Donations Are the Lifeblood of Humanitarian Aid
Financial donations to aid agencies are vital to confronting the trauma and devastation caused to people experiencing an armed assault on their communities. Donations unleash the capacities and capabilities of aid organisations, NGOs and local community groups to assist those impacted by war. These organizations provide essential emergency aid, healthcare services, protection, education, and resources for peacebuilding.
At “Helping War Victims”, we believe financial donations are the most valuable help a person can give. Donors help to rebuild the lives of those most affected by conflict. Donations allow for the delivery of critical emergency aid, including food, water, medicines and warmth in situations where infrastructure, homes and supply lines have collapsed. Grants provide medical equipment and support and train local people so that overloaded hospitals and healthcare facilities can care for those wounded while also continuing to treat chronic conditions such as diabetes and renal failure.
Donations also fund organisations that deliver initiatives to protect civilians from violence, including establishing safe havens, shelter and transport vehicles, and negotiating transit corridors to help civilians flee a war zone.
Beyond immediate critical emergency care to reduce hardship, suffering and trauma, donations provide a means for maintaining and stabilising services in enduring conflict. Aid money helps communities heal after the war has ended. Donations enable critical infrastructure to be rebuilt, such as municipal water lines or wells and sanitation services. Donations help provide practical training to war victims to facilitate their independence and get stable incomes.
The International Rescue Committee’s work in Syria and the Norwegian Refugee Council’s work in Ukraine are only possible through donations.
“The world must not forget Ukraine. It is vital that donors sustain the humanitarian efforts to support the people in need in Ukraine – and those displaced beyond its borders."
- Marysia Zapasnik, International Rescue Committee country director for Ukraine
Over 8 million people have fled Ukraine’s borders since Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.90 percent of these displaced people are women and children. Traumatised by war, separated from loved ones and forced to travel to foreign environments, these people are vulnerable and at risk.
Donbas region of Ukraine to support human rights lawyers in criminal claims against the Russian
Donor contributions have allowed organisations like the International Rescue Committee to partner with local Ukrainian and Polish aid agencies to support people crossing Ukraine’s borders into neighbouring countries. The IRC has coordinated with other aid agencies, such as the Polish Red Cross and the Ukrainian Right to Protection, to provide emergency assistance to Ukrainian IDPs and refugees. Donations have also helped the collection of testimonies from people in the Donbas region of Ukraine to support human rights lawyers in criminal claims against those carrying out Russia's invasion.
War has similarly devasted Syria. 6.8 million people are internally displaced, while a similar number have fled to neighbouring countries. Since 2011, the Norwegian Refugee Council, supported by individual donors and corporate partnerships, has remained one of the few international NGOs active in the country. In Raqqa, the NRC has coordinated with local organisations to provide shelter for displaced people returning to their destroyed homes. Through funding from donations, the NRC has helped over 2500 families in Raqqa. Support to these families was multifaceted, involving payments for repairs to damaged homes and the re-installation of sanitation and water systems. The NRC has facilitated schools to reopen, helped train new teachers and provided protection and psychosocial support to children and vulnerable people.
Donor contributions have allowed organisations like the International Rescue Committee to partner with local Ukrainian and Polish aid agencies to support people crossing Ukraine’s borders into neighbouring countries. The IRC has coordinated with other aid agencies, such as the Polish Red Cross and the Ukrainian Right to Protection, to provide emergency assistance to Ukrainian IDPs and refugees. Donations have also helped the collection of testimonies from people in the Donbas region of Ukraine to support human rights lawyers in criminal claims against those carrying out Russia's invasion.
War has similarly devasted Syria. 6.8 million people are internally displaced, while a similar number have fled to neighbouring countries. Since 2011, the Norwegian Refugee Council, supported by individual donors and corporate partnerships, has remained one of the few international NGOs active in the country. In Raqqa, the NRC has coordinated with local organisations to provide shelter for displaced people returning to their destroyed homes. Through funding from donations, the NRC has helped over 2500 families in Raqqa. Support to these families was multifaceted, involving payments for repairs to damaged homes and the re-installation of sanitation and water systems. The NRC has facilitated schools to reopen, helped train new teachers and provided protection and psychosocial support to children and vulnerable people.
All donations matter: even small ones have a big impact.
Financial donations are the most potent and effective way that people can contribute to easing conflict-induced suffering. Innovative delivery methods, from direct-to-people cash transfers and on-the-ground community lead and overseen support and reconstruction, ensure that every donation, no matter how small, contributes to the well-being of victims of war. As well as emergency essentials, donations support social rebuilding, peace initiatives and psychosocial support for those most traumatised. Donations are the path to recovery and to the re-enfranchisement of stable communities.
Donations support community development projects that reduce suffering and improve the quality of life for victims. Community development projects can involve rebuilding infrastructure, supporting sustainable agriculture projects and building secure housing.
Donations allow for the investment in human capital through education and vocational training to fill skills shortages due to deaths and the absence of specialists, from nurses, and engineers to IT experts.
No matter the amount, donations become priceless to the people and communities affected by war and disaster. They support the transition from despair and dependency to rebuilding lives and communities.
Small donations enable meaningful change in people’s lives. The International Rescue Committee states that 53 dollars a month supports a child to attend school, and 110 supplies a family with clean drinking water. These small contributions enable meaningful change in people’s lives.
Aid agencies consistently report underfunding. The UN Refugee Agency said that in 2021 it needed over 9 billion in funds to help refugees and stateless people but only received a little over half of that amount. Significantly 40 percent of donations came from individual donors and not UN governments.
Our campaigns at “Helping War Victims” highlight the positive and significant influence of individual donations. Currently, 1621 individual donors have contributed to reconstructing war-damaged homes.
Wars have geo-political implications which can delay assistance. Individual donors are critical to funding urgent responses, as government donations can take time and be prejudiced by their own political or economic aims. Individuals and private sector contributions can also help international aid organisations fill funding shortfalls which cause them to prioritise some forms of aid over others.
Donations can also support organizations that advocate for the rights and needs of civilians affected by war. Individual donors support conflict resolution initiatives and peace-building processes. This advocacy can bring in more material support to the affected population. It can strengthen the protection of those most vulnerable through poverty reduction and social justice campaigns. Donor funding enables the documentation of the crimes committed by warring parties so that they can be held accountable for inhuman actions. Funded advocacy for traumatised groups can quicken disarmament and the return to peace in conflict-ridden societies. Donations allow for the post-conflict removal of landmines and other violent weaponry to reduce further loss of life and to make land accessible for production once again.
Our donations are the lifeblood of hope.
THIS ARTICLE WAS CREATED BY TIM MCVICAR