UNICEF Emergency and Disaster Relief

Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief

Providing Relief to Children in Emergencies

UNICEF is the world leader in providing humanitarian relief for children and their families. And this year, UNICEF needs an additional $900 million to meet the needs of women and children caught up in emergency situations. Among the crises that UNICEF is currently responding to are:

Learn more about UNICEF’s lifesaving emergency and disaster relief work and this year’s critical funding needs. Read the Humanitarian Action Report Update.

Leader in Disaster Relief

UNICEF was created after World War II to help children living in war–ravaged areas. And though its work has grown exponentially, UNICEF is still the leader when it comes to emergency and disaster relief efforts for children. With more than 11,000 staff worldwide; 350 warehouses globally; strategic transit hubs in Copenhagen, Dubai, Panama and Shanghai; and a 24/7 emergency operations center in New York, UNICEF stands ready to provide both immediate and long-term necessities—food, water, shelter, protection and physical as well as mental health care—whenever a crisis arises. UNICEF also works to reunite children with family and provides care for those who are orphaned.

In 2011, UNICEF responded to 292 emergencies—from civil conflicts to earthquakes—in 80 countries.

Related Emergency and Disaster Relief Links

May 21, 2013

UNICEF Concerned About Reports of Children Trapped in Qusayr

UNICEF is extremely concerned about the safety of civilians in the embattled city of Qusayr in Syria and fears that thousands of children and women could be trapped there by fighting. Heavy clashes have been reported in Qusayr, a city near the Lebanese border, with a population of some 30,000. Between 12,000 and 20,000 people, many of them children, are thought to still be inside the city.

May 15, 2013

UNICEF Prepares to Support Myanmar as Cyclone Approaches

As Cyclone Mahasen threatens to hit the communities in Rakhine State, home to thousands of displaced people, UNICEF stands ready to support the government of Myanmar to respond to humanitarian needs. Heavy rainfall and possible flooding that come with the cyclone is likely to deteriorate sanitation and safe water supply, with subsequent increased health threats especially for children. The living conditions of the people in Rakhine are already precarious as a result of inter-communal conflict and displacement.

May 10, 2013

UNICEF Supports Malians Displaced by Conflict

In January 2012, rebellion erupted in northern Mali. The Dicko family fled by truck, empty-handed, and arrived in Ségou just over a year ago. They are now are among an estimated 292,648 Malians who have fled the fighting in the North but have stayed within the country’s borders. According to the governor, little Ségou’s houses, riverbanks and yards have gained 36,000 people in the past year. UNICEF has provided kits containing everyday items like pots, mosquito nets and blankets, along with water, sanitation and hygiene items.

 More on UNICEF's Emergency Relief Efforts

Hurricane Relief | Tsunami Relief | Flood Relief | Earthquake Relief

 

send icon

Believe in Zero
Follow Us
Facebook JOIN OUR COMMUNITY ON FACEBOOK

Twitter Get the latest news and join the conversation
TALK TO US ON TWITTER

HUMANITARIAN ACTION REPORT

2013 Humanitarian Action Report

Click here to view the Humanitarian Action Report, or right click to save it to your desktop.

WHAT YOUR MONEY CAN BUY

$20 can provide 480 High Energy Protein Biscuits to provide children nutrition in the wake of a disaster.

$140 can provide a Basic Family Water Kit to provide clean drinking water to 10 families.

$256 can provide a School-in-a-box kit to set up a temporary school for 40 students during an emergency–containing a chalk board, notebooks, pencils, erasers, scissors and even multi-band radio.

Support UNICEF's Emergency Programs