International Rescue Committee

Famine is a deadly reality in Gaza. But without decisive political action, humanitarian aid alone cannot stem the tide of this deepening catastrophe. As a result of Israel’s blockade, families are starving, children are wasting away from severe acute malnutrition, and people are dying. Immediate action is not just necessary - it is a moral imperative. Gaza needs food, healthcare and serious humanitarian assistance--now. Swipe to learn more about needs on the ground >

Meet Arif, Salma and Sabuj. For most of their childhood, “home” has meant Cox’s Bazar refugee camp in Bangladesh, where families rely almost entirely on humanitarian aid to survive. Eight years ago, nearly one million Rohingya refugees, like them, were forced to flee Myanmar. Now, these children have put pen to paper to share their reality in their own words. ✍🏽 Arif [photo 1]: “Living without money and freedom for the past eight years has been the greatest challenge of my life… The laughter of my teachers, my family, and my friends used to bring me joy. Sadly, these moments of happiness are becoming fewer.” ✍🏽 Salma [photo 2]: “Life here is not easy… During the rainy season, water enters our shelter. But I imagine becoming a Sayama (teacher) one day, so I can help the children in our community build a bright future.” ✍🏽 Sabuj [photo 3]: “We hope to return to our birthplace, Arakan, and live peacefully with our families. We dream of pursuing higher education and working for the development and freedom of our community.” These letters are a reminder: behind every statistic is a child with a voice, a dream, and a story the world needs to hear.

Famine is now a deadly reality in Gaza City. All three thresholds—catastrophic hunger, acute malnutrition, and mass death—have been officially surpassed, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). This is an entirely preventable man-made crisis. Since May, the Government of Israel has imposed a near total blockade on aid flows, denying the population of Gaza access to food, water and medical care. Now families are starving, children are wasting away from severe malnutrition, and people are dying. Immediate action is not just necessary—it is a moral imperative.

Over three years into full-scale war, Ukrainians face little relief from destruction. In fact, the number of civilian casualties in June and July consecutively reached three-year highs. With 286 civilians killed and 1,388 injured, July was the deadliest month since May 2022.   In many areas, daily life means hours in shelters during strikes, only to return to damaged or destroyed businesses and homes. This relentless cycle has become routine—mirroring the growing toll of protracted wars worldwide.

This #WorldHumanitarianDay, alongside a quiet moment reflecting on colleagues lost over the years, I think of the future and of how aid practices have to change to meet the moment, and the challenges to come. This piece in Devex reflects on a great partnership between International Rescue Committee and the Citi Foundation helping to develop #ResilientFutures for young people displaced from rural to urban areas across multiple continents. What inspires you to invest in humanitarian action? #WHD #WHD2025 #YouthInAction

“Being an aid worker in Gaza means risking your life every day just to help others survive. There is no safe space—not for us, and not for those we serve.” – Mohammed Mansour, IRC Senior Nutrition Manager Meet the IRC staff members on the ground in Gaza this World Humanitarian Day IRC staff and our Palestinian partners are exhausted, delivering nutrition, health, and water and sanitation — all while facing the same hunger and relentless threats to their lives and that of their families. Since October 2023 more than 500 aid workers, including staff from organizations the IRC partners with on the ground in Gaza, have been killed, alongside at least 1,500 health workers. They are not just witnesses to this crisis; they are living it. We need the opening of land crossings and unfettered humanitarian access to reach people in need as a matter of the highest urgency. Civilians and humanitarian workers must be protected.

Imagine being sent to a country where you don’t know anyone, don’t speak the language, and could be persecuted or even tortured. This isn’t an exercise—it’s reality. Swipe > to learn more about third country removals and how the Trump administration is speeding up deportations with as little as 6 hours notice by sending people to countries to which they have no ties.

1 in 3 women worldwide will experience violence in their lifetime. Yet, gender-based violence prevention remains one of the most underfunded areas in humanitarian response. In crisis zones like the Lake Chad Basin, conflict and climate change are driving violence against women and girls—stripping away their rights and safety. Often forced to walk miles for food and water, they become even more vulnerable to abuse. 🎞️Psychologist Bebata explains how the IRC is helping in collaboration with the European Union. Watch for how you can take action.

Four years since the Taliban took control, the impacts of climate change, displacement, and decades of conflict have left the people of Afghanistan facing immense humanitarian challenges.  Families struggle to find food, quality health care, and face high levels of malnutrition amongst children. But hope still exists in clinics like those run by the IRC, where children receive life-saving care to ward off acute malnutrition, every day. With support from EU in Emergencies, our health and nutrition programs are reaching people, especially vulnerable children, in some of the remotest locations of Afghanistan. Yet the needs remain immense and are growing. We call on the international community to stand in solidarity with Afghanistan, because without sustained support, millions remain at risk.

“Nonprofits will need to work together with donors and funders to forge a path toward sustainable relief and long-term resilience.”    The international aid system is at a turning point. While humanitarian needs are intensifying, Official Development Assistance (ODA) from government agencies has sharply declined. Recently, the IRC laid out a roadmap with strategies to help nonprofits maximize their impact with shrinking resources, including: - Prioritizing where needs are greatest, using transparent, data-driven approaches to direct resources. - Investing in proven, cost-effective programs, such as immunization initiatives.  - Empowering local responders to ensure community-led solutions and lasting impact.    Support from the private sector has always been (and will remain) essential in this new context. The Pfizer Foundation, for example, has supported the IRC-led REACH consortium to expand immunization programs to some of the hardest-to-reach areas of Ethiopia’s Tigray and Amhara regions.    Ahead of World Humanitarian Day, Matthew Collins-Gibson, IRC Vice President of Philanthropy, Foundations, and Board Engagement, shares strategies that nonprofits can adopt to navigate this new era for aid in a blog post for Candid.    Read the full blog: https://lnkd.in/et2_wTBe