My commitment as a disaster relief worker
Disaster relief worker
Challenge
Natural disaster, famine and war bring devastation, leave behind chaos, and uproot families. Desperate people are left without a livelihood. When a disaster occurs, rapid emergency aid for the victims is vital. Thanks to partner organisations in 160 countries, Caritas Switzerland has a reliable network to deliver rapid and unbureaucratic disaster relief.
Caritas aid
The purpose of the ‘disaster relief worker’ sponsorship is to enable Caritas to draw on existing financial resources in an earthquake, a flood, a mudslide or extreme drought. The disaster relief workers are important in forgotten disasters, which are not reported in the media. In these cases, it is difficult to get financial support for emergency relief.
The Caritas disaster relief workers support a variety of projects:
- We distribute food, water, items of hygiene and household utensils in acute disaster situations, for example in Mozambique or to Venezuelan refugees in Colombia
- We help with the long-term reconstruction of infrastructure, for example in Haiti or Indonesia
- We help children and adults to cope with trauma, for example in the Syrian crisis or the refugee crisis in Greece
- We are involved in disaster prevention, for example in Cambodia or Mali
Make a commitment today to Caritas’ disaster relief with one Swiss franc per day. Become a disaster relief worker and help us save the lives of people in need.
Support in Syria: Emergency aid for Ali and his family
«At home, we lived a simple life. But we had everything we needed: a house, enough to eat, a few animals, olives. We lost our beloved son in the war, had to flee and leave behind everything we owned. Now we have nothing.» Thanks to Caritas, Ali‘s family is able to buy food and warm clothing.