We are shocked and deeply saddened by the ongoing human suffering currently happening in Ukraine and her neighbouring countries.
We are also mindful not to forget other equally distressing humanitarian crises around the world.
All crises have negative impacts. People’s lives are torn apart and the bonds of trust that form the foundation of resilient communities are broken.
Current estimates project half of Ukraine’s population – 18 million people – will be affected by the ongoing violence (source). In Yemen, 20.7m people have been affected by war and are in need of aid. 13m people are experiencing drought and food insecurity in the Horn of Africa. 14.4m people have been affected by violence in Myanmar. 22.1m people are facing a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. 25m people are affected by the civil war in Ethiopia. 14.7m people are impacted by the security crisis in the Sahel. In Haiti, 4.9m people are affected by natural disaster, political dysfunction and instability. 100s of thousands of people are in need of aid due to hardline European policies returning refugees, asylum seekers and migrants (source).
The reality is that the number of displaced people is growing. Climate change, resource depletion and conflict will continue to do that.
The global Engineers Without Borders community strongly believes and advocates for the prevention and alleviation of human suffering in all its forms, and although we are not a direct responder to humanitarian crises we wish to extend our thoughts and support to those caught up in these upsetting events and stand in solidarity.
Looking to help?
Many within our community, and outside our community, have sought to understand how they can provide support during times of humanitarian crisis and have reached out to ask for our advice.
We strongly urge support for those organisations that are experienced in providing support during a humanitarian crisis by donating your funds to them. We firmly believe that this is the responsible action to adopt for the majority of people that are moved to help.
Who you wish to support is a personal choice. Most of the international aid agencies are providing support across the spectrum of humanitarian crises.
The UN agencies – UNOCHA, UNHCR, UNICEF – provide coordination and support to governments to ensure that vulnerable people are protected and provided for. UNOCHA coordinates the overall global emergency response. UNHCR protects the rights of refugees, forcibly displaced, and stateless people. While, UNICEF focuses on protecting children in danger.
NGOs such as Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) and the International Red Cross-Red Crescent movement (ICRC) provide first response services such as medical aid, water, food, shelter and other essential items.
Many individuals within our global community are experienced humanitarian professionals and are involved in humanitarian responses around the world. They have the skills and expertise to positively contribute towards saving lives in times of crisis. However, our global capability does not currently extend to engaging directly in disaster response ourselves and we do not wish to divert resources from those humanitarian response agencies best equipped to respond.
Engineers Without Borders organisations have been working for over 40 years to alleviate human suffering and we continue to focus on addressing today’s most pressing challenges and accelerating progress for a sustainable and equitable future.
We hope for peace, understanding and a better quality of life for everyone on the planet. Our thoughts are with those that have lost their lives, their loved ones and their livelihoods as a result of these distressing crises around the world.