The North of Central America (NCA) – also called the Northern Triangle of Central America (NTCA) – is a sub-region comprising El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras and one of the most dangerous places on earth. Nicaragua is bordering the Northern Triangle. Gang violence, threats, extortion, persecution and sexual violence have forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes in search of safety. In 2025, more than 4.6 million people in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras were in need of humanitarian aid as the three countries continued to face violence, food insecurity, extreme weather events and mixed movements of refugees and migrants.
Leading United Nations agencies and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) have jointly issued a warning about a rapidly intensifying hunger emergency in Somalia, which is pushing 6 million people — nearly a third of the population — towards critical levels of acute hunger. The country now has one of the world's worst malnutrition crises, affecting around 1.9 million children, of whom 493,000 face severe acute malnutrition (SAM).
Donations can make a big difference and are desperately needed, but there are many more ways to support humanitarian work and to have an impact. Why not help those in dire need? If you are looking for some ideas, how to support people trapped in humanitarian crises, here they are.
Acting UN relief chief Joyce Msuya says what Israeli forces are doing in the besieged northern Gaza Strip cannot be allowed to continue. In a statement on Saturday, she warned that "the entire population of north Gaza is at risk of dying". The urgent call and warning come after Israeli troops reportedly stormed one of the last functioning hospitals in northern Gaza, and as civilians, including children and the disabled, face increasingly horrific conditions in the war-torn territory.
In a rare joint statement on Wednesday, the world's humanitarian leaders strongly condemned the growing and blatant violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in conflicts across the globe. They warned that the problem lies not in the absence of legal rules, but in the failure to uphold them, the erosion of accountability, and the refusal to act, even in the face of atrocities.
The world is plagued by further humanitarian crises that should neither be forgotten nor neglected. Though DONARE presently does not compile a complete crisis profile, here are snapshots of some of these humanitarian situations. The emergency situations include: the crisis in Madagascar due to ongoing food insecurity and vulnerability to climate-related disasters; the crisis in Malawi due to drought and flooding; and the ongoing crisis in the Western Sahara.
Six months of war have plunged Sudan into one of the worst "humanitarian nightmares" in recent history, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, said on Sunday, calling on the warring parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law, and urging donors to step up their support. He also highlighted the growing need for humanitarian assistance in neighboring countries, to which more than a million people have already fled.
Amid the worst malnutrition crisis to hit north-east Nigeria in five years, the United Nations relief chief and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, has released $6 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to respond to the humanitarian crisis in the region. In a statement on Monday, Fletcher stressed the need to deliver food to those in urgent need and establish systems to mitigate the risk of future crises.
Many people dream of working in humanitarian aid or are already active in humanitarian affairs and want to find a new career. Even those starting out in the field have a variety of career opportunities. Remember that humanitarian work is both rewarding and demanding. It is important that you approach humanitarian jobs with a sincere desire to make a positive impact on vulnerable communities.
After an 11-week total blockade of humanitarian and commercial goods into the Gaza Strip, Israeli authorities have temporarily allowed the resumption of limited aid deliveries since Monday. While the entry of some trucks has been welcomed as a positive development, as of Wednesday night none of the supplies had reached those in need, amid extreme deprivation throughout the territory.
Three years of war in Sudan have created the world’s largest humanitarian and displacement crisis. Tens of thousands of children, women and men have been killed, starved, and maimed. With no signs of the humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan and its regional impacts abating, United Nations leaders expressed alarm on Wednesday at the insufficient funding and diplomatic attention being given to the conflict and its consequences.
Global hunger levels remain alarmingly high. Currently, more than 20 million people are on the brink of famine or already experiencing famine conditions. While the world produces more than enough food to feed everyone, one in thirteen people still goes hungry. It is estimated that 645 million people experienced hunger in 2025, accounting for around 7.8 percent of the global population. Meanwhile, some 266 million people in 47 countries and territories experienced high levels of acute food insecurity last year.
Twenty months into the war in Sudan that has created the world's largest humanitarian crisis, the country continues to slide into a widening famine characterized by widespread hunger and a significant surge in acute malnutrition. According to a report released on Tuesday, the IPC Famine Review Committee (FRC) has identified famine in at least five areas, four months after famine was first confirmed in the Zamzam camp for displaced people in Sudan's North Darfur State.
Humanitarian aid and human rights are two concepts that are closely related, yet distinct in their approach to addressing issues of global concern. Both seek to promote the well-being of individuals and communities, but they do so through different means and with different objectives in mind. At their core, humanitarian action and human rights share a common goal of promoting human dignity and alleviating human suffering. At the center of both ideas are humans and the concept of humanity.
A top United Nations official has expressed grave concern over the rapid expansion of the M23 armed group in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC, DR Congo), particularly in North Kivu province and its spillover into neighboring South Kivu province. Briefing the UN Security Council on Monday, Bintou Keita, the UN special envoy to the DRC, described the situation as "one of the most serious, complex and neglected humanitarian crises of our times."
Lebanon is facing a severe humanitarian crisis following massive Israeli airstrikes and ground operations since March 2, 2026, triggered by a broader regional escalation after the US-Israeli launch of a war on Iran and subsequent rocket and drone launches by Hezbollah. Despite a reduction in hostilities due to several nominal ceasefires, the humanitarian situation remains fragile. Ongoing Israeli attacks continues to endanger civilians, impede the safe return of displaced people, and prolong humanitarian needs.
Briefing the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday on the catastrophic reality in Gaza, the top UN relief official urged those present to consider what they will tell future generations when asked what they did to stop the "21st century atrocity" taking place daily before the eyes of the world. The statement comes as every one of Gaza's 2 million surviving Palestinians faces famine, with one in five on the brink of starvation.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned on Monday of a sharp deterioration in the situation in El Fasher, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur State. This warning comes amid reports that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) captured the Sudanese army headquarters in the city on Sunday. In light of the situation, UN relief chief Tom Fletcher has called for an immediate ceasefire in El Fasher, across Darfur, and throughout Sudan.
As Israel’s latest military assault escalates, the situation in the Gaza Strip, where a man-made famine has been confirmed, continues to deteriorate, with more than two million civilians facing a humanitarian catastrophe. Earlier this week, Israel ordered hundreds of thousands of civilians to evacuate Gaza City.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that the UN and its partners are continuing to deliver critical aid across Ukraine, despite the increasing risks to humanitarian workers. On Wednesday, a World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse was damaged in a drone attack on the city of Dnipro.
