Amara and Aisha, ages 16 and 15, are from Eastern Ethiopia. Both decided to seek better economic opportunities in Saudi Arabia, inspired by a neighbor's sister who had found financial success there. They enlisted the help of a local smuggler to travel through Somalia and Yemen to reach Saudi Arabia, with the promise of finding work as maids to gradually pay off the smuggling fees. They escaped the smugglers in Bossaso, on the northern coast of Somalia, and found refuge at a local Migration Response Centre (MRC) run by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Ibrahim Abdulrahman was the top scorer in Sudan's high school exams in 2020. The war in Sudan has disrupted his dream of becoming the country's Minister of Agriculture and the education of millions of young people in a country where more than 90% of school-age children have no access to formal education. More than 10 million people have fled their homes in Sudan since the outbreak of war in 2023. The unprecedented influx has strained community resources and public services in Sudan's White Nile State. UNHCR is providing life-saving assistance to displaced people, including food, water, health care and cash.

2023 marked the deadliest year on record for humanitarian workers and 2024 could be even worse. Despite 75 years of international law to protect civilians and aid workers, violations continue. Civilians and humanitarian workers are paying the price with their lives, while those responsible escape justice. On World Humanitarian Day, 19 August, join our call to end these violations and the impunity that enables them. It's time for those in power to #ACTFORHUMANITY.

The war in Ukraine continues to take a heavy toll on millions of women and girls, as well as on those providing essential services on the front line and beyond. Find out what motivates the women in the health force – people who dedicate their lives to helping others survive, recover and find moments of joy – and hear their personal reflections on life and work during war.

A recent satellite analysis by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reports widespread damage to agricultural infrastructure across Gaza, including damage to over 57 percent of total cropland, the destruction of 33 percent of greenhouses and significant losses in wells and solar panels. Farmers like Yousef Al-Masri and Mohamed El Yaty are essential to Gaza's food supply. However, they and other farmers, herders and fishers in the Gaza Strip are struggling to maintain their agricultural assets, sources of nutrition and income due to the escalation of hostilities and lack of availability and access to critical agricultural inputs.

“I think if there is hell on Earth, it's Gaza.”

Muhannad Hadi knew that humanitarian work was his calling from an early age. Now UN Deputy Special Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, he is devoting himself to helping to alleviate the unimaginable suffering in Gaza. 

“They told me that agony, 24/7. They told me what they go through from the morning until they drop asleep, out of exhaustion. And I promised that I will tell the story.”

The UN estimates that the ongoing conflict in Gaza has displaced up to 1.9 million people – 90% of the population - many of whom have fled multiple times. In this episode of Awake at Night, Muhannad Hadi reflects on the horrendous conditions in Gaza, the importance of having a supportive family, and how his time volunteering in Jordan led to a lifelong humanitarian career.

The ongoing war in the Gaza Strip is making health care especially difficult for pregnant women and children. The high cost of living makes essentials like baby clothes unaffordable. At 20$ for one piece of baby clothes, these are usually not affordable for the most vulnerable families, who were often displaced 4 or 5 times, carrying only what they had on their backs. UNICEF, with partners, is making a significant difference in these communities by distributing 1,000 baby clothing kits and essential supplies, providing a lifeline of crucial assistance.

World Food Programme teams in the Caribbean are assessing the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, providing crucial humanitarian aid to communities severely impacted by the storm's destructive force.

Amid recent restrictions in Afghanistan, Mumtaz, Ahmad, and Zeyba's lives were upended, but a World Bank and UNOPS project offers a lifeline through community-driven employment and support initiatives.

Since 2017, a wave of violence has interrupted education, destroyed crops and public infrastructure, impacted livelihoods and forced people to flee their homes in northern Mozambique. More than 670,000 people are still displaced and left an estimated 1.3 million people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Attacks by armed insurgents have caused damage to infrastructure and disrupted the provision of basic services. The Northern Crisis Recovery Project is responding to these urgent humanitarian and development needs.

"What worries me a lot is whether we are focusing on any given day the crisis of today, and forgetting about the crisis of yesterday and the day before [...] whether we are forgetting the crises that are not in the news today."

Big or small, Joyce Msuya has always found ways to give back. Now Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator in OCHA, she oversees the global response to the world’s worst crises.

From Gaza to Ukraine, Haiti to Sudan, the UN estimates 300 million people around the world are in need of life-saving assistance and protection. In this episode, Joyce reflects on keeping hope alive despite waking to fresh crises every day, on the shocking impacts of climate-related extreme weather, and on the long-term benefits of a strict boarding school.

Photo: ©OCHA/Marc Belanger

In her coastal home in Mokha, Zahara is busy cooking and caring for her husband, who is in frail health, and her extended family. Zahara's family, along with three other households, is a close-knit community united by family ties and mutual support. Over a year ago, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) provided them with a new transitional shelter that provides physical protection, security, and privacy. With their new shelter, they have found a haven from Mokha's strong winds and torrential floods, as well as the privacy they have longed for amid the bustling life of communal living.

“[...] yet we are here seeing unfolding under our watch, our eyes, one of the fastest evolving looming famines, which has been completely fabricated. It's man-made. And which can easily be reversed through political will and political decision. It is deeply frustrating, but it's outrageous and makes me very angry [...] ”

Philippe Lazzarini holds one of the most challenging positions in the whole of the United Nations. As head of UNRWA, he is leading the backbone of the humanitarian operation in Gaza. Following the devastating terror attacks by Hamas and others on 7 October, Israel’s military operations in Gaza have brought unspeakable death and destruction. 2.2 million Palestinians are in the midst of an epic humanitarian catastrophe. In this episode, Philippe Lazzarini reflects on the trauma of the past months and the human cost of war.

“Ceasefire, ceasefire, ceasefire. If we have a ceasefire and the opening of the crossing, and we can flood assistance to the Gaza Strip, we would be able to prevent this catastrophe.”

Photo credit: ©UNRWA/Hussein Owda

Boulsa City, in Burkina Faso, has become a reception center for people fleeing surrounding villages due to blockades, poor road conditions, and lack of basic services. Over 50,000 displaced people have arrived in the city, and the authorities are acquiring land to set shelters up temporary shelters. Schools and administrative buildings are currently being used to house the displaced, but overcrowding and lack of hygiene facilities remain a challenge. The humanitarian community assisted 2.9 million people in 2023, but an estimated 6.3 million people will require assistance this year in Burkina Faso.

On 7 October 2023, two 6.3 magnitude earthquakes hit western Afghanistan, causing loss of lives, injuries, and damages. 1,384 people died and more than 21,500 homes were destroyed, affecting around 154,000 people. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) completed a rapid impact assessment of the damage caused to people, livestock, and crops within two days of the disaster, thanks to the Data in Emergencies (DIEM) Hub. DIEM combines remote sensing and primary data to provide a granular and rapid understanding of shocks, allowing for more informed and rapid responses.