Norwegian Church Aid’s humanitarian impact
In partnership with Norad, NCA drove progress in humanitarian aid, climate resilience, gender equality, and health, strengthening Norway’s footprint where the needs are the greatest.
Text: Anette Torjusen
Photo: Håvard Bjelland and Håvard Hovdhaugen
«Justice never goes out of style, and even though it may be hard to see it now, the world is still holding together.»
Anne Cecilie Kaltenborn, Secretary General, Norwegian Church Aid
From 2020 to 2024, Norwegian Church Aid (NCA), in close partnership with Norad, made meaningful progress in advancing humanitarian goals worldwide. Despite global challenges, including conflict, climate crises, and economic instability, NCA remained a strong advocate for justice, dignity, and resilience.
During this period, NCA strengthened Norway’s humanitarian profile by reaching vulnerable communities, especially in conflict zones and disaster-affected areas. Gender equality remained a core focus, with NCA leading efforts to combat gender-based violence and empower women and girls.
NCA also prioritized climate and health. As Norway increased its aid in these areas, NCA implemented programs that addressed urgent needs.
From 2020-2024 over 3 million people was reached with Water, Sanitation and Hygiene-services. Over 1,8 millions were reached by hygiene promotion activities. Two of them were Galyna and Oleksandr in Ukraine.
Restoring water, restoring hope
When the Karlivka Dam was destroyed in June 2023, thousands in eastern Ukraine lost access to clean drinking water. In frontline villages like Ocheretyno, residents were forced to rely on expensive bottled water or unsafe wells. The crisis hit hard, especially for the 1.7 million children among the 10 million people affected.
Thanks to our work in hard-to-reach areas, nearly 8,000 people now have access to safe water again. Among them are Oleksandr and Galyna Zavgorodnii, who can finally drink, cook, and clean without fear.
“This was a real challenge,” says Mayor Katarina Miliuta, as air raid sirens echo in the background. “But clean water has brought relief and dignity back to our community.”
From 2020-2024 1,8 million girls, boys, women and men accessed a sufficient quantity of safe water for drinking, cooking and personal
hygiene.
From 2020-2024 over 1 million girls, boys, women, and men were reached through outreach activities addressing harmful social norms
and systemic gender inequality. One of them was "Salama" in Tigray in Ethiopia.
Scars of war in Tigray
The war in Tigray, Ethiopia, left deep scars—especially for women like “Salama” and her 17-year-old daughter. When soldiers stormed their village, her husband and son fled to avoid being killed. Salama and her daughter were left behind.
Threatened at knifepoint, Salama watched helplessly as her daughter was brutally attacked and raped. The trauma left her daughter unable to walk or speak.
Years of drought, poverty, and violence have devastated the region. But at a women’s center supported by Norwegian Church Aid, Salama’s daughter received psychosocial care. Today, she can speak again and walk with crutches. The road to healing is long, but hope has returned.
379,264 Sexual gender based violence-survivors accessed lifesaving, specialised SGBV services appropriate and relevant to their immediate needs. One of them is Winny.
Winny lost her child while fleeing Sudan
27-year-old Winny Abzala fled the war in Sudan with her four children. On the way, one of them became seriously ill and died. Now living in a refugee camp in Juba, South Sudan, she receives support at Norwegian Church Aid’s center for women and girls.
“I left with four children, but now I have only three,” she says quietly.
Winny escaped intense fighting in Khartoum and found temporary shelter in Renk before continuing to Juba. Life in the camps has been difficult, and as a single mother, she struggles to provide for her family.
At the women’s center, she is learning embroidery and business skills to help build a future for her children.
85,902 children and young people in crisis and conflict situations were reached with enhanced protection activities, like Vlad and Iryna in Ukraine.
The forgotten victims of war
In war-torn Ukraine, children with disabilities face even greater challenges. Vlad, a young boy in Odesa, can’t attend kindergarten due to his condition and the lack of bomb shelters. His mother, Iryna, is left to care for him alone, unable to work and struggling financially.
The war has worsened Vlad’s anxiety, and they often shelter on a mattress in the kitchen during air raids. Without access to medication or proper services, life is extremely difficult.
Support from NCA has provided some relief through psychosocial help and basic supplies, but the need remains great.
1,264,937 girls, boys, women, and men were reached through Quick Impact Projects and flexible funding. One of them is Sana from Burkina Faso.
Sana's grandfather was beheaded by jihadists
He ran a small currency exchange kiosk in Djibu when two jihadists came to withdraw money. He told them they needed to show identification, as required by the rules. They refused, and the next day, he was found beheaded in a field.
Sana (20) struggles to talk about what happened, she is still deeply affected and misses her grandfather terribly.
"Losing my grandfather was terrible, and now life is very difficult," she says.
Sana and her family decided to flee the area for their safety. After what happened, staying was no longer an option.
"At first, only the men were killed. Now they kill everyone. We didn’t dare stay," she explains.
Support and safety for Ukraine’s most vulnerable
NCA received in total 180 million NOK to Ukraine from 2022-2024. I Norwegian Church Aid is delivering life-saving aid in Ukraine. Together with local partners, NCA provides emergency relief, psychosocial support for children with disabilities, and safe spaces for women and girls in Odesa. By strengthening services for survivors of gender-based violence, NCA is helping communities heal and rebuild with dignity.
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