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Poor PeopleWork the Hardest -
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CARE is there in emergencies Print E-mail

Link to our Blog on Emergencies


 

©2004 Josh Estay/CARE
The fight against poverty is never more difficult than in times of crisis. For communities that are already poor and vulnerable, any kind of disaster, whether man-made or natural, can be catastrophic. In addition to destroying livelihoods and infrastructure, disaster losses can aggravate financial, political social and environmental problems, making it difficult for many countries to meet a wide range of development goals. This is especially true under current conditions of skyrocketing food prices, rapidly degrading ecosystems and profound injustices. People in the least developed countries and island states will be affected first and worst. At community and household levels, the poorest and most vulnerable social groups - including women, children, the elderly and disabled - will be hit hardest. As such, climate change threatens to exacerbate social inequalities.


CARE takes a comprehensive view: disasters do not happen in isolation. Our aim is to look further than the immediate need and work with communities on long-term sustainable development programmes. This includes understanding and responding to current and future impacts of climate-induced hazards and disasters. We are committed to and actively engaged in both disaster relief and post disaster development work in the areas of disaster preparedness and prevention, rapid response at the onset of a disaster and post-disaster recovery.


As the increasing frequency, intensity, duration and range of extreme weather brought about by climate change continues, CARE recognises that new thinking and practical approaches to humanitarian response are needed to overcome this challenge.


Read more about a recent study conducted by CARE International, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and Maplecroft that maps specific hazards associated with climate change - focusing on floods, cyclones and droughts - and places them in relation to factors influencing vulnerability. The results identify ‘hotspots of high humanitarian risk' for the next 20-30 year period and are summarized the report Humanitarian Implications of Climate Change.