent gender-based violence. An important part of our work has been to strengthen local conflict resolution and include women in peace processes.
We also work on measures that build resilience in communities to make them better equipped to handle crises.
Armed conflicts and climate crises such as drought have hit Mali. Here, children play football by a dried-up river in Mopti, Mali. Photo: Michele Cattani/AFP/NTB
The Crisis:
Conflict, violence, and attacks plague the country, making Somalia one of the world’s most dangerous countries. In recent years, many have lost their lives in violent attacks.
Additionally, the country has been affected by prolonged drought, and this year there have been several floods. Gender-based violence is a major problem, as are water and food shortages. The country has repeatedly been on the brink of famine.
What NCA is doing:
NCA works with water, climate-smart agriculture, and food security. We also have peacebuilding as one of our programme areas.
We work to strengthen small-scale food producers with local food production and reduce the food crisis in the country.
Somalia is experiencing drought and famine. Here from Hadji Khair outside Garowe in Puntland, Somalia in 2022. Photo: Håvard Bjelland, Norwegian Church Aid.
The Crisis:
The war in the Tigray region in the north and drought have led to 21 million Ethiopians relying on external food aid. Ethiopia is one of the countries hardest hit by climate change.
Conflict, drought, and flooding have led to three million people being internally displaced by the end of last year. Additionally, Ethiopia has taken in over a million people from other countries, especially from Sudan.
What NCA is doing:
NCA has been present in Ethiopia for 50 years. We contribute to peacebuilding, climate measures, water, sanitation, and hygiene, and work against gender-based violence.
We work to combat hunger, and in the war-torn Tigray, we distribute seeds and agricultural tools.
In Tigray, which in recent years has been affected by war and drought, Norwegian Church Aid has distributed seeds and agricultural tools. Here from near Mekelle in Tigray in 2024. Photo: Håvard Bjelland, Norwegian Church Aid
The Crisis:
In 2024, more than 25.4 million people – a quarter of the country’s population – need help. The situation is most severe in the east of the country, where armed conflicts have worsened over the past year. Women and children are particularly vulnerable.
This is one of the world’s most serious crises, according to the UN. Climate change, particularly causing floods, has worsened the situation.
What NCA is doing:
In DR Congo, NCA works in the east of the country. We help provide clean water, sanitation services, and hygiene, part of this as a response to cholera outbreaks.
We help and protect survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. We also work to combat inequality and poverty.
In DR Congo, Norwegian Church Aid works in the eastern part of the country, including providing water. Here from a water post in the refugee camp in Minova in 2018. Photo: Håvard Bjelland, Norwegian Church Aid.
The Crisis:
Many years of war in Syria have made the humanitarian situation very serious. The war that started in 2011 has in recent years turned into a frozen conflict.
The situation has been worsened by economic collapse and climate change. In 2023, a massive earthquake hit the population in the north.
What NCA is doing:
NCA has been working in Syria since 2012, particularly with water, sanitation, and hygiene. We work to ensure clean and safe water, repair damaged infrastructure, and provide hygiene measures in communities, schools, and health centers to prevent diseases.
Through local partners, we also offer mental health services and psychosocial support for women and girls exposed to gender-based violence.
War, conflict, and earthquakes are some of the crises that have affected Syria. Here from Aleppo, where Norwegian Church Aid has distributed food and hygiene items after the earthquake in 2023. Photo: Håvard Bjelland, Norwegian Church Aid
The Crisis:
After decades of war and conflict, the humanitarian situation for millions of people is critical. Poverty is widespread, and climate change intensifies the situation.
According to the UNHCR, more than 23 million people inside Afghanistan and seven million Afghans in neighboring countries will need help in 2024.
What NCA is doing:
NCA’s work is particularly focused on water, sanitation, and hygiene, as well as climate-smart agriculture and job creation. We support communities affected by conflict and disasters with the distribution of emergency supplies such as tents and kitchen equipment.
We work to ensure clean water, sanitation, and hygiene items, promote peaceful coexistence, and support girls and women exposed to gender-based violence.
In the border town of Torkham in Afghanistan, Norwegian Church Aid is working and distributing hygiene kits to Afghan refugees who have been expelled from Pakistan. Photo: Håvard Bjelland, Norwegian Church Aid
The crisis:
Several countries in southern Africa are affected by an unprecedented drought. Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique are among the hardest hit. The crisis is expected to last until well into 2025. More than 30 million people will need food assistance during the October 2024 – March 2025 lean season. In February this year, the Zambian authorities declared a national emergency in most parts of the country because of the drought. Almost ten million are in need in Zambia.
What NCA is doing:
Together with our partners, NCA is present in both Zambia and Malawi. In Zambia, which has been severely affected, we are distributing food and cash and ensuring access to water. We are also distributing maize and drought-resistant seeds so that people can replant. In addition, we are working with climate-smart agriculture to make more people resilient to periods of drought.
Zambia is severely affected by drought, which expected to last well into 2025. Photo: Caroline Nenguke
The crisis:
South Sudan is a fragile state after decades of conflict and is one of the world's poorest countries. From 2013 to 2018 there was a full-scale war, and small-scale armed conflicts are still ongoing in several parts of the country. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled into South Sudan from the war in Sudan. This has increased the pressure on access to food, water and basic health services. In the autumn of 2024, South Sudan is also affected by severe flooding.
What NCA is doing:
In South Sudan, NCA has recently provided water for refugees from Sudan - including at a hospital near the border. In addition to providing emergency aid, Norwegian Church Aid works long-term to strengthen civil society through peacebuilding interventions. We provide water, sanitation and hygiene to the most vulnerable and help to protect women and girls from being exposed to gender-based violence.
South Sudan is in a fragile situation and has also received many refugees from the war in Sudan. The picture is from Renk near the border. Photo: Eva-Maria Krafczyk/DPA/NTB