Natural Disasters

Droughts that ruin harvests. Earthquakes that destroy homes. Deadly diseases that infect millions. Natural disasters are hard to predict and harder to recover from for many vulnerable populations.

COVID-19 threatens impoverished communities around the world that lack medical care. These groups are especially in danger because their immune systems are already weakened from malnutrition and other illnesses.
In Herat, Afghanistan, refugee camps were hit by several flash floods in 2019, damaging what little resources people had left.
Months-long droughts and crop diseases in Central American countries, such as in Honduras, have driven farming families to sell the land they owned for generations and migrate northwards.

Passport and needle please! Our reporter Helene gets vaccinated for Ebola entering the DRC. She discovers the unlikely difficulties of managing deadly outbreaks and disasters. Be surprised by what she finds.

More Issues

Chronic conflict

When deep-seated tensions over land, culture, and leadership boil over into war, conflict can last years or decades –– and its effects often last much longer in impoverished areas.

Climate

What are some effects of climate change that you see around you? Does child marriage, child labour, child exploitation or forced displacement happen to come to mind?

Economic Crisis

Many vulnerable families don’t have the means to escape poverty because of lack of jobs or sanctions that drive up prices on essential products. They suffer the consequences of their government’s actions.

Refugees

1% of the world's population is displaced. Refugees and those forcibly displaced face realities most of us simply can not comprehend.

Social Upheaval

In places where religions and cultures clash, the things we rely on to stay constant – education, social customs, the respect of human rights – can change drastically for the people caught in the middle.

Sudden Conflict

Gang activity, terrorism, or civil unrest are less predictable than other forms of violence, and take advantage of the poor communities of the world’s most dangerous places.

Weak Governance

We should expect that any government would provide for its people in times of crisis. Sadly, many vulnerable people in the world’s most dangerous places are ruled by governments that are unwilling or unable to provide the most basic safety to their citizens.