Most people think of the multi-billion-dollar aid system in terms of the recognisable big players – UN organisations, international NGOs, government donors. But thousands of others are working independently to support those affected by crisis. Many aren’t considered formal aid workers, and most go unrecognised by the traditional humanitarian system. Here are four people working […]
As Pakistan reels from some of its worst flooding ever, survivors are asking why more wasn’t done to prepare communities long known to be at risk. The vast scale of the disaster – following a record heat wave across South Asia in May – is also adding to pressure on rich nations over reparations ahead […]
Earlier this year, dozens of senior policymakers in humanitarian response gathered virtually to discuss “decolonising” an international aid sector accused of being top-down, unaccountable, and – in some cases – racist and with unhealthy levels of power over the people it serves. It had been nearly two years since the murder of yet another unarmed […]
In the coastal town of Mirissa, which boasts one of Sri Lanka’s most popular beaches, hotel manager Jeewanthi Jayasinghe, 30, is fretting about her staff. It used to be that 5,000 rupees could comfortably feed a family of three or four for a week. “Now, 5,000 is not even enough for three days. A kilo […]
Syria’s crushing economic downfall has impacted just about every aspect of life, including things many would rather not talk about. The cost of menstrual products has soared so high that the often-taboo topic of period poverty is starting to creep out into the open, as women resort to dangerous methods to get by while others […]
The World Health Organization’s annual ministerial meeting opens on 22 May with the prospect of diplomatic fireworks over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and with critics slamming the pace of reforms to strengthen the health agency’s response to pandemics as too slow. The World Health Assembly, which runs from 22-28 May in Geneva, is where the WHO’s […]
