More people are displaced now than ever before. Our teams – some of whom are refugees themselves – work each day to support refugees by treating and preventing hunger, providing mental health support, improving access to safe sanitation and clean water, and more.
In 2021, 1 in every 88 people on the planet were displaced. The number of people who have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict, hunger, persecution, and human rights violations has reached a new record high.
89.3 million people were forcibly displaced in 2021 – an increase of 8 percent compared to just one year prior.
The number of forcibly displaced people around the world has more than doubled in the last year, and is the highest since World War II.
More than two-thirds of the world’s refugees come from just five countries: Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Myanmar.
83% of the world’s refugees now live in low- and middle-income regions, stretching already-strained resources to the brink.
These figures do not include the events of 2022 – by some estimates, an additional 14 million people have been displaced by the conflict in Ukraine that began in February this year.
Where there is conflict, there is hunger. In Ukraine, its neighboring countries, and in communities around the world, Action Against Hunger’s teams are working with displaced and refugee families to help prevent and treat hunger, improve access to clean water and safe sanitation, provide health and mental health services, and increase food security.
“What can I give her?” asks Mumina, a 29-year-old mother of three young children. Due to the severe drought in Somalia, she has no food and no breastmilk left to feed her youngest baby. Eventually, she was forced to flee to a displacement camp to seek food and water. Action Against Hunger is working with women like her to provide emergency assistance.
In North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, 1.9 million people have been displaced by conflict. Many have been exposed to violent events for many years, which can cause trauma, depression, and other mental health issues. For mothers, this can sometimes make it difficult to bond and properly care for their children, which can lead to malnutrition or other illnesses. Action Against Hunger’s teams work with women to give them safe spaces to talk about difficult issues and coping strategies to deal with mental health challenges.
Action Against Hunger is proud to support refugees, internally displaced people, and their host communities to reduce malnutrition and to help them rebuild their lives. We are on the front lines of the world’s most serious refugee crises, including the Syrian crisis, the conflict in Ukraine, and drought and conflicts in the Horn of Africa.
From Yemen to Lebanon, Somalia to Bangladesh, we are:
Providing lifesaving treatment to malnourished children
Improving access to clean water and safe sanitation
Preventing the spread of disease by promoting healthy hygiene behaviors
Increasing access to nutritious food and income to prevent malnutrition
Supporting mothers with education on breastfeeding, healthy diets, and childcare practices
Counselling refugees to improve mental health and wellbeing
Working with governments and partners to build local capacity and improve support systems