Story type: Story

Six months after the enormous earthquake and tsunami that resulted in massive destruction in the North of Japan, CARE continues to provide support for communities recovering from the disaster.

Polou is a 26 year old Ivorian, and a single mother of six young children. She fled Ivory Coast in May and sought refuge in Grand Gedeh, south eastern

Fatuma Adan Mohammed is a CARE Community Development Worker working with CARE’s Prevention of Sexual and Gender-based Violence program in Dagahaley camp, Dadaab Refugee Camp, Kenya, where nearly 100,000 refugees have arrived from Somalia this year alone, fleeing famine, drought and conflict. More than 1,600 refugees work for CARE in the Dadaab camps.

I have just visited Balich Village in Garissa district, North Eastern Province of Kenya. Inhabitants of Balich belong to the Somali-Bantu community, an ethnic minority which is highly marginalized.

Famine was officially declared in three additional regions of South-Central Somalia, adding even more urgency to CARE’s call for a rapid and ramped-up response from the international community.

Emergency Media Officer Alexandra Lopoukhine describes the situation in Dadaab refugee camp, northern Kenya, where nearly 1,500 people are arriving each day.

On July 9, the Republic of South Sudan has become the world’s newest country, after the historic vote for independence earlier this year. The people of South Sudan are looking hopefully to the future, but many challenges lie ahead.

Bobbing in and out of his chair, a spritely six-year-old boy answers “Mignon” when asked his name. Mignon means “cute” in French. The name suits him, but unfortunately his life has become anything but cute.

CARE is providing emergency assistance to families who have crossed into Southern Sudan desperately trying to escape the violence and we are calling for the protection of civilians. Women and girls are at particular risk, with new mothers and pregnant women walking for days to reach safety