Stories

Before the ground dried and hardened, Amburo and her husband were farmers. They grew enough maize to sell at the local market, and to provide for their 4 children. Life was hard, but a life all the same. There were times of joy.

Mahassin Mohammed Ibrahim was cooking a meal for her family in the Sudanese city of El Fasher when her front door swung open, and a hand grenade clattered to the ground. The ensuing blast showered the room with shrapnel, leaving the 39-year-old bleeding on the floor.

Life in Lebanon has always been marked by resilience, but the challenges faced by its people today are unprecedented.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), some 330,713 people were internally displaced in Mali in May 2024. In the Timbuktu region, more than 5 out of 10 displaced people, including children, lack identification documents. This was the case for Deyloul’s 2 nephews.

Access to clean, safe water is a fundamental part of any effort toward providing a stable and healthy life for communities impacted by conflict and climate change.

Evelina and Alvard. They are 2 mothers who faced the same nightmare during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. They ran away for safety twice to the neighbouring Armenia during the conflicts

In North-West Syria, 13 years of conflict have left over 4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance to survive, and the situation only continues to deteriorate with no end to the conflict in sight.

In 2023, an unprecedented 520,000 people crossed the Darién Gap, a dangerous stretch of hostile jungle connecting Colombia to Panama, to seek refuge in North America.

Responding to the crisis in Sudan, one of the world’s most brutal conflicts

"It was impossible to stay there. They were everywhere, at the entrance with weapons, their equipment scattered around. We were just afraid to stay, so we left."

Our colleague Norik Soubrier visited the site recently, during the distribution of essential supplies to 7,900 IDP families.

Assisting the most vulnerable population in the eastern DRC

In rural areas of Syria, with the support of the European Union, the NGO WeWorld-GVC is working to support 118,310 individuals through education and improved access to safe and sufficient water.

“In my extended family, I am considered worthless because I can't provide any help or solutions to their problems. Faced with this handicap, some members of the community are sympathetic towards me; others, on the other hand, laugh at me, mock me.”

In Iraq, families returning or relocating safely from prolonged displacement need support to acquire the mandatory legal documentation, which are fundamental to access services. Between May 2023 and April 2024 IOM provided crucial protection and legal services to over 4,200 displaced individuals.

On the upper floors of an apartment block towering over Giza’s humble village Al Barajil, Ismat, a 64-year-old Sudanese refugee, gazes out from his apartment’s window. His family lives here, 5 members crowded into a very small apartment meant to host fewer people.

For a nation already grappling with significant internal challenges and a difficult economic situation, this influx of refugees is a daunting test. Yet, it has not deterred Moldovans in their desire to help Ukrainians. The small country has shown an incredibly big heart, making room for everyone.

When Mahamat reached the unfinished bridge between Sudan and Chad, he cried out in disbelief "What, was I not in Chad yet?!". Anxious and exhausted, refugees on the lookout for relatives, asked him why he had been walking leisurely in an area where snipers target tall black men like himself.

For decades, the 2,400-kilometre border with Thailand has served as a crossing point for those seeking a better life. Among them are waves of Rohingya refugees who have been fleeing armed attacks and severe human rights violations since the 1970s.