Archive for category: Humanitarian Aid

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Healing in War: Updates On SDG 3 in Ukraine

SDG 3 in Ukraine
Since February 2022, Ukraine has been in turmoil. Russia’s second military invasion of its neighbor has left a trail of destruction and millions of civilians destitute. Though the international community has remained vigilant, every bit of help counts for the civilians caught in the crossfire. But what does that help look like?

According to the United Nations, as of 2026, 10.8 million people in Ukraine need assistance, whether through food security, shelter, medicine or education. These criteria fall within the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals program, specifically the union’s third goal, which oversees health and well-being. In times of war, especially prolonged conflicts, this goal is crucial. Even the millions of refugees who fled the country are considered under this initiative and are covered under UN aid programs, including those within the nations they currently reside in.

Massive donations usually come in the form of international aid. USAID was one of Ukraine’s biggest donors in 2025, despite cuts to the program made by the Trump administration early that year. However, most of the aid comes from closer countries within the EU and UN, respectively. Here is more information about SDG 3 in Ukraine.

What Does The Aid Buy?

Ukraine has sustained nearly $200 billion in damages since the start of the war, with most aimed at infrastructure. Housing, hospitals, roads and bridges will take years to rebuild. Thankfully, those displaced by the conflict have help from both within and outside.

The EU’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations have provided much of the relief infrastructure, with more than 160,000 tonnes of recorded aid delivered. This includes power generators, water treatment facilities and medical equipment. In late 2025, an entire thermal power plant was deconstructed in Lithuania and transported to Ukraine to be rebuilt and supply power to one million Ukrainian residents. This joint effort between Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine was backed by EU support as the union’s “Largest-ever coordinated logistical operation to date.” This preceded talks about Ukraine joining the EU in mid-2026, which can only mean more aid moving forward.

The World Bank has similarly contributed infrastructure packages for medical and energy aid, but has also provided loans and resources aimed at human development in education and overall well-being. In 2026, they sent $3.2 billion worth of aid as part of their initiative to reach 500 million people worldwide by 2030.

They have helped hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian children receive assistance for education and contributed social assistance payments to 8.5 million people. Everyday expenses are covered through 37 different aid programs.

Essentials like food and water are covered under these programs as well, but most of the actual products come from within Ukraine itself. Local farmers, bakeries, and distributors are funded through the UN’s World Food Program, and food is given to those who qualify. This helps maintain regional economies and not rely on imports. However, some products are still imported. Poland became one of the most prolific exporters of dairy products to Ukraine throughout 2024 and 2025, further strengthening international bonds with something as simple as a carton of milk.

What More Can Be Done?

All of these endeavors have gone toward the UN’s SDG 3 Initiative for Ukraine, ensuring the well-being of those still affected by the conflict who are trying to survive. For the time being, it keeps the lights on and ensures basic needs for those who have been displaced. Unfortunately, earlier cuts to USAID are affecting how much Ukraine is currently receiving. In 2025, the US sent over $18 billion in aid to Ukraine. In 2026, it is only a fraction at $760 million.

Updates on SDG 3 in Ukraine in 2026 are fewer than the previous year, and much more still needs to be done. However, there are charities that are using donations to address challenges, the most prevalent being United24, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s online platform. Similarly, contacting government representatives in support of aid for Ukraine and petitioning to protect USAID funding are effective ways to ensure that the proper funds go to people in need.

– Connor Seidel

Connor is based in Cambridge, MN, USA and focuses on Good News and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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The Geoeconomic Confrontation of 2026: Risks and Responses

Geoeconomic Confrontation
The geoeconomic confrontation of 2026 is a leading concern in the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report. In its survey of more than 1,300 experts, 18% selected geoeconomic confrontation as the risk most likely to trigger a material global crisis in 2026, placing it first among the risks assessed. This ranking reflects expert perceptions, rather than proof that one risk will cause the greatest harm.

Cooperation on Food Trade

The G20 Trade Ministerial met in Milwaukee on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, 2026. According to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, ministers reached consensus on a statement condemning the use of food trade for economic or political coercion. The statement addresses threats to livelihoods and food security; it is a commitment, rather than evidence of improved food access already achieved.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce welcomed the food-trade consensus and a separate joint statement on forced labor in supply chains. The latter did not have agreement from the whole G20: the chair identified the United States, Mexico and Argentina as its participants. These responses show areas of cooperation, while also illustrating the limits of consensus.

Protecting Humanitarian Access

According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, humanitarian access requires negotiation so that people can reach assistance and humanitarian organizations can reach them. Temporary relief corridors and other arrangements are possible tools, subject to agreement by the parties concerned. They do not automatically guarantee safe access or remove the effects of political confrontation.

ACAPS’ July 2026 assessment covered 66 crisis-affected countries between December 2025 and May 2026. It examined barriers faced by people seeking assistance, constraints on humanitarian organizations and physical, environmental and security obstacles. Access deteriorated in 26 countries and improved in only one, underlining how much remains to be done.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs’ March 19, 2026, report gives a specific example of worsening conditions. In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, displacement linked to settler attacks and access restrictions since the beginning of 2026 had reached about 95% of the total recorded during 2025. This is evidence of humanitarian pressure, rather than a measured result of a successful policy response.

Building Financial Resilience

Eligible countries can also draw on the International Monetary Fund’s Resilience and Sustainability Facility, introduced in 2022. It offers affordable, longer-term financing for reforms addressing risks such as climate change and pandemic preparedness. Access requires a qualifying concurrent IMF-supported program, sustainable debt and adequate repayment capacity. The facility supports longer-term resilience; it is not a general emergency fund guaranteeing stable food imports and exports.

Looking Ahead

The geoeconomic confrontation of 2026 presents significant risks, but international cooperation remains possible. Food-trade commitments, negotiated humanitarian access and longer-term resilience financing offer different ways to respond. Their value for vulnerable communities depends on implementation and continued cooperation, rather than announcements alone.

– Alexandra Eaton

Alexandra is based in Birmingham, England and focuses on Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Unsplash

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How Humanitarian Law Supports Civilian Protection in Sudan

Civilian Protection in Sudan
Sudan’s war has created one of the world’s largest humanitarian emergencies. UNICEF reported that 33.7 million people needed humanitarian assistance in 2026 alone, including 17.3 million children, while more than 9.1 million people were displaced internally by June. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) estimated that close to 19.5 million people, almost 41% of the population, faced high levels of acute food insecurity between the months of February and May 2026. These figures make civilian protection in Sudan more than a question of preventing injury and death. Protecting hospitals, water systems, food supplies and humanitarian access can also limit disruptions to essential services and the financial pressures that can deepen poverty as the conflict continues.

How International Humanitarian Law Protects Civilians

The International Committee of the Red Cross classified the fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as a non-international armed conflict. A non-international armed conflict is defined as sustained fighting between state armed forces and an organized armed group or multiple non-state groups. Some of the specific laws that help to minimize harm for civilians are Common Article 3 and Additional Protocol II of the Geneva Conventions. Customary humanitarian law also requires warring parties to distinguish civilians and civilian infrastructure from military objectives. These rules also prohibit attacks expected to cause excessive civilian harm relative to the anticipated military advantage and require precautions to minimize harm. For civilian protection in Sudan, these rules are vital because damage to civilian infrastructure such as hospitals, water systems and food markets can affect civilians even after the fighting ends.

The Economic Costs of Damaged Health Systems

Sudan’s health system shows how damage to civilian infrastructure can create economic as well as humanitarian consequences. In April 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 37% of health facilities across Sudan were nonfunctional and that it had verified 217 attacks on health care since 2023, resulting in a documented count of 2,052 deaths and 810 verified injuries. The WHO also reported that civilian patients in some conflict-affected areas have had to make long and especially dangerous journeys to reach functioning facilities. The ICRC separately notes that disruptions to essential services can often force civilians to pay out of pocket at a significant personal cost to meet their basic needs, especially when essential services fail. For households already facing displacement or loss of income, these added costs can severely deepen financial hardship.

The economic effects extend well beyond individual medical expenses paid by civilians and families. The ICRC reports that disruptions to water, health and energy systems weaken the overall local and regional economies. This affects livelihoods and increases the cost of resources and personnel needed for reconstruction and broader recovery efforts. The ICRC also notes that weapons utilized in the conflict can cause permanent and life-altering injuries to civilians that sometimes require long-term support. Protecting essential services therefore also helps to preserve the economic foundations communities need to recover.

Hunger, Displacement and Lost Livelihoods

The connection between conflict and economic hardship is especially visible in Sudan’s food crisis. The IPC estimated that almost 19.5 million people faced high levels of acute food insecurity between the months of February and May of 2026. Of that total, more than 5 million people were living under Emergency (IPC Phase 4) conditions. The IPC also identified a risk of famine in 14 specific areas in Sudan, including North Darfur, South Darfur and South Kordofan. This estimate was calculated under a reasonable worst-case scenario involving intensified conflict and further restrictions on humanitarian access and freedom of movement of goods and people. An estimated 825,000 children under the age of 5 were expected to experience severe acute malnutrition in 2026 alone. Conflict can also separate families from farmland, livelihoods, livestock and other financial and employment opportunities, further reducing the resources available to sustain food and income.

International law also protects humanitarian relief and necessities essential to the survival of civilians and families. The ICRC explains that when civilians face shortages of essential supplies such as food, medicine and other life-saving goods, parties to the conflict have an obligation to consent to exclusively humanitarian and impartial relief action for civilians. The U.N. Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan reported in September 2025 that humanitarian assistance had been obstructed, convoys attacked or destroyed and humanitarian aid workers were specifically targeted. The report also attributed serious violations to both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and additionally documented extensive destruction of civilian medical centers, food markets and other essential facilities. These are findings of the U.N.-mandated mission, rather than assumptions about the motives of either side.  

From Legal Protection to Humanitarian Action

International Humanitarian Law alone cannot end Sudan’s devastating war, but humanitarian organizations use its protections as a framework for practical assistance. The ICRC reported that it supported an estimated 3.9 million people across the whole of Sudan in the year 2025. An additional 3.3 million were estimated to have gained improved access to safe water and more than 154,000 received emergency care at ICRC-supported hospitals. More than 310,000 received assistance during outbreaks of cholera, malaria and other diseases. These interventions do not demonstrate that poverty has fallen, but they can reduce immediate household pressures by preserving access to essential services that civilians and families might otherwise have to travel long distances, make dangerous journeys or pay significant amounts to obtain.

UNICEF reported similarly measurable assistance from January to June 2026. UNICEF and its partners provided an estimated 6.6 million people with access to safe water, supported 1.3 million people with primary health care and treated approximately 174,700 children for severe acute malnutrition. These programs do not entirely erase the economic, physical or emotional losses families may have experienced, but they demonstrate how civilian protection in Sudan can translate into concrete support that preserves health care, basic and essential services, while reducing some of the pressures facing vulnerable individuals and families.

Looking Ahead

Sudan’s humanitarian crisis is an example of why the laws of war have consequences well beyond the battlefield. Protecting hospitals, food and water systems and other essential civilian infrastructure can preserve and support life-saving services, reduce the financial burdens for civilians and families and further help to limit the destruction of Sudanese livelihoods. Ultimately civilian protection in Sudan depends on greater respect for humanitarian law and sustained humanitarian access. These measures cannot substitute for a political and diplomatic end to the conflict, but they can help to preserve human life, essential services and the economic foundations communities need to effectively recover.

 – Elias Haskins

Elias is based in Claremont, CA and focuses on Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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How UNHCR Provides Protection For Displaced People in DRC

Protection For Displaced People in DRC
The humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is one of many ongoing emergencies around the world. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the country has faced political conflict, hunger, violence and poverty since gaining independence in 1960. Nearly 60 million people in the DRC were living in extreme poverty in 2022, according to the World Bank, while conflict continues to disrupt agriculture, markets and trade.

How Protection Works

To help alleviate the crisis, the U.N. Refugee Agency, or UNHCR, provides protection and assistance to people displaced by conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This includes internally displaced people, refugees and Congolese returnees. As of September 2025, 8.2 million people were displaced in connection with the DRC crisis, according to UNHCR. The number could reach 9 million by the end of 2026, including an estimated 5.8 million internally displaced people. More than 1.2 million Congolese refugees and asylum-seekers are also being hosted in neighboring countries.

According to UNHCR’s 2026 DRC emergency overview, the agency focuses on strengthening legal frameworks and asylum systems while promoting the inclusion of displaced people in national systems. UNHCR also maintains emergency response capacity and works to advance durable solutions, self-reliance and resilience among displaced and host communities.

Regionally, UNHCR leads a refugee response plan with partners in seven neighboring countries — Angola, Burundi, the Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia — to provide protection, assistance and support for long-term solutions for Congolese refugees and host communities.

Assistance For Democratic Republic of the Congo Refugees

UNHCR projects 5.8 million internally displaced people in the DRC by the end of 2026, with displacement heavily concentrated in the eastern provinces. More than 1.2 million Congolese refugees have fled to neighboring countries, primarily Uganda and Burundi, as well as Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia and other countries. UNHCR and its partners provide protection and assistance to displaced people both inside and outside the DRC.

UNHCR’s protection for displaced people efforts include supporting safe and voluntary returns, relocation and local integration. The agency also works to ensure displaced people have access to basic services, including environmentally friendly and affordable shelter. Its efforts also focus on strengthening access to land, livelihoods and other measures that promote self-reliance.

In 2025, UNHCR planned protection and assistance programs for millions of displaced people across the DRC and neighboring countries, including more than 273,000 children and caregivers targeted for child protection services.

Assistance From Neighboring Countries

Through its operations in Angola, the U.N. Refugee Agency, or UNHCR, supports refugees and asylum-seekers, most of whom are from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As of April 2026, Angola hosted 55,628 people of concern to UNHCR, including 22,786 from the DRC, according to UNHCR. The agency works with the Angolan government to provide access to territory and asylum, registration, documentation and refugee status determination for people seeking international protection.

UNHCR also provides humanitarian assistance to displaced populations and host communities, helping meet basic needs and improve access to essential services and livelihood opportunities. The agency advocates for the inclusion of refugees in national development plans and other government programs.

UNHCR has maintained a presence in Angola for more than 40 years, with a field office in Dundo since 2017. The Mozambique multi-country office coordinates its operations in Angola.

Burundi hosts more than 100,000 forcibly displaced people, including about 91,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, most of whom are from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to UNHCR. About 63% of Burundi’s population lived on less than $2.15 a day in 2024, according to the World Bank. As part of its response to the DRC emergency, Burundi maintained an open-door policy in 2024 and welcomed nearly 4,000 new asylum-seekers.

In addition to refugees, Burundi hosts returnees who face significant economic challenges. UNHCR works with the World Bank and other development partners to support the inclusion and reintegration of returnees and refugees. The World Bank’s Merankabandi national social protection program has reached more than 1.5 million people with cash transfers, startup capital and other support aimed at reducing poverty and improving livelihoods. The program also helps communities respond to food insecurity and climate-related shocks.

Strategy Outcomes and Impacts

According to UNHCR’s 2026 planning documents, the agency is working to strengthen protection for displaced people who experienced the crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its efforts include improving access to essential services, strengthening national and community systems, and supporting the inclusion of refugees, internally displaced people and returnees in local and national programs. UNHCR also aims to improve living conditions for vulnerable people through shelter assistance and other essential relief items.

These efforts are part of UNHCR’s broader goal of helping displaced people meet their basic needs while building resilience, self-reliance and stronger connections with host communities. The agency’s 2022-2026 strategy also calls for greater social cohesion between displaced and host communities and improved access to durable solutions, including safe and sustainable returns and stronger land and tenure rights for internally displaced people and returnees.

The Future Of UNHCR’s Protection

According to UNHCR’s 2022-2026 strategy for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the agency aims to expand opportunities for refugees in need of resettlement by 2026. The strategy also seeks to strengthen tenure and land rights for internally displaced people and returnees, helping them access secure housing and land as they rebuild their lives.

For refugees and internally displaced people, UNHCR aims to provide information and support for safe, dignified and sustainable returns. These efforts are part of the agency’s broader goal of advancing durable solutions for refugees, internally displaced people and returnees affected by the DRC crisis.

– Casey Chan-Smutko

Casey is based in Natick, MA, USA and focuses on Good News and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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How Mutual Aid in Gaza is Helping Combat Famine

Mutual Aid in Gaza
After three years of conflict, families in Gaza continue to face severe difficulties accessing food, clean water and other necessities. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reported that more than 1.2 million people, or 59% of the population, faced crisis-level or worse acute food insecurity between mid-April and the end of June 2026. It projected that more than 1.4 million people could face those conditions between July and December 2026. Although increased assistance has improved conditions since late 2025, the gains remain fragile.

Alongside established humanitarian agencies, grassroots mutual aid groups are helping families meet immediate needs. Reviving Gaza and Zahrat Alhanun Mutual Aid are two examples of community-led efforts to provide food, water and other essentials.

What is Mutual Aid?

Mutual aid describes people organizing directly to meet shared needs, often through local relationships and volunteer networks. In emergencies, this can mean identifying households that lack essentials, raising money and arranging for supplies to reach those households. Mutual aid is not a substitute for large-scale humanitarian access, but it can complement broader relief efforts by drawing on community knowledge.

Reviving Gaza

Reviving Gaza is a grassroots initiative associated with Palestinian activist Ghassan Ghaben and volunteers working in Gaza. Its fundraising campaign describes efforts to deliver drinking water, hot meals and food parcels to displaced families, including those in camps not consistently reached by other aid providers.

The campaign explains how donations can support specific needs. It lists $5 as an illustrative cost for a hot meal and $300 for a truck carrying approximately 4,000 liters of water. Those amounts are fundraising examples, not independently audited delivery totals. Another fundraiser for the initiative describes an ambition to distribute hundreds of thousands of liters of clean drinking water.

The organization’s work has also been discussed outside its own fundraising pages. Ghaben spoke about Reviving Gaza during an October 2024 University of Florence event on the water crisis in Palestine. The project illustrates how volunteers with close ties to affected communities can help direct donations toward immediate needs.

Zahrat Alhanun Mutual Aid

Another initiative is Zahrat Alhanun Mutual Aid (ZAMA), a volunteer collective of Massachusetts Institute of Technology students and alumni working with students, teachers, medical professionals and community contacts in Gaza. The group says it has supported families and students since January 2025.

According to ZAMA, its partners in Gaza identify people needing assistance and arrange direct support. The group prioritizes babies, older adults, people with disabilities and those who are ill. The needs it lists include food, infant formula, diapers, blankets, clothing, tents, tarps and medical or educational supplies.

ZAMA says its volunteer team retains no portion of donations and works through a U.S.-registered fiscal sponsor. These are the organization’s own descriptions of its operating model; independently verified totals for the article’s previously reported Ramadan meal initiative were not available.

Grassroots Aid and the Wider Humanitarian Response

Both groups show how community-led fundraising can respond to urgent household needs. Their work takes place against a much larger humanitarian challenge. The British Red Cross reported in October 2026 that access restrictions, shortages and widespread unemployment continued to prevent many families from obtaining sufficient food, despite some improvement in aid deliveries.

Mutual aid can help individual households obtain food, water and shelter materials, but it cannot by itself resolve the scale of Gaza’s food insecurity. Sustained humanitarian access, functioning markets and long-term recovery remain essential. In the meantime, groups such as Reviving Gaza and ZAMA demonstrate the practical value of community connections and volunteer-led assistance.

– Lisa Jane Bryant

Lisa is based in Glasgow, Scotland and focuses on Good News and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Organizations Combating France’s Foreign Aid Budget Cuts

France’s Foreign Aid Budget Cuts
Official development assistance (ODA) has helped finance international development for decades. Governments provide assistance, including grants and concessional loans, to support economic development and welfare in eligible countries. ODA is particularly important for countries with limited access to other sources of affordable finance, helping support services such as health care, education and clean water. The OECD monitors these flows and their impact on international development financing.

France’s Cuts to Foreign Aid

France remains one of the world’s largest ODA donors. According to OECD preliminary figures for 2025, France provided about $14.5 billion in development assistance, a 10.9% real-terms reduction from 2024. Aid from OECD Development Assistance Committee members and associates fell by 23.1% overall in 2025, the largest annual contraction recorded. France’s budget reductions have raised concerns among development organizations about the consequences for countries and communities relying on development funding.

In response, organizations in France and internationally have campaigned to protect aid, inform the public and press policymakers to maintain development commitments. Three organizations illustrate how civil society has responded. Here are the three organizations responding to France’s aid cuts.

Coordination SUD

Coordination SUD is France’s national coordinating body for international solidarity NGOs, bringing together nearly 200 organizations. It advocates for development funding, works with public institutions and runs awareness campaigns. In January 2025, the coalition criticized proposed aid cuts exceeding 2 billion euros in the draft national budget, warning that reductions could affect people living in poverty and communities facing humanitarian and climate crises.

Coordination SUD also contributed to the 2026 Civil 7 (C7) policy brief, which urged G7 governments to prioritize grants and highly concessional financing for least developed countries, improve international development cooperation and consider a binding U.N. convention on development cooperation. These proposals seek to make aid more accountable and responsive to the needs of people affected by poverty.

Global Citizen

Global Citizen has drawn attention to France’s foreign aid cuts and encouraged public engagement. Its reporting explains the potential consequences for global health and poverty reduction and outlines ways citizens can express their concerns to elected representatives. The organization has also highlighted debates over the use of revenue from solidarity taxes historically linked to development assistance.

ONE

ONE advocates for policies and investments aimed at reducing extreme poverty and supporting global health. Through grassroots organizing, research and campaigning, it encourages citizens to engage with policymakers and hold governments accountable for their international development commitments. According to ONE’s own impact reporting, its advocacy has helped secure $1 trillion in new investments for economic opportunity and healthier lives worldwide since 2004. This is an organization-wide total, not an amount raised for France’s foreign aid budget.

ONE’s French advocates have also engaged directly with political leaders. At the 2023 Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, three ONE youth ambassadors delivered a collection of 1,800 supporter messages urging President Emmanuel Macron to act for international solidarity. More recently, ONE campaigned against the removal of development-earmarked revenue from the financial transactions tax and the solidarity tax on airline tickets under France’s 2025 budget legislation. The group has called for these funds to be directed toward international development again.

Looking Ahead

The sharp reduction in international aid during 2025 poses challenges for development programs and the communities they serve. Yet Coordination SUD, Global Citizen and ONE demonstrate how advocacy can keep international development on the public agenda. By providing evidence, mobilizing supporters and engaging lawmakers, these organizations aim to protect resources for health, education and poverty reduction.

– Melody Hubbard

Melody is based in Knoxville, TN, USA and focuses on Global Health and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Unsplash

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Saudi Aid to Yemen: Supporting Recovery and Poverty Reduction

Saudi Aid to Yemen
The fight to reduce poverty is an ongoing battle. Many helping hands from various backgrounds and countries have stepped up to contribute. One such helping hand is Saudi Arabia. The kingdom is known for its wealth due to oil production, but it has also become a major provider of humanitarian and development assistance. Yemen, its neighbor, has received substantial Saudi support.

Yemen

Saudi Arabia’s support for poverty reduction is particularly visible in Yemen. Yemen’s humanitarian crisis ranks among the most severe globally. The Houthis took control of the capital, Sana’a, in 2014, and a Saudi-led coalition intervened militarily in 2015. The conflict has caused deaths both through direct violence and indirectly through hunger, disease and the breakdown of services. A 2021 UNDP estimate put conflict-attributable deaths at 377,000, including 154,000 from direct combat and violence and 223,000 from indirect causes.

With economic and political unrest, the country has not recovered, and the Houthis continue to control large parts of Yemen. In 2026, more than 22 million people require humanitarian assistance, 18.3 million people are acutely food insecure, and more than 2.2 million children under five are acutely malnourished.

Kingdom of Giving

Saudi Arabia has provided humanitarian, development and economic support to Yemen for many years. Saudi sources report more than $12 billion in support between 2012 and 2025, while the Saudi Aid Platform records Yemen as one of the largest recipients of Saudi assistance.

Saudi Arabia has also contributed to UN humanitarian responses. In 2019, it provided $500 million toward the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan.

Helping Hands

One organization involved in this work is the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, KSrelief. The organization provides food, medical supplies and other humanitarian assistance.

KSrelief has worked with the World Food Programme on food-security and livelihood programs in Yemen, including support for farming families, agricultural land, irrigation channels and greenhouses.

KSrelief’s own statistics show that it implemented 531 completed or ongoing projects in 2024 at a total cost of more than $622 million. Since its establishment, the center reports thousands of projects across more than 100 countries, with Yemen its largest beneficiary by project spending.

Another Saudi organization supporting Yemen is the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY). Established in 2018, its work includes rebuilding infrastructure, supporting economic stability and promoting long-term development. Its projects have included energy and road infrastructure.

SDRPY has also partnered with international organizations, including UN-Habitat, on projects involving housing and water infrastructure.

Since 2018, SDRPY has implemented hundreds of development projects across sectors including education, agriculture and fisheries. Its work includes training and support intended to strengthen livelihoods and local production.

In partnership with Yemen’s Social Fund for Development, SDRPY has also supported education projects, including plans involving more than 25 schools and training for hundreds of teachers.

Final Thoughts

Saudi aid cannot by itself resolve Yemen’s poverty or humanitarian crisis, which ultimately depends on greater political and economic stability. However, humanitarian assistance and longer-term development programs can help communities meet immediate needs while supporting infrastructure and livelihoods needed for recovery.

– Lara Lewis

Lara is based in Wakefield, RI, USA and focuses on Good News and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Rural Senses: AI-Driven Humanitarian Aid

AI-driven humanitarian aidRich countries spent $174.3 billion in overseas development assistance in 2025, but according to Rural Senses, only 20% of aid practitioners had sufficient data to successfully deliver project goals. Here is information about how Rural Senses is promoting AI-driven humanitarian aid.

Impact Measurement

Rural Senses is working to address the aid data sufficiency gap. Its advanced language processing algorithms improve traditional methods of gathering and analyzing qualitative feedback from vulnerable communities. According to the company, its modern impact analysis platform for AI-driven humanitarian aid, Visual Senses, can cut the time it takes to gather and process community data from months to just days, allowing for faster, more insightful and more impactful development responses.

Impact measurement refers to the process of evaluating long-term changes caused by a specific activity. In the context of humanitarian development, it means assessing how an aid program has affected a targeted group of people.

Traditionally, this involves gathering quantifiable statistics and interviewing local populations. The process can be time-consuming and expensive, often requiring skilled experts. Rural Senses claims that its approach to AI-driven humanitarian aid offers a fast-track option that even non-experts can use while reducing costs and speeding up planning and analysis.

A Human-led AI Solution

The company was founded in 2019, emerging from a research project at the University of Cambridge. The aim was to devise a platform that would improve the flow of information between development practitioners and the vulnerable communities with which they work. Over the past few years, the team developed not only a new methodology but also an end-to-end automated process for social and environmental impact measurement and management.

The company describes it as a “human-led” AI platform and emphasizes that the human always remains in control. The AI assists with identifying stakeholders, analyzing and presenting data, gathering related research, translating and transcribing conversations, etc.

Overcoming Bias

The platform is designed specifically for organizations carrying out work in remote, developing communities. Historically, many of these organizations would bring over American researchers and place them in a village with an interpreter to ask questions of local residents. “But there is a lot of bias there,” cautions Chief Executive and Co-Founder Yau Levy, speaking in a company-sponsored webinar.

To overcome this bias, Rural Senses’ AI-driven humanitarian aid platform adopts the User Perceived Value (UPV) methodology. Similar to a traditional needs assessment, which looks at what a community needs, the UPV approach targets what a community values. This gives the local community a more direct voice in expressing their underlying values and should translate into more effective development projects.

A Typical Project

All projects start with human input, usually when a researcher enters into the software platform the basic mission of the project, the targeted stakeholders and activities. After this, AI can begin helping with foundational background research. The system can suggest a list of similar studies and highlight the ways in which they resemble or differ from the current project proposal.

It can also transform obscure local languages into actionable data. One real-world project in 2022 saw the Rural Senses’ AI-driven humanitarian aid platform deployed in a project in Siaya County, Kenya, where most residents speak Dholuo. The AI translated and transcribed questions and responses in Dholuo and English.

The aim of this particular project was to better understand the resilience of local communities to changing weather patterns and gather views on off-grid appliances. According to study details published by The National Center for Biotechnology Information, Rural Senses was commissioned to gather feedback from 300 people across 11 villages. The project used open-ended questions designed to reduce researcher assumptions.

For example, one such question was “In your own words how would you describe climate change?” Wording it in this manner put the power of choice into the hands of the respondents. AI then analyzed recorded interviews and extracted from the comments exactly what it was that people saw as climate change. It also analyzed whether the respondent spoke about this issue negatively or positively. Results were shown in real time as responses were processed. The expectation was that project findings would help Kenyan policymakers to make more informed energy and development programs.

Pivotally, the platform is flexible. As it receives more data, it will suggest changes to strategy or outcomes based on its learnings so far.

Building Trust

Whether it is water security or health care, accurately understanding the values and needs of local communities is pivotal to delivering effective humanitarian aid. Bringing in the power of AI could accelerate efforts on this front, provided it is done in a way that builds trust. While AI has been around for decades, applications remain in their infancy and many organizations remain resistant to adoption.

Levy is confident that keeping the human at the center of AI-driven humanitarian aid is the key. “A system that works with the practitioner and brings out the best of their knowledge will help build trust,” he asserts.

A Growing Reach

Rural Senses’ reach has been growing steadily. It joined the Pears Challenge 2019, a start-up incubator looking at technology solutions for water, sanitation, hygiene and education challenges that refugees and vulnerable populations face. It also participated in the 2020 Microsoft for Startups – Tech for Good “AI for Good” Accelerator program. The client list includes a wide range of players, including the U.K. Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office, IKEA Foundation, Amref Health Africa, The Halo Trust, and the Centre for Global Equality. As of September 2026, it has worked in 18 countries, spoken to more than 93,000 people and collected 1.48 million data points.

AI-driven humanitarian aid plays at the intersection of smart technology and vulnerable communities. It promises to dramatically reshape the way aid projects are formulated, conducted and assessed. In theory, optimized development programs increase the impact of any given amount of funding. In practice, more independent assessments of platforms like that from Rural Senses could indeed make that happen.

– Megan Sansom

Megan is based in Edinburgh, Scotland and focuses on Technology and Solutions for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Sustained International Efforts Support Venezuela’s Recovery

Venezuela’s RecoveryOn June 24th, Venezuela was struck by two earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, triggering a major humanitarian emergency. Over six weeks later, the scale of the disaster remains immense. By August 11th, the reported death toll had risen to 6,301, nearly 61,000 people had been treated in hospitals, and 9,500 homes were classified ‘high-risk.’

A Global Response

Alongside the destruction emerges another story: an international response that has continued to adapt as Venezuela’s recovery needs have changed. 

In the first days after the earthquakes, search-and-rescue teams arrived from across the globe. Spain deployed members of its Military Emergency Unit; Brazil sent firefighters and a field hospital; Switzerland provided specialists and equipment; Mexico sent technical rescue personnel alongside its volunteer Topos teams; and Turkey deployed disaster-response specialists, medical personnel, search dogs and vehicles. Particularly notable was Syria’s 15 specialist strong search-and-rescue mission, considered the first international humanitarian operation they have ever conducted, and described by Syria’s SANA news agency as a “historic milestone.” Other countries across Latin America also contributed, while international organizations mobilized.

A Changing Mission: From Rescue to Recovery

Significantly for Venezuela’s recovery, international support did not disappear when the immediate search ended. As chances of finding survivors diminished, doctors, humanitarian workers, logistics specialists and development organizations increasingly took on longer-term roles. International donations also continued, with 107 registered by August 3rd.

The United Nations and its partners have been coordinating assistance across health, shelter, food, water, sanitation and hygiene, logistics and protection. According to the latest OCHA situation report, nearly 212,000 people had accessed essential services and humanitarian assistance by August 6th.

Hospitals Without Walls

Healthcare is one of the clearest examples of how the international response is evolving. Temporary medical facilities have been established in affected areas, and international partners have provided doctors, medicines, laboratory equipment and other essential supplies.

Brazil has continued operating a field hospital in La Guaira, while Colombia shifted its contribution from search-and-rescue towards medical assistance. Others, including the Dominican Republic, Qatar and international humanitarian organizations, have also supported temporary medical capacity.

Yet, humanitarian concerns extend beyond damaged infrastructure and interruptions to healthcare and essential services create additional vulnerabilities. Women, girls and adolescents can face increased risks of violence and exploitation after disasters. The international response therefore needs to focus also on protecting those most affected, and rebuilding communities and lives.

One striking example of long-term assistance has come from Israel; a reminder that international disaster assistance can move beyond diplomatic complexities. Despite the absence of diplomatic relations between the two countries for many years, an Israeli delegation has become involved in developing a national plan for rebuilding affected areas. The effort includes the demolition of dangerous structures, clearing of debris and rehabilitation of earthquake-hit areas. Within a few days of arriving, consulting senior government officials and inspecting disaster zones, the Israeli team formed a comprehensive reconstruction plan to map the damage, clear debris and unsafe structures and restore critical infrastructure. 

This continued phase of disaster response is critical to Venezuela’s recovery. Recovery requires sustained funding, coordination between international and national actors, restoration of infrastructure and an understanding of what communities will need after the immediate emergency has faded.

A Long Road Still Lies Ahead

The road ahead for Venezuela’s recovery will not be short. The UN Development Programme estimated direct physical damage at approximately $6.7 billion USD, equivalent to about 6% of Venezuela’s GDP. The estimate does not represent the full economic disruption or eventual reconstruction cost. The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction has separately estimated damage to homes and infrastructure at around $37 billion USD. UNICEF has predicted $52 million USD is required for its earthquake response alone. Such figures underline the scale of the need, and the importance of sustained international funding and support.

– Cecilia Catmur

Cecilia is based in Cambridge, UK and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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Food Systems in Uganda in the Face of El Niño 

Food Systems in UgandaIn the most vulnerable parts of the world, any risk to food systems can mean catastrophic effects on the population’s health. As El Niño approaches, threatening difficult harvests, drought, floods and even further scarcity in vulnerable countries, East and Southern Africa are predicted as some of the most at-risk areas in the coming months and year. With funding diminishing, food systems in Uganda are under stress, but the country is taking matters into its own hands.

Uganda sits firmly in the list of most vulnerable populations in the world with 20.3% of people living below the poverty line. Alongside this, the country is home to the largest number of refugees in Africa. While food is scarce, external aid is shrinking, and the hot shadow of El Niño looms, Uganda has been working on its own solutions. Utilizing this large population of refugees, and with advanced planning, the country strives to combat poverty and create sustainable communities amidst rising temperatures. 

El Niño

El Niño is the warm phase of a natural climate pattern (El Niño-Southern Oscillation), the period of warming of the Pacific Ocean that affects weather around the globe. This isn’t a new occurrence, but it is one that affects vulnerable countries’ infrastructures, like food systems in Uganda, bringing drought in some locations and flooding in others. This year, however, the phenomenon may be much more dramatic than normal, with Ugandans feeling the effects until 2028.

Projections of food scarcity and impact on poverty amidst this occurrence highlights the most vulnerable countries. Uganda sits firmly in this list with its high poverty figures and number of refugees. Yet, external aid seems to be going in the wrong direction.

The Statistics and Funding

In affected areas, the World Bank predicts production of crops such as rice to fall by 20% to 50% in the coming year. Alongside this, the World Bank saw an increase in food price in low-income countries, as well as stating in their report that “global food and nutritional security is becoming more fragile.”

The situation may be worse than previous years, with predictions indicating that the 2026 El Niño will be the worst on record. The lack of funding to humanitarian aid accompanies this (the main global contributors, the U.K., the U.S. and Germany, have announced budget cuts), which leaves countries like Uganda in need of serious internal effort. The good news is that the country is rising to the challenge.

External Aid

With the recurring threats upon food systems in Uganda, the situation is one that has been planned for. Humanitarian groups such as the UN and World Food Programme (WFP) have seen these issues coming and have been fighting them for years. Although, while the WFP initially provided direct aid in the form of hot meals for the numerous refugees and vulnerable in Uganda, this system has been gradually diminishing since 2025 due to lack of funding. Now, humanitarian groups like the WFP have focused on how to aid food systems in Uganda, supporting a structure that can sustain and utilize the growing refugee population.

Internal Aid

In Nakivale, a refugee settlement in Uganda’s southwest, the ‘self-reliance model’ has been put in place with the aid, and to the benefit of its many refugees. Under Uganda’s own model, which has received praise for its progressive treatment of refugees, locals and refugees both learn skills that will aid in creating a sustainable food and social system going forward. The community learns about fishing, farming and financial strategies which, alongside planned financial aid from the WFP, helps to secure a more stable system that will fluctuate less, both in terms of rations and food prices, or external conditions arise, like the coming El Niño.

Uganda’s refugee model is paying off for the country. The model allows refugees the right to work, freedom of movement, property lease, trade, access education, health care and other social service. Under this structure, the self-reliance model is allowed to thrive and build a sustainable future, capable of combating threats to food systems and communities like the coming El Niño internally.

One refugee told the WFP how the program “taught us how to prepare for the day that cash assistance might stop…how we could stand on our own.” Another refugee, Sanyu Sylva, comments on the list of skills she has learnt and the conditions that will allow her to pass this knowledge onto others, creating a sustainable community.

Looking Ahead

While many countries address refugees as a strain on their infrastructure, Uganda is managing to provide aid and community for these groups and its own people through planning and collaboration. Such internal rallying in the face of funding cuts, alongside aid from devoted humanitarian groups may be the key to enduring hardships like the coming El Niño.

– Calvin Politi

Calvin is based in Edinburgh, Scotland and focuses on Good News and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Unsplash