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.
Raise awareness
Talk about humanitarian crises and share the stories on social media. Use your voice and social media activities to make your friends and family aware of situations you care about and to inform them of the need to support humanitarian work around the world. Both can help to build support and mobilize resources. Use your social media to take action on critical issues.
Keep informed and support quality journalism
Stay informed about neglected crises and support journalism that covers humanitarian crises and forgotten conflicts. You can find background information on the world's most severe humanitarian crises under Humanitarian Emergencies. Or stay up to date and read about current developments around the globe in our news section. You can also view the latest humanitarian news headlines from leading sources around the world in our news monitor.
Donate when you can
Any amount of money can make a difference. Support UN agencies and non-governmental organizations, so they can provide the help people urgently need in humanitarian crises. For a concise selection of organizations, visit: Humanitarian Crisis Relief, Refugees and IDPs, Children in Need, Hunger and Food Insecurity, Medical Humanitarian Aid, Vulnerable Groups, Faith-Based Humanitarian Organizations, and Human Rights Organizations. You can also browse by country: Humanitarian Organizations United States, Humanitarian Organizations United Kingdom, Humanitarian Organizations Canada, and Humanitarian Organizations Australia.
Start a fundraiser
Don't have enough money to donate yourself? Why not act as a fundraiser and encourage friends, acquaintances, family and colleagues to contribute?
Hold your government to account
Hold your government and politicians accountable to aid pledges and political promises by writing letters to your local Member of Parliament or parliamentary representative. Use your voice to urge government leaders to make international humanitarian assistance and the resolution of violent conflicts their top priority. You can advocate for policy change and push your elected officials to take action to address the root causes of humanitarian crises.
Influence media coverage
Write to editors-in-chief and editorial offices of national and international leading media, or make your views clear in a letter to the editor to local newspapers. If you have good reasons, you can also formulate formal complaints to supervisory authorities.
Volunteer in humanitarian aid
Giving back to others by volunteering your time and skills can be rewarding and impactful. There are several opportunities to volunteer in humanitarian aid around the world, particularly for young people and those with extensive work experience. Volunteering can also be a good way to gain insight if you are considering a career in the humanitarian sector at home or abroad, or if you want to get a foot in the door at the United Nations.
Support the lobbying and campaign work of aid organizations
Many humanitarian organizations lobby political leaders and act as advocates for people who cannot make their voices heard. Aid organizations start their own petitions or exert influence in other ways. You can support this work.
Sign or start a petition
There are several ways to start an official or private petition. Or you can find one you want to support and sign it. Your options depend in part on where you live. In the United Kingdom, Germany, and the European Union, rules exist for official petitions to parliaments, and a public infrastructure allows petitions to be easily submitted and signed electronically.
Join an organization
Found a nonprofit organization you trust and whose work impresses you? Does the organization offer membership or supporting membership? Why don't you join? Support the NGO on a permanent basis. Alternatively, you can become a regular donor to the humanitarian organization.
Sponsor a child
Do you want to make a direct connection with a country and a young person? Individual charities facilitate child sponsorship around the world. Child sponsorships are programs that match children in need and suffering with sponsors around the world.
Take action for human rights
Human rights violations and humanitarian crises are closely linked. With your commitment to the worldwide enforcement of human rights, you indirectly help people suffering from humanitarian crises and can help to prevent the outbreak of humanitarian emergencies rooted in human rights violations. You can find organizations that you can support on the page Human Rights Organizations.
Stand up against climate change
The climate crisis - one of the greatest threats to humanity and the world - is causing extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, hurricanes and wildfires. Already, human-made climate change is having a devastating impact on the earth and the people who inhabit it. The climate crisis is contributing to an increase in humanitarian emergencies or the aggravation of already ongoing crisis situations. Your efforts to combat the climate crisis can save countless lives. You can find organizations that you can support on the page Climate Crisis and Climate Change.