Humanitarian crisis facts for kids

A humanitarian crisis in Bengal.

A humanitarian crisis happens when a single event or a series of events seriously threaten the health, safety, or well-being of many people. This can be a problem inside a country or between countries. It often affects a large area. When a crisis like this happens, help is needed from local groups, the country's government, and international organizations.

Every humanitarian crisis is different. This means each one needs a special plan to help the people affected. Some crises cause short-term problems, while others lead to long-lasting damage. These crises can be natural disasters (like floods), human-made disasters (like wars), or complex emergencies. Complex emergencies happen when many things combine to stop people from getting basic needs like food, clean water, or safe shelter.

Examples of humanitarian crises include wars, widespread diseases (like epidemics), famine (when there's not enough food), and natural disasters. If a crisis causes many people to move from their homes, it can also become a refugee crisis. Because of this, humanitarian crises are often complicated. Many groups, both within countries and around the world, work together to help.

What Are Humanitarian Crises?
How Do Crises Affect People?
Finding Lasting Solutions
Getting Ready for Crises
Managing Humanitarian Crises
- NGOs and Human-Made Crises
See also

What Are Humanitarian Crises?

There isn't one simple way to group humanitarian crises. Different groups and organizations define them based on the specific problems they face. For example, a local fire department might focus on floods or weather-related crises. Health organizations naturally focus on sudden health problems in a community.

Humanitarian crises can come from both natural events and human actions.

Natural disasters include tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, droughts, and wildfires. These can damage homes, cause injuries or deaths, create stress, and force people to leave their homes. They also disrupt daily life for a long time.
Human-made disasters include wars, social unrest, protests, and terrorist attacks. These can deeply affect people's physical, mental, and social well-being.

A long-lasting pandemic (a widespread disease) can also become a humanitarian crisis. This is especially true if the disease becomes very strong or spreads quickly. Examples include AIDS, bird flu, or tuberculosis. Other big health issues like cancer or global warming usually need a sudden, major event to be called a "crisis."

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) lists different types of crises. These include natural disasters, technological disasters (like chemical spills or nuclear accidents), and long-term human-made disasters (like civil wars). Around the world, humanitarian groups often separate natural disasters from "complex emergencies." Complex emergencies are usually linked to armed conflicts and wars.

How Do Crises Affect People?

Impact on Women and Children

Female refugees in Pakistan.

Sadly, women and children (especially girls) often get less attention during humanitarian crises. About three-quarters of all refugees or displaced people after a crisis are women and children. A quarter of these women are of childbearing age, and many are pregnant. During emergencies, deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth go up a lot. Women also lose access to important health services, like care before and after birth. This higher risk makes them more likely to get sick, face violence, or even die.

Organizations like the Women's Refugee Commission work to help women who are suffering from different types of humanitarian crises.

Economic Impacts

Economic problems can cause humanitarian crises, or crises can lead to economic difficulties. If a crisis hits a country, it's very important to help people get their jobs and businesses back. The Women's Refugee Commission, for example, focuses on providing education and job chances. This helps keep the economy strong in affected areas. They do this by using the skills of displaced people to help them earn money.

Sometimes, economic problems cause a crisis. This can happen when a society is unstable, or there isn't enough food. Corruption can also lead to a government collapse. The El Niño weather pattern, for instance, is expected to make hunger and displacement worse globally. Groups like the UN Food and Agriculture Organization are working to act early to lessen the damage from climate-related issues.

Environmental Impacts

Humanitarian crises, especially natural disasters like tornadoes, tsunamis, and earthquakes, harm the environment. After these disasters, natural resources can decrease a lot. The area might also become more likely to face future problems. For example, a large forest fire can cause air pollution and dust clouds. It can also release harmful gases. Wildlife in the forest is severely affected.

Water disasters like floods and tsunamis cause huge damage from water. Fish, corals, and other ocean life are harmed. This then affects the jobs of fishermen. According to the World Bank, there's a serious water shortage in the Middle East and North Africa. The Stockholm International Water Institute says urgent action is needed in water policy. They suggest letting local groups make decisions to better manage the water crisis.

Mental Health Impacts

Humanitarian crises can also cause serious mental health problems. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that one in five people in a disaster area might already have a mental health issue. The crisis can make these problems much worse. These issues can range from mild anxiety or depression to severe conditions like bipolar disorder.

Short-Term Mental Health Effects

The stress of a humanitarian crisis can cause short-term anxiety. Crises often force people from their homes and cut off their access to basic needs. This creates a lot of worry. This short-term anxiety can make it harder for people to take care of themselves. It can also slow down a community's ability to rebuild after a crisis. For people who already have mental health problems, acute stress can make their conditions harder to manage.

Long-Term Mental Health Effects

If not treated, short-term mental health problems from crises can become long-lasting. Studies show that many refugees suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because of their experiences. Many also experience depression. These conditions can last a lifetime without proper help. More research is needed to fully understand these long-term effects.

How to Help Mental Health

The WHO and other groups say that mental health care must be part of emergency help during a crisis. This care can include mental health first aid, community support groups, and regular therapy. The WHO also suggests that countries improve their mental healthcare systems even when there isn't a crisis. This way, people affected by emergencies can get the help they need afterward.

Research shows that mental health is often overlooked by first responders. Disasters can have lasting effects on people's minds. When people are helped to deal with their feelings about a disaster, they become stronger. They can also help others and get more involved in their community. When people process their feelings together, it builds stronger communities.

Finding Lasting Solutions

British aid being brought to a Sierra Leone village after war.

There is no single solution for any humanitarian crisis. Often, the main cause of a crisis is linked to many other things. Also, one problem can lead to another. For example, a flood impacts fish and ocean life (an environmental problem). This can then affect fishermen's jobs (an economic problem). This means people lose their food source and their cultural way of life. This might force women and children to work in dangerous conditions to earn money and find food (a social problem). Clearly, one crisis can have many connected impacts, and there's no easy fix. The Feinstein International Center at Tufts University studies these connections to find solutions.

Getting Ready for Crises

Being prepared for disasters is very important. It helps countries and international groups prevent, respond to, and recover from humanitarian emergencies. Disaster preparedness includes:

Material preparedness: Building strong homes, avoiding dangerous areas, and preparing emergency kits.
Behavioral preparedness: Training, early warning systems, and disaster insurance.

Several key groups guide, research, and fund disaster preparedness:

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR): This UN office works to reduce disaster risks. They help put into action the Sendai Framework, a plan for disaster risk reduction until 2030.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC): The IFRC works worldwide. They help countries prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural and human-made disasters (not wars).
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): This UN office brings together humanitarian groups. Their goal is to make sure help is given in a clear and organized way during emergencies. OCHA's leader also pushes for more awareness and preparedness for crises.
Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC): The IASC is a place where UN and non-UN groups can work together. They coordinate policies, speak out, and improve how humanitarian help is given. They have plans to make responses more predictable and responsible. They also oversee "Global Clusters."
Global Clusters: These are groups of humanitarian organizations. They have clear jobs for coordinating help in different areas (like health or food). Preparedness is key to their work. They set standards and share best practices before emergencies happen.

Many government agencies also fund disaster preparedness. These include the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and others. Many charities, like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, also support this work.

Managing Humanitarian Crises

NGOs and Human-Made Crises

Many groups are involved in managing humanitarian crises. The United Nations (UN) is the main international group overseeing this. But it has given more responsibilities to other groups to make responses more effective. The UN has created a "cluster system." This system includes international organizations (IOs), international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). They all work together to manage crises.

By sharing the responsibility beyond just the UN, more groups are involved. This means they need to work together very well. Human-made crises, like wars, are different from natural disasters. They create special challenges because of how conflicts have changed. Today, conflicts are more often fought within a country rather than between countries. This changes how people are affected and requires new ways to help. So, the many groups involved in human-made crises face a tough job in working together smoothly.

INGOs and NGOs are part of this system. They are not linked to governments and try to be fair. INGOs work internationally, while NGOs work within a country. All non-governmental organizations are non-profit. This means they help people in need without expecting money back. This allows them to focus on helping people and protecting human rights. They rely on volunteers who believe in their mission. They also share their knowledge to help other groups manage crises. By working for long-term peace, they aim to do their part in managing humanitarian crises.

The 2017 humanitarian crisis in Myanmar shows the special role of NGOs. The Rohingya ethnic group had suffered from violence and denial of human rights for a long time. The Myanmar government stopped aid from the UN and other countries. But the Indonesian government created a special group of local NGOs in Indonesia and Myanmar. This group, called The Indonesian Humanitarian Alliance (AKIM), helped the Rohingya people by finding ways around the government's barriers. Several international NGOs also helped in Myanmar. They had limited contact with the national government but made agreements with local authorities. They also worked with local NGOs and UN groups. However, because so many groups were involved, coordinating their efforts was a challenge.

NGOs need to communicate well to give effective help. They often work with many different groups. This can be hard if their goals are not the same. To overcome this, NGOs can use three ways to communicate:

Internal workplace: This is communication within the NGO, with its staff and volunteers from the crisis area.
Inter-organizational forum: This is communication between different NGOs, local authorities, and UN agencies.
Community relations: This is communication between NGO staff and the people affected by the crisis.

Good communication and coordination among all these groups are essential. They help keep people safe, limit conflict, and manage crises effectively.

Besides coordination, NGOs can also use "strategic thinking." This means having a broad understanding of the crisis and what the organization wants to achieve. With a better understanding of people's needs, there's a greater chance of success. Strategic thinking, coordination, and good communication are all ways NGOs can manage humanitarian crises. Since every organization and crisis is different, there's no single perfect plan. Instead, these methods help NGOs create a response that fits the specific situation. This allows them to successfully help people and protect human rights.