What do we do when the crisis hits?
Our local roots mean that we are present before, during and after a crisis.

The emergency response is guided by the humanitarian principles that state that we should help those in greatest need, regardless of ethnic, religious or other affiliation.
It is the local Caritas organizations that are first on the scene when a crisis strikes, and it is they who know best the social, economic and cultural conditions on the ground. This knowledge is necessary to ensure that emergency aid reaches those who need it most.
We work with distribution of food, cash, drinks, medicines, hygiene products, clothing and blankets, shelter, house repair, as well as psychosocial support and counseling.
Read more about our emergency response in different countries:
The target group is internally displaced persons, families who have returned to their homes, refugees from Nigeria and vulnerable families in need of humanitarian assistance. Annually, we reach 6,000 people, over 51 percent women.
We work with:
- Cash support
- Organization of information meetings and training on various topics and challenges in the local communities with a main focus on conflict management, protection of vulnerable persons, human trafficking, child and forced marriage, organized prostitution, gender-based violence.
- Distribution of hygiene packs for women.
- Loan and savings groups
- Early warning system.
The target group is internally displaced persons, families who have returned to their homes and vulnerable families in need of humanitarian assistance. In addition, we work with malnourished children under the age of 5, pregnant and breastfeeding women. Each year, we reach almost 26,000 people, 80 percent of whom are women.
We're working on:
- Cash support
- Distribution of solar-powered lamps to girls
- Distribution of energy-efficient stoves to women
- Examination to detect malnutrition in children under 5 years of age and mothers. Distribution of dietary supplements, referral to health care and further follow-up.
- Training of healthcare professionals on child malnutrition
- Organization of information meetings and training on different themes and challenges in the local communities with a main focus on gender-based violence, forced prostitution
- Training of employees on the protection of children and people living with disabilities.
- Safe meeting places for girls and women to prevent prostitution
- Access to clean drinking water
- Distribution of water filters and water purification tablets
- Water wells upgraded and updated to run on solar energy
- Hygiene packs for girls
- Information campaigns on preventive hygiene measures
- Distribution of high energy seed varieties, including training
- Loan and savings groups
- Training the members of the savings and loan groups in income-generating work (producing and selling soap)
- Women survivors of gender-based violence receive life skills training
The target group in our projects are internally displaced and returned families, people living with disabilities, and vulnerable host families in Gogrial (Warrap State) and Yirol (Lakes State).
We work with:
- cash grant
- distribution of hygiene packs
- training in the construction of energy-efficient stoves
- distribution of solar lamps to households with family members living with disabilities
- We organize courses, information meetings and support groups in the communities and within households with a main focus on psychosocial support, gender-based violence, conflict management, training in practical skills and
- We offer individual psychosocial support/counseling in specific cases
- Information campaign on hygiene and hand washing facilities in schools
- Rehabilitation of wells and training in maintenance and proper use
- Distribution of climate-adapted seed varieties and tools, including training in use and maintenance
- Loan and savings groups
- Training in risk analysis, warning systems and capacity assessment - for example, how to best manage flooding
The target group is internally displaced and returned families, as well as vulnerable host families in the Bouar-Bocaranga axis in the Nana-Mambéré prefecture.
We work with:
- Cash support
- Distribution of seeds and related training
- Training for local leaders on gender-based violence and psychosocial first aid
The target group is malnourished children under the age of five, pregnant and breastfeeding women and vulnerable families who, due to the economic crisis in the country, do not receive adequate medical care or access to food. We reach over 100,000 people annually.
We're working on:
- Cash support
- Focus on nutrition in vulnerable children and women: access to medical check-ups, distribution of food rations, soup kitchens, distribution of food supplements to malnourished children and pregnant/breastfeeding women
- We are working to establish local health centers with free services
- Distribution of Covid-19 packages with information on preventive measures and medication for treatment
- Hygiene packs distributed to pregnant and breastfeeding women
- Distribution of water filters and water purification tablets
The target groups are people affected by the February 2023 earthquake and others whose livelihoods have been devastated by conflict and deep economic crisis. 40,000 people are being helped through our efforts on the ground.
We are working with:
- Cash grants for earthquake-affected families in Latakia
- Cash grants and water supply to poor families in Hasakah
- emergency response to earthquake victims in Idlib
- Rehabilitation of earthquake-affected homes and schools in several provinces
The target group is vulnerable groups such as the elderly and single-parent households with children.
We're working on:
- Purification of water
- Access to clean drinking water
- Hygiene training
- Livelihood activities (purchasing livestock such as cows)
- Cash support
- Repair of houses
The target group is Ukrainian refugees and vulnerable households in the host community.
We're working on:
- Food vouchers
- Facilitation and access to different types of services through mobile teams. These inform refugees about opportunities in Moldova
- Hygiene putty
- Kindergarten and school
The target group is Ukrainian refugees.
We're working on:
- Information center where refugees can get information about opportunities and rights
- Distribution of cash grants to single and elderly people
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