PRESS RELEASE: REACH deploys to Mozambique to assess priority needs and scale of disaster
Following cyclone Idai and its devastating impacts on Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi, REACH has been deployed to Beira, Mozambique, to support in the humanitarian response. The team reached the country early this week and will aid in assessing the scale Read more…
Evidence-based response – More than a buzzword? A look at the implementation of the Grand Bargain commitment on needs assessments
Data. Evidence. Facts. There is little controversy on the significance of information when it comes to decision-making. No less so in strategic decisions made in humanitarian contexts. Yet, the line is fine between information directing decisions and available information justifying Read more…
Displaced Syrians face overcrowded latrines and limited access to safe drinking water – A snapshot of WASH needs and conditions in Syria
Hostilities in Syria have seen an overall reduction since the beginning of the conflict in 2011, yet two-thirds of the population remain in need of humanitarian assistance. Among the priority needs of the civilians living in conflict-affected regions, are access Read more…
How did Somali households spend 18 million dollars of life-saving cash? New report maps the spending patterns of vulnerable households in Somalia
The Somali Cash Consortium, in partnership with REACH, is currently preparing the publication of a comprehensive report on the spending patterns of Somali households who received a total of 18 million dollars of life-saving cash transfers in 2018. Through thousands Read more…
Displaced, returned, reintegrated? While returns to north-east Syria continue, durable solutions for returnees and those remaining in displacement remain out of sight
Without improved material, legal and physical conditions in areas of origin, populations returning home in Syria struggle to reintegrate in safety and with dignity. Yet, during the first half of 2018, 750,000 internally displaced persons and 15,000 Syrian refugees were Read more…
Ukraine: Conflict reaches protracted phase but sounds of shelling and risk of mines continue – Challenges in accessing services and markets along the line of contact have become part of everyday life
April 2018 marked the fourth anniversary of the conflict in Donbas, the eastern region of Ukraine. Despite a ceasefire agreement signed in 2014, conflict along the densely populated areas in the vicinity of the 500 kilometre contact line continues with Read more…
From transit to destination − Tunisia has become a de facto destination for sub-Saharan migrants
Traditionally known as a country of emigration, the past decade has seen an increasing inflow of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa transiting through or settling in Tunisia. Official statistics show that between 2004 and 2014 the number of all immigrants in Read more…
Chad: From displacement sites to host communities – Multi-sector needs assessment sheds light on the humanitarian conditions of refugees, returnees and hosts in southern Chad
Close to 100 000 refugees from the Central African Republic or CAR are currently settled in four southern regions of Chad adjacent to the border of the two countries. Most of the refugees first arrived in 2013 and 2014 when a Read more…
Kenya: Half of the assessed households report insufficient access to food at Dadaab refugee complex
A year ago, the World Food Programme announced that it was forced to cut food rations by 30 percent for the refugees living in the Dadaab and Kakuma camps in northern Kenya due to insufficient funding. Since then little has Read more…
Indonesia: Mapping the impact of a 7.4 MT earthquake and ensuing tsunami through remote sensing
On the 28th of September, a series of earthquakes struck central Sulawesi province, the strongest a 7.4 magnitude earthquake with an epicenter only 10 kilometers deep. The earthquake triggered a tsunami that hit the provincial capital Palu and the coastal Read more…
Brazil: Social tensions spike and challenges in accessing job and housing markets continue − Assessing conditions of Venezuelan asylum seekers and migrants in Roraima
As the economic, political and social crisis in Venezuela continues with little sustainable solutions in sight, thousands of Venezuelans have been displaced to neighbouring countries. According to most recent estimates, 2.6 million Venezuelans have sought stability, safety and better living Read more…
Uganda: Joint multi-sector needs assessment compares and contrasts needs of refugee and host community households
Uganda has a long history of hosting refugees, yet the landlocked country has seen a significant influx of new arrivals in the course of the past three years. This has been largely due to Uganda witnessing the effects of instability Read more…
Ukraine: Making figures count − Visualizing displacement with an interactive map
Since the onset of the conflict in Ukraine and the partition of the Donbas region in 2014, more than one million people have been registered as internally displaced in the government controlled areas of the country. Ongoing fighting and the Read more…
Nigeria: Seasonal rains sweep villages and farmlands – REACH part of UNDAC rapid deployment
The rains hit Nigeria hard this year. Seasonal rains in the most populous country of Africa are nothing new, yet the past month has seen unexpected levels of flooding which has already resulted in the death of more than 200 people. Read more…
South Sudan: From 86 to 6 percent − Access to food dramatically declines in Mayom County
Mayom County, located in northwest Unity State, experienced a sharp decline in food security in late 2017 and early 2018. By January, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report projected that even with humanitarian aid, Mayom would likely reach Read more…
Yemen: Fluctuating prices and disrupted supply chains – Tracking Yemeni markets amidst conflict
Since 2014 Yemen has been in the midst of a civil war, complicated by a patchwork of domestic fronts and overseas allies leading to a conflict that has pushed more than two million out of their homes and left a Read more…
Libya: Liquidity crisis forces refugees and migrants to work more – yet they earn less
Following the toppling of the Ghaddafi regime in 2011 and renewed internal conflict in 2014, Libya fell into an acute economic crisis. The economic meltdown spiralled into an ever-worsening currency and liquidity crisis, and as of today, the Libyan dinar Read more…
Iraq: Majority of IDPs living out of displacement camps have no intention of returning home – Findings from Dahuk, Erbil, Ninewa, Salah al-Din and Sulaymaniyah
The first half of 2018 marked a turning point in Iraq’s internal displacement crisis. For the first time since 2014, the number of people returning to their area of origin outnumbered the total of those remaining displaced. Yet, recent months Read more…
Iraq: Filling knowledge gaps in areas of return – Residents of west Anbar head home without guarantees of basic services
The rule of the so called Islamic State or IS over the past four years resulted in the displacement of almost six million Iraqis. Since the government of Iraq announced victory over the group in December 2017, the country has Read more…
South Sudan: Humanitarian needs and search for safety push and pull South Sudanese to and from the country
Since the outbreak of conflict in South Sudan in December 2013, an estimate of 2.4 million people have been displaced to neighbouring countries. The movement has been fuelled by insecurity, economic crisis and drought, yet is but one of the Read more…
Brazil: Economic turmoil and the lack of food and medicines at home pushes thousands of Venezuelans to Boa Vista
As a consequence of the ongoing economic crisis and social turmoil in Venezuela, an increasing number of Venezuelans are crossing the northern border to Brazil to seek asylum, safety and better livelihood opportunities. According to estimates, over 50,000 Venezuelans are Read more…
Ukraine: Basic services under pressure along the Line of Contact – Findings from Yasynuvata raion
The armed conflict of Eastern Ukraine will reach a five year milestone in 2019, and with limited prospects of a lasting ceasefire, the ongoing fighting between government forces and armed opposition groups continues to affect the humanitarian needs of populations living Read more…
Niger: When fetching water becomes a threat – Finding linkages between water, sanitation, violence and gender in the Diffa region
Since the beginning of the Lake Chad crisis in 2015, the Diffa region in south-east Niger has been the scene of significant population movements, and according to estimates, 250,000 displaced people live in spontaneously established displacement sites or villages. Even Read more…
Uganda: Using data to understand the needs of the displaced in the largest refugee host in Africa
By the end of 2017, Uganda had made history. Uganda had grown to be among the largest refugee hosting countries in the world with reportedly over 1.4 million refugees seeking safety from within its borders. To date, the vast Read more…
Syria: Threats of shelling, lack of healthcare and no access to education – The needs of IDPs in Idleb mount as conflict continues
An estimate of 1.4 million internally displaced persons or IDPs reside in Idleb governorate and the surrounding opposition-held areas of western Aleppo and north-western Hama. The figure has come to represent one of Syria’s largest IDP populations and a vast Read more…
Libya: What does it take to make ends meet – Understanding financial burdens with the aid of the Minimum Expenditure Basket
Cash-based aid is a central part of the humanitarian response in Libya, a country that has been in civil war and open conflict since 2011. As a result of the conflict, Libya has been confronted with a severe liquidity crisis that has Read more…
Brazil: Unemployed and with little access to aid – For Venezuelan asylum seekers challenges continue beyond the border
As a consequence of the ongoing economic crisis and social turmoil in Venezuela, an increasing number of Venezuelans are crossing the northern border to Brazil in order to seek asylum, safety and better livelihood opportunities. According to estimates, over 50,000 Read more…
Ukraine: Extreme cold means extreme conditions for those living on the Line of Contact
The conflict in Ukraine entered its fifth year this winter, and the ongoing fighting has meant that populations affected by the violence continue to struggle to meet basic humanitarian needs and access markets and services. The challenges faced by civilians in Read more…
South Sudan: Fear of food insecurity mounts as displacement continues in Deim Zubier
The outbreak of conflict between armed groups in South Sudan’s Deim Zubier town on the first week of April displaced thousands of civilians to multiple locations in the western parts of the country. Due to the rapid onset of conflict, Read more…
Syria: Access to healthcare, water and basic services remains limited in conflict-affected regions of Deir-ez-Zor
Conflict and violence between the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Government of Syria and the so called Islamic State continue to displace civilians and deteriorate the already severe humanitarian conditions in Syria’s Deir-ez-Zor governorate. Located along the border with Iraq, Deir-ez-Zor Read more…
Syria: Widespread damage poses risks to residents and hinders recovery in Ar-Raqqa city
Large numbers of the residents of Ar-Raqqa have returned to their homes since the cessation of conflict in October 2017. Despite initial efforts in reconstruction, damage remains widespread and basic services limited. Moreover, the presence of explosive hazards and the Read more…
Somalia: Severe humanitarian needs persist in displacement sites across the country
Following the drought in 2017, the loss of livestock and access to water led to the large scale movement of populations from rural Somalia to urban areas in search of grazing grounds and livelihood opportunities. Today, more than two million Read more…
Iraq: Understanding the situation in areas of return – Findings from Sinjar
Iraq has seen more than 3.5 million people return to their area of origin nationwide since the Government of Iraq announced victory over the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in December 2017. To help inform programming Read more…
ECRE Op-Ed: Deterrents turned detention – The impact of EU migration measures on migrants in Libya
Almost exactly a year ago, in May 2017, close to 23,000 migrants crossed the Mediterranean sea and reached the shores of Italy. This May, the number of migrants from Libya had dropped to 4,000. This meant an almost sixfold decrease. This drop coincides with a number Read more…
Chad: Populations returning to Lake Chad islands struggle to meet most essential needs
The Lake Chad crisis that began in 2015 caused massive displacement in Chad and resulted in close to 100,000 people fleeing their insular or island villages to the mainland. Today, the context of the crisis has evolved in the southern Read more…
Libya: Public services break down as conflict escalates in encircled city of Derna
On the 15th of May 2018, the conflict in and around the militarily encircled Libyan city of Derna escalated sharply, with rapid advances of the frontline, heavy armed group activity and unprecedented levels of shelling. According to OCHA, as of Read more…
Iraq: Filling knowledge gaps in areas of return – Findings from Ba’aj
Iraq has seen more than 3.5 million people return to their area of origin nationwide since the Government of Iraq announced victory over the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in December 2017. To help inform programming Read more…
Libya: Understanding the impact of EU migration measures on refugees and migrants
Despite the political instability which ensued the two civil wars in Libya in 2011 and 2014 persists, more than 700,000 refugees and migrants are in Libya today. They are among the most vulnerable population groups in the country with grave Read more…
Iraq: What is happening in areas of return? REACH findings from Telafar
Since the Iraqi government announced victory over the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in December 2017, more than 3,5 million people have returned to their area of origin nationwide. Due to the conflict and the subsequently Read more…
Displacement in East Africa: Which factors are driving returns of South Sudan refugees from Uganda and Kenya?
The ongoing conflict in South Sudan displaced an estimated 4 million people from their homes. According to UNHCR, 2.5 million out of the 4 million displaced South Sudanese have become refugees in neighbouring countries, including Uganda, Kenya, Sudan and Ethiopia. Read more…
Afghanistan: A snapshot of needs and vulnerabilities in Hard-to-Reach districts
Since January 2017, over 200,000 people have been displaced internally in Afghanistan as a result of the ongoing conflict according to the 2017 Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO), with approximately 20% of all displaced persons believed to be residing in Hard-to-Reach Read more…
Iraq: Launch of Price Monitoring Dashboard Enhances Analytical Capacity of Partners
As the situation in Iraq develops, the importance of cash as a means of aid delivery remains central. Increasingly, humanitarian actors find themselves in need of accurate price data to better inform their programs and policies. In September 2016, the Read more…
DRC: Displaced people in Kasai face large-scale destruction of shelter and water shortages
During 2017 conflict expanded across the Great Kasai and intensified in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo. This escalation has exponentially driven up humanitarian needs and jeopardized development endeavours. Today, the country hosts more than 4.5 million Read more…
Iraq: Understanding Movement Intentions of Displaced People in Camps
Over the last four years, nearly 6 million people were displaced by conflict in Iraq. As of early 2018, 2.3 million people remain internally displaced, including over 580,000 residing in formal camp settings. While new displacements continue, the overall number Read more…
Niger: Emergency schooling requires urgent improvements for the provision of quality education
Since 2013, conflict and resulting insecurity have led to massive population displacement in Niger’s south-eastern Diffa region. More than 235,000 were reportedly displaced at the end of 2017, including refugees from Nigeria and internally displaced populations. According to the Direction Read more…
South Sudan: Explaining Famine Risks from the Experiences of South Sudanese
Famine was declared in South Sudan’s Unity State counties of Mayendit and Leer in early 2017. Although this Famine was reversed through increased humanitarian assistance, subsequent updates from the Integrated Phase Food Security Classification (IPC) for South Sudan have continued Read more…
Syria: Despite reduction in conflict, access to services remains highly limited in Deir-ez-Zor governorate
Since mid-2017, ongoing conflict has led to displacement from and within Deir-ez-Zor governorate, totalling an estimated 230,000 persons from July to mid-December. The recent de-escalation of conflict in parts of the governorate has allowed limited humanitarian access for the first Read more…
Bangladesh: REACH supports monsoon season emergency preparedness of Rohingya camps
Eight months into the world’s fastest growing refugee crisis, humanitarian actors are confronted with a new challenge. The upcoming monsoon season is likely to bring floods, landslides and cyclones to the densely populated Rohingya camps in Bangladesh, putting an estimated Read more…
Nigeria: Severe protection concerns in Borno State
Following 8 years of conflict between the Nigerian Government and Armed Opposition Groups (AOGs) in north-eastern Nigeria, the region has seen significant levels of destroyed infrastructure, a dramatic erosion of livelihoods and the displacement of over 2 million people at Read more…
Niger: New information management capacities to assist the humanitarian community
With the ongoing displacement crisis in the Diffa region and along the border with Mali and the continued influx of migrants traveling via Niger migratory routes, Niger remains a humanitarian hot spot. Meanwhile, the humanitarian community is facing significant information Read more…