Displaced People Crisis Appeal
Your support can provide vital support to vulnerable families fleeing crises. Give now to help deliver urgently needed humanitarian aid.
Over 110 million people have been forced to flee their homes worldwide
Over 43 million of them are children
Where in the world is Caritas Australia helping displaced people and refugees?
We're working with on the ground partners around the world to bring immediate and long-term humanitarian assistance to people fleeing conflict, violence, global crises and the impacts of climate change. Some of the places we are currently actively supporting displaced people:
Ukraine - over 10 million people have been displaced within the country and into surrounding countries due to the ongoing conflict.
We are supporting our partners Caritas Ukraine and Caritas Spes Ukraine to provide emergency aid, medical supplies, food and shelter, and have been able to assist 3.8 million people since the start of the war.
Moldova - 700,000 Ukrainian refugees entered Moldova in the first year of the Ukraine war, with 100,000 remaining there. Moldova itself is subject to political and economic insecurity, leaving refugees increasingly dependent on international humanitarian support.
We are supporting our partners Catholic Relief Services and Caritas Moldova to provide safe and dignified accommodation to refugees, support for food, rent and other necessities, plus mental health and education services, and support to host families.
Northeast India and Bangladesh - Ongoing political instability in Myanmar, resulting in a military coup, has contributed to making the people of Myanmar among the most displaced in the world, with many fleeing to India and Bangladesh. Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh is home to the world's largest refugee camp, with a population of 1,000,000 people, many of whom are Rohingya refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar.
We are supporting our partners Caritas India and Caritas Bangladesh with programs that assist refugees with access to food, specialised nutrition for those in need, shelter, hygiene kits and psychosocial support.
Sudan - over 5.4 million people have been displaced within the country and into surrounding countries due to armed clashes that began in April 2023.
We are supporting our partners CAFOD, SOS Sahel and ERRADA to provide urgent aid and assistance to those forced from their homes, including essentials like access to clean water, food, sanitation, and shelter.
South Sudan - Approximately 3.8m South Sudanese people are displaced, due to conflict, violence and flooding. There is widespread food insecurity, with women and girls disproportiantely affected.
We are supporting our partners, CAFOD and Trocaire, with programs teaching sustainable agriculture practices, and direct provision of food, access to clean water and support finding homes and shelter.
Donate now
Our partners are on the ground around the world, providing:
Food & clean water
Access to food and clean water is of the utmost importance, and often means the difference between life and death for vulnerable communities.
Emergency shelters
Safe accommodation can reduce multiple risks for displaced people, including the risks of violence and trafficking.
Medical support
Access to basic family medicines and support for hygiene and sanitation can help prevent the spread of illness.
Psychosocial support
Psychosocial support services, including for vulnerable children, is critical in helping displaced people recover from the experience of trauma.
Who are displaced people?
Displaced people are people who have been forced to flee their homes for various reasons, often related to crises and conflict. Anyone in the world could become a refugee.
Why is it a crisis?
The number of people forced to flee their homes worldwide has reached crisis levels due to the sheer amount of people who have been affected, and the huge strain this puts on resources in crisis-affected countries and the countries that surround them.
How many people have been forced from their homes around the world?
According to UNHCR, at the end of 2022 there were over 108 million forcibly displaced people around the world. About 40% are children under the age of 18, and almost 2 million children were born as refugees between 2018-2022.
What is driving the displaced people crisis?
Conflict in places like Ukraine and Sudan, crises such as the Turkey-Syria earthquake, and the increasing impacts of climate change in droughts, damaging weather events and farming impacts have driven more people to flee their homes around the world than at any point in history.
The displaced people crisis has only increased in recent years, with global instability, conflict and the climate crisis only getting worse.
What are the needs of displaced people?
Often, the most urgent needs for displaced people are the most basic - access to clean drinking water and hygiene facilities, food, emergency shelter, medical assistance, clothing, and cash to purchase necessities.
What is being done to assist people forced from their homes around the world?
We are working with on the ground partners around the world to bring urgently needed humanitarian assistance to vulnerable families forced from their homes.
Through your generous donations, Caritas Australia can offer various forms of assistance, such as emergency aid, medical supplies, food and shelter for those who have been forced from their homes around the world.
Support people fleeing violence, crises, conflict and climate change today by contributing to our Displaced People Appeal today.
What is an Internally Displaced Person (IDP)?
An Internally Displaced Person (IDP) is someone who has been forced from their home but remain within their country's borders. According to UNHCR, approximately 62.5 million people are internally displaced people.
What is a refugee?
A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee their home and have left their country of origin. According to UNHCR, around 35.3 million people are refugees.
Marian’s story - Somalia
Marian's livelihood has been decimated after four years of drought caused by climate change.
“We had no food or water because of the drought,” she says. “Our crops failed and our goats died. Our livelihoods are gone. We were hungry and desperate.”
Like so many others, she left her home because she had no other options. She walked across Somalia with her eight-month-old daughter to get to Gedo in southern Somalia, hoping to find more food and water, or at least humanitarian aid.
“We walked for five days and nights with little food or water to get here,” she says. “We have been here for several weeks, maybe even a month, and still have not been properly registered with the authorities.”
We had no food or water because of the drought. Our crops failed and our goats died. Our livelihoods are gone. We were hungry and desperate.
Sibomana's Story - Democratic Republic of Congo
Sibomana is 34 years old and a married father of six children. War forced his family to flee their home in August 2022.. Since then, they have been living in a camp for Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs), in the province of North Kivu. A native of the Kisigari sub-chiefdom in Rutshuru territory, "Sibo" as his relatives call him, was chosen as a hygiene promoter because of his leadership skills and knowledge of community mobilization. Hygiene promoters organize community awareness sessions, and disinfect public toilets and households exposed to the risk of cholera.
As one of 51 members of the hygiene committee (80% of whom are IDPs), he has been equipped, supported, and accompanied by Caritas Goma in implementing hygiene and sanitation measures in various IDP camps and sites.
As part of this work, Sibomana earns a bonus at the end of each week, which allows him to support the needs of his family.
With a vacuum truck rented by Caritas Goma, we have already emptied about ten toilet blocks - with at least 10 toilet doors per block - which were already clogged. This has allowed hundreds of families to no longer defecate in the open air, so as to avoid aggravating the risk of the spread of cholera.
Where does my donation go?
The funds raised through this appeal will be used to provide immediate and longer-term humanitarian assistance to vulnerable communities forced to flee their homes around the world.
If any excess funds remain after a crisis, or if there are changes in circumstances beyond our control that limit our ability to use the funds, they are kept in the Emergency Response Appeal so that we can respond to ongoing development needs and future crises across all our regions.
As a member of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), Caritas Australia is committed and fully adhere to the ACFID Code of Conduct, conducting our work with transparency, accountability and integrity. Find out more about ACFID Code of Conduct for Emergency Appeals.