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RSS![Group of people sitting in a circle outside, 1 women standing.](https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/styles/oe_theme_ratio_3_2_medium/public/2023-11/DREF%20-%20EU%20supports%20IFRC%20featured%20image.jpg?itok=WraVsEJe)
Since 1979, the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has offered immediate financial support to respond to all kinds of emergencies around the globe.
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![View of the school building with a car in the foreground](https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/styles/oe_theme_ratio_3_2_medium/public/2022-11/DRC%20-%20helping%20children%20stay%20in%20school%2001.jpg?itok=p3fTxUV-)
Humanitarian needs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are among the highest in the world. People in the DRC have been facing persistent conflict and violence for decades.
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- Field blog
![Rescue workers in group carrying a stretcher over a wall.](https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/styles/oe_theme_ratio_3_2_medium/public/2023-02/Hungarian%20firefighters%20rescued%20Selma%20featured.jpg?itok=md9bMRxy)
In a first-hand account, the Hungarian rescue team explains how they managed to save Selma’s life.
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- Field blog
In eastern Ukraine, the ongoing conflict continues to cause damage to housing, schools, health facilities and water and electricity supply.
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![economics_for_disaster_prevention_and_preparedness_web.jpg](https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/styles/oe_theme_ratio_3_2_medium/public/2021-06/economics_for_disaster_prevention_and_preparedness_web.jpg?itok=BWB-x6tN)
Europe faces overwhelming losses and destruction from climate-related disasters as the continent is warming faster than any other region in the world:
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![2 faces in backlight](https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/styles/oe_theme_ratio_3_2_medium/public/2023-03/Ecuador%20-%20supporting%20Colombians%20leaving%20war%20and%20abuse%2001.jpg?itok=vfeFdqmN)
After years of abuse and living in the reality of one of the world's longest conflicts, Sandra* had the courage to take the first step and leave Colombia to save herself and her children's future.
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![Warder in front of prisoners standing behind bars](https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/styles/oe_theme_ratio_3_2_medium/public/2022-08/El%20Salvador%20-%20how%20the%20EU%20assists%20people%20surviving%20the%20horrors%20of%20gang%20violence%2001.jpg?itok=bW_3YZE6)
The EU works with several humanitarian partners throughout the north of Central America, where gang violence is so blind and widespread that it resembles a conflict.
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- Field blog
![Zau Mun sits next to his shelter at a camp](https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/styles/oe_theme_ratio_3_2_medium/public/2023-04/Displaced%20communities%20in%20Myanmar%2007.jpg?itok=OrMYpKQm)
With EU humanitarian support, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) provides aid to those affected by conflict in the country’s northeast, ranging from life-saving assistance to resilience-building projects.
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![Empowering the vulnerable: EU supports senior Ukrainians affected by war 02](https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/styles/oe_theme_ratio_3_2_medium/public/2023-09/Empowering%20the%20vulnerable%20EU%20supports%20senior%20Ukrainians%20affected%20by%20war%2002.jpg?itok=5sp9s1BV)
“We’ve lost everything. But one day, we will return home.” These words are most often heard in conversations with senior Ukrainians who have been suffering from the Russian invasion since February 2022.
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![Empowering women and girls in Bangladesh-s largest refugee camp_featured media](https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/styles/oe_theme_ratio_3_2_medium/public/2021-12/Empowering%20women%20and%20girls%20in%20Bangladesh-s%20largest%20refugee%20camp_00.jpg?itok=2Yw8mfyL)
Bangladesh’s southern district of Cox’s Bazar hosts hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.
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- Field blog
![Sumaiya at a sewing machine](https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/styles/oe_theme_ratio_3_2_medium/public/2022-04/Empowering%20women%20to%20fight%20gender-based%20violence%2001.jpg?itok=WgEnpl9b)
Born into a low-income family in a village in Bangladesh’s southern Cox’s Bazar district, Sumaiya got married when she was only 15 years old.
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- Field blog
![Water tank being filled](https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/styles/oe_theme_ratio_3_2_medium/public/2022-03/Ensuring%20access%20to%20safe%20water%20in%20the%20aftermath%20of%20a%20natural%20disaster.jpg?itok=4g_PTGM1)
When dealing with a large-scale natural disaster, access to safe water is critical in order to avoid the spread of waterborne diseases and fulfil basic hygiene needs.
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![thumbnail_northern_ethiopia_health_video](https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/styles/oe_theme_ratio_3_2_medium/public/2022-02/thumbnail_northern_ethiopia_health_video.jpg?itok=pCSUPsD0)
Since November 2020, the conflict in northern Ethiopia has caused massive displacement not only in Tigray, but also in the neighbouring regions of Afar and Amhara.
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![View of a tree in a desert landscape](https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/styles/oe_theme_ratio_3_2_medium/public/2022-05/Ethiopia%20-%20the%20worst%20drought%20in%20a%20generation%20featured%20media.jpg?itok=LuELXgjh)
The Horn of Africa is caught in the grip of the most severe drought in decades, with more than 13 million people already affected.
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![Mother and child in front of a tent covered by snow](https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/styles/oe_theme_ratio_3_2_medium/public/2022-03/EU%20assists%20displaced%20Syrians%20during%20winter%2001.jpg?itok=VYhq4mpu)
As the Syrian crisis enters its 12th year, millions of displaced Syrians endure another brutal winter.
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![EU helps Spain bring EU citizens home](https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/styles/oe_theme_ratio_3_2_medium/public/2022-04/ICF2100013_DG-ECHO_Homepage_Story%204_420x280px_ES.jpg?itok=AXkhHwox)
When countries closed their borders in a bid to limit the spread of COVID-19, thousands of EU citizens remained stranded abroad. The EU’s emergency response coordination centre addressed their call for help, organising support from across Europe. Spain responded by flying 1,100 of them back home.
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![Goods on trailers in front of a plane](https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/styles/oe_theme_ratio_3_2_medium/public/2023-04/EU%20Humanitarian%20Air%20Bridge%2001.jpg?itok=8514ZeQs)
What exactly is the Humanitarian Air Bridge, and how is it making a difference? We met the people behind these operations to learn about their organisation and the impact they're having on the lives of those in need.
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![Aid worker, seen from the back with the EU flag logo on his vest, looking at the destructed buildings](https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/styles/oe_theme_ratio_3_2_medium/public/2023-03/Turkiye_Gaziantep_%20%28c%29%20European%20Union_Begum%20Iman%20web.jpg?itok=RZtp_3fd)
“I opened the front door and I heard screaming, and everything in my apartment started to fall from the shelves,” says Jonathan, who has been working with EU humanitarian aid in Gaziantep, Türkiye, for almost 5 years.
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![Helicopter dropping water on a fire on a hill](https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/styles/oe_theme_ratio_3_2_medium/public/2022-07/EU%20solidarity%20to%20combat%20wildfires%20across%20the%20continent%20featured%20media.jpg?itok=QEE75zft)
In pictures, see how the EU is responding to forest fires across Europe.
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![Plane fighting fires in France](https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/styles/oe_theme_ratio_3_2_medium/public/2022-08/1.jpg?itok=OFFNrULU)
In August, several devastating fires have burned large areas of forest and forced people to flee their homes. Following a request for assistance by France, the EU launched one of its largest emergency operations in the country.
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