Image credits and information
Humanitarian work is central to Christian Aid’s mission: responding to the urgent needs of crisis-affected communities and giving them the means to stand on their own feet is exactly why Christian Aid was created.
Throughout our history, we have responded to some of the worst disasters our world has faced – the Ethiopian famine, the South Asian tsunami, the Ebola outbreak – as well as forgotten or protracted crises such as in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). We have increased the breadth and depth in our humanitarian programme in recent years.
We commit around half of its total annual income to humanitarian work, reaching millions of people every year.
Download to find our how we're responding to the urgent needs of crisis-affected communities
Our approach
Christian Aid’s humanitarian work is grounded in listening to crisis-affected communities and supporting locally-led responses.
Working through trusted partners and civil society organisations, we help communities meet immediate needs, reduce future risks and move from emergency relief to long-term resilience.
Our strong focus on locally-led action challenges the humanitarian sector to move beyond short-term fixes by scaling up innovative approaches that put affected populations in the driving seat, nurturing their agency and dignity to strengthen resilience.
We've been strong supporters of localisation, equal partnership, people-centred approaches and accountability.
Through our humanitarian work, Christian Aid aims to put people at the heart of decision-making, enabling a smooth transition from relief to resilience.
We do this by:
- Empowering crisis-affected populations and local actors to meet the needs of the most vulnerable.
- Being accountable to affected populations.
- Building long-term resilience of vulnerable communities to cope with future threats.
- Advocating to those in power to tackle the causes of crises.
- Emphasising inclusion in our work to support the most vulnerable and excluded
Our impact
Christian Aid’s strong track record has enabled us to continue the trend of increased breadth and depth in our humanitarian programming over recent years.
In 2024/5, we met the immediate humanitarian needs of 8 million people.
In DRC, we provided shelter, food and water for 200,000 people displaced in the Kasai region.
Image credits and information
Responding to violence against the Rohingya people from Myanmar, Christian Aid managed the Jamtoli Refugee Camp in Bangladesh, which had a population of 51,000 people.
Following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, we supported more than 1.2m people through a locally‑led, multi-sectoral approach across 23 oblasts (administrative regions).
Image credits and information
We provided cash, community microgrants, livelihoods, food, disaster risk reduction and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) projects across three countries affected by five years of failed rains – Kenya, Ethiopia and South Sudan.
Image credits and information
- We have driven forward innovative practice in disaster risk reduction, survivor and community-led response (sclr), and resilience work, most notably in conflict settings.
- We are a leading voice in promoting the role of local and national NGOs in humanitarian action.
Read more about our current emergency work.
Christian Aid spearheaded work among a network of NGOs that provided high quality policy recommendations that have, to a large extent, been picked up in the global process.
Sign up for our emails to receive uplifting stories, updates on our impact and resources that will help you make a difference. Join our community today and see how your support is changing lives!
