Story type: Story

Imagine that one day you awake in your home surrounded by a war you had not expected. Aerial bombings have destroyed the houses of neighbors. Fires are burning. The smell of battle is everywhere, war is enveloping you. You cannot reach your relatives, and you fear they may be dead. You have little money and the banks have closed. You pack what you can in a bag, fleeing with family to a second country, where you hope to find a sense of safety, peace and some assistance.

When I was an aid worker in southern Sudan in the 1990s, the fight for independence against Sudan had already been running for many years. It was Africa’s longest civil war

By: Yen Tan, Senior Procurement Specialist for CARE. Yen has been working for CARE for 15 years on procurement. He was the first experienced procurement staff member recruited by the Organisation and has worked with CARE in a number of different emergencies around the world.

A roof over one’s head – consistently, this is among the top concerns of urban refugees who have fled Syria – a place to live and money to pay rent.

Walking into the CARE supported clinic in Pariang, I see a little girl with edema – her belly is swollen because she hasn’t got enough to eat.

Despite the ailments that accompany old age and war, Aisha Barbar, 75, remains a feisty woman. Widowed more than twenty years ago, she raised 14 children on her own. “My husband died, leaving me alone with the children when I was young.” Reflecting for a moment, she adds, “Everything runs away from you but death.”

Sameer hastens up steep slopes, and moves down small winding trails through deep river valleys. His flip-flops make a clacking sound, as he paces through his village in the mountains of Gorkha

On a cold and wet spring day in a rural community in north Lebanon, near Tripoli, a woman in sandals greets her visitors and immediately apologizes for the smell. Her family has found refuge in a shelter on a chicken farm. They are staying in what was previously used as a shed for animals.

After one month, CARE and the other humanitarian actors working on the earthquake response have managed to do a lot, despite the huge logistical challenges. We have reached over 23,000 people with initial life-saving aid across four of the worst affected districts. However, there remains much, much more to do