Endless Humanitarian Crises Are Putting Aid Workers In A Tough Position

Global conflict is hardly a recent phenomenon in human history. But the sheer number of crises has ballooned in recent years — and humanitarian aid organizations have found themselves stretched almost transparently thin.

Triaging tragedy

With crises impacting every corner of the globe, humanitarian needs have eclipsed resources on a troubling scale in recent years. That means aid organizations are forced to do as much as they can with what they have.

In addition to the need for staff and volunteers capable of traveling to areas hit hard by issues ranging from gang violence to climate change, there’s a constant need for funding. Estimates indicate just half of the $56 billion needed to address humanitarian needs last year was actually raised.

And some regions of the world are clearly in worse shape than others.

The Norwegian Refugee Council, for example, found that Burkina Faso deserved the distinction of the world’s most neglected crisis. Unrest across the West African nation has left thousands dead and many more displaced … but less than two-fifths of the whopping $876 million needed to address the crisis has been collected.

Aiding Africa

Burkina Faso might be an extreme example, but severe suffering is also rampant throughout the continent. In fact, 9 of the top 10 most neglected national crises are found in Africa. Less than half of the needed funds have been raised in these countries.

Unfortunately, these stats reveal an obvious imbalance in the amount of humanitarian aid available to various countries. As many African nations remain mired in poverty and violence with little hope of immediate relief, the crisis responses in other countries have seen more success.

In Ukraine, more than three-fourths of the requested aid funding has been raised, and humanitarian aid organizations operating in Gaza are, at least for now, fully funded.

Chris Agee June 13th, 2024

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