There are over 117 million displaced people in the world today due to natural disasters and war. In the past several years, displacement has outpaced resettlement, indicating that more resources are needed to solve this problem. But, as federal funding priorities drastically shift away from international charitable causes, less resources are reaching refugees and displaced people in need.
Thankfully, organizations like our Charity Alliance partners World Vision, Medical Teams International, Alight, International Medical Corps, and Refugees International are forging a path forward. Still, they need our help to facilitate change.
Continue reading to learn how the gifts of those before you have saved lives and how your contribution can help reach those in need of medical attention, shelter, and systemic change around the world.
World Vision
In the chaos of massive bombing in the city, Tatiana found herself frantically packing a few things for an unplanned visit to the regional hospital in the city of Sumy, northeastern Ukraine.
She had no clue that she would be giving birth to her second child, Eldar, on that frigid December morning. Doctors had told her that her due date would be three months away.
Tatiana awoke a few hours later in complete numbness. The beeping of machinery in the creaky white hospital room startled her up and brought back faded images: deep pain, the ride to the hospital, doctors, and darkness, full darkness.
A few meters away, in the next room, five incubators set in two straight lines accommodated five palm- sized newborns. Little Eldar didn’t weigh more than one kilogram. “He was delivered three months earlier than expected,” explains Tatiana.
“Doctors told me that my body couldn’t take stress,” she goes on. By the time the mother gave birth, she had been displaced inside Ukraine two times in less than one year. From the city of Sloviansk, located in Donetsk Oblast, she traveled by train for around 24 hours to the west part of the country in Chernivtsi. After three months, she was relocated, again, to Sumy. “My whole neurological system failed,” she recalls.
On the floor of the neonatal unit of Sumy’s regional hospital, Tatiana was not the only mother to give birth prematurely. “We were a large group of women,” she says.
Little Eldar, like dozens of other preterm babies, stayed for three months in a little crib equipped with temperature, oxygen, light, and humidity controls.
For three months, the air alarms went off loudly through Sumy’s streets, echoing into the hospital hallways. Nearby blasts shook the windows of the rooms, and bangs shattered the silence of the unit.
The neonatal hospital was located next to the city’s military hospital. “During the air alarms, we didn’t leave the room where our infants were kept even once,” recalls Tatiana.
“We just prayed that we wouldn’t be a target,” she goes on, tears discreetly trickling down her pale cheek.
Because neonates’ incubators were connected to generators, and the city lacked electricity most of the time, they couldn’t be moved to the bunker. Premature newborns could not be transported inside the shelter if there was an attack or an air alert. “It was difficult to move the beds every time,” Tatiana explains.
Now, the mother and her daughter Simona and her son Eldar are living in Chernivtsi. They are staying in a room shared with three other displaced families. Tatiana recently registered for World Vision’s multipurpose cash assistance program, supported by the Aktion Deutschland Hilft (ADH). “In Ukraine, where the conflict has led to significant displacement and varied needs among the population, such assistance is particularly valuable,” explains Anzhela Vanzuriak, World Vision’s Cash and Voucher Programs officer.
“Tailored to specific needs, a cash program allows recipients to address their most pressing needs, which might include food, shelter, medicine, or other essentials that vary greatly depending on the individuals’ situation,” she adds.
As Tatiana states, rehabilitation for her almost one-year-old son is expensive. Prices rise, but salaries feel much lower. “My husband’s earnings, social wages, and humanitarian aid support the four of us,” she explains.
The mother goes on, “A cash aid would mean a lot to our family. I would be able to buy winter clothing, food, and diapers for the small one.”
Tatiana, who has seen three displacements, given birth prematurely, endured a motherhood ravaged by war, and been separated from her husband who remains in Sumy, continues to radiate love and hope.
“In the midst of war, I cradled my child, whispering lullabies. Motherhood kept me going,” she concluded.
World Vision’s Ukraine Crisis Response has reached more than 523,000 women, supporting them with basic needs, cash aid, livelihoods, protection, and mental health programs in Ukraine, Romania, Moldova, and Georgia.
Medical Teams International
Paska, at just 19, is a quiet young woman. The strength of her love and attachment to her family, especially her daughter, Keisi, is clear. Paska shared her memories of traveling to Uganda from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“I came from the Congo, and we arrived here in 2008 when I was 5,” Paska explains. “I don’t remember much about Congo because I was a child. We left home because of the constant war and the family members we lost. The journey was very long. I remember feeling like we had spent forever walking. We were picked up by a truck and entered Uganda.”
Paska grew up in a long-term refugee settlement in Uganda. Paska says, “I live with my husband and my daughter. I love them, and they’re my life. I love my mother, too, because she raised me, took care of me, and is always there to help me when I need her. My family is the most important to me.”
When Keisi, her daughter, came down with a high fever, Paska was worried. Keisi has struggled with her health before, and it scares Paska every time she isn’t well.
“Before coming to the clinic, I was worried because Keisi had lost appetite and was constantly crying. She didn’t want anyone else to carry her, so I could hardly do anything else. Her body felt very hot, too. Her temperature just kept on increasing.”
“I got to know about Medical Teams when we moved to Kyangwali settlement,” Paska shares. “I started going to the health facility, and I was told all services were free because of Medical Teams. Usually when I bring Keisi to the facility, she is assessed by a doctor, they take her blood sample to do a test and let me know what the problem is.”
This trip to the clinic was no different. Keisi had malaria again, a dangerous illness for children — and one that can be hard to avoid in Uganda.
Medical Teams staff jumped into action to treat Keisi. After her rapid malaria test confirmed that she had malaria, she was quickly given anti-malarial medication. Soon, she was able to eat again. Paska was relieved. Health workers monitored Keisi to make sure she was well again before they went home.
Paska doesn’t take her or her daughter’s health for granted. She says, “My biggest joy is when I open my eyes every morning, and I’m still alive. Looking at my daughter fills me with so much joy. Thank you, Medical Teams, for your support to us. May God bless you all.”
Alight
The World Health Organization estimates 9.6 million Ukrainians are struggling with mental health conditions. Nearly 4 million already face severe trauma-related disorders such as PTSD, depression, and anxiety. For children, the numbers are just as stark: One study found that over a third of adolescents are exhibiting trauma symptoms.
To make healing possible for displaced Ukrainians, Alight is investing in multiple mental health initiatives in Ukraine and beyond.
SH+ Stress Management Program
In Kharkiv, the sound of air raid sirens is nearly constant. Families hurry to basements and shelters, sometimes with only minutes to spare. For the over 200,000 displaced people now living in the city, and for the residents who never left, daily life is marked by uncertainty, exhaustion, and fear.
In such circumstances, stress management becomes a vital tool for survival. And this is just what Alight is providing: “Self-Help Plus” (SH+) is a stress management program developed by the World Health Organization. It’s simple, evidence-based, and designed for people living under extreme stress. The program enables people to find inner balance to effectively manage the main events of their lives, make informed decisions, feel confident in their own actions, and be ready for unexpected changes.
Fifteen local facilitators — teachers, social workers, NGO staff, and volunteers — have already been trained to lead SH+ sessions. These are people from the community, ready to sit beside their neighbors in shelters, classrooms, and community centers, offering practical tools to reduce stress and rebuild resilience.
Safe Spaces for Seniors
For senior citizens, the war has meant more than just physical danger — it has brought isolation, fear, and the quiet grief of disconnection.
In partnership with local community organization Mother’s Palms in Kharkiv, Alight has created a space for healing – to support elderly Ukrainians evacuated to collective shelters — people too often isolated and overlooked. Together, they’re building a community of care, where seniors can reconnect with joy, strength, and each other.
From art therapy and neuro-gymnastics to physical rehab and visits to museums and zoos, nearly 100 participants are rediscovering what it means to feel alive and supported.
And the impact is clear:
- 78% feel less stress
- 85% report improved physical and cognitive health
- 81% say group activities and art therapy have helped them deeply
“The impressions are wonderful, the mood is wonderful. We come here, we distract ourselves from our problems, and from air alerts. We feel comfortable and want to come back,” shares Nadiia, a 67-year-old participant.
Building Safety Nets for Veterans, Widows, and Children
Alight is also working hand in hand with veteran associations and women’s groups to create what they call a trauma-care safety net. It’s built on four pillars:
- Connecting people to care through clear referral pathways.
- Strengthening local groups with grants and mentorship.
- Delivering specialized trauma care for veterans, widows, and children, with safe spaces for kids.
- Training professionals to ensure Ukraine’s recovery includes lasting mental health support.
For those carrying invisible wounds, each day without support is a day when trauma deepens: a veteran withdraws further into PTSD; a widow’s grief deepens into despair, a child’s trauma hardens into a lifelong burden.
But healing is possible. With every trained facilitator, every safe space, and every counseling session, Ukrainians are finding ways to face the fear, the grief, and the uncertainty — together. This is not just about recovery from war. It is about ensuring that the hidden wounds of today do not define generations to come.
International Medical Corps
Sixteen-month-old Halimo Said Bashiir lives with her parents and four siblings at the Sheikh Omar camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs). Originally from Afgooye in the Lower Shebelle region of Somalia, Halimo’s family was forced to move to the IDP camp due to security concerns. With this move, her family fell on hard times, since her parents were unemployed and worked as day laborers. With meager pay that wasn’t always forthcoming, they often found it difficult to meet the nutritional needs of their growing children — they could only afford porridge and milk with the money they earned.
Halimo began receiving treatment for moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) at the International Medical Corps-supported Kulmis Health and Nutrition Facility in Jowhar.
Halimo’s mother, 25-year-old Ruqiyo Haji, admits that she only learned of her daughter’s deteriorating health during a routine house-to-house health screening visit by a female health worker from Kulmis Health Facility. “When the health worker came to our home, she asked me a few questions about my children and requested to screen those between 6 and 59 months to monitor their nutritional status,” Ruqiyo explained. “I brought my son Hanad and my daughter Halimo for the tests. Fortunately, Hanad was okay. However, she confirmed that Halimo was malnourished, gave me a referral sheet, and asked me to visit Kulmis Health Facility for a final assessment.”
Ruqiyo took her daughter to the facility less than two kilometers (1.2 miles) from their home. The nurses screened Halimo extensively, noting her medical history and giving her a physical examination. They took Halimo’s mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) measurements, along with her weight and height, to determine her nutritional status. She was diagnosed with MAM, after meeting the admission criteria with a MUAC measurement of 12 cm (4.7 in). She was admitted to the targeted supplementary feeding program to receive appropriate treatment.
After receiving treatment and nutritional support for 71 days, Halimo met the discharge criterion with a MUAC above 12.5 cm (4.9 in). Additionally, her body weight had increased from 7 kg (15 lbs) to 8.2 kg (18 lbs). She was discharged from the program and began having biweekly visits so that nutrition staff could continue to monitor her nutritional status and provide her with ready-to-use supplementary food packets to ensure her full recovery and prevent relapse.
Ruqiyo also benefited from several nutrition training and counseling sessions designed to equip mothers and caregivers with tools to prevent malnutrition. While at the Kulmis Health Facility, Ruqiyo received maternal, infant, and young-child nutrition counseling, and joined other caregivers for training on the Family MUAC initiative — an alternative screening approach that helps the community detect acute malnutrition early and gives mothers the opportunity to be actively involved in their children’s health and nutrition status.
Ruqiyo was also trained on proper breastfeeding technique and how to prepare nutritious meals for her children using locally available ingredients. And she received training on proper handwashing, water storage, and food storage to prevent other illnesses.
Following her daughter’s remarkable improvement, Ruqiyo was elated and thanked the team for their assistance in Halimo’s recovery. “I am a very proud mother,” she said. “I was worried about my daughter, but I am now happy to see her in good health. I have very high hopes for Halimo, and I know she has a bright future ahead of her and that she will contribute greatly to our family, people in this society, and her country.”
She also acknowledged International Medical Corps’ role in supporting health at the Kulmis Health Facility. “Since I moved to the Sheikh Omar IDP Camp, my family and I always seek medical care at the Kulmis Health Facility,” she said. “I am very familiar with International Medical Corps. I am pleased with their staff at the facility, as they are always professional and treat us well.”
Refugees International
Kenya’s Refugee Act 2021 offered a promising model for refugee integration at a time when many countries tightened restrictions. The passage of the Refugee Act marked a significant shift in Kenya’s refugee policy. It moved away from a camp-centric model in which refugees relied on humanitarian aid and toward a model of local integration that allowed refugees to contribute to their host communities’ socioeconomic development. The law recognized refugees within a development framework rather than a purely humanitarian one.
However, work and travel permits were still hard to obtain in practice. Kenya’s shift toward refugee integration is occurring as its population becomes increasingly urbanized. Of Kenya’s nearly 1 million refugees, 16% live in urban areas, with at least 100,000 residing in Nairobi. Before the law, most refugees were required to live in Daadab and Kakuma refugee camps in remote areas. However, as urbanization increases, more refugees are moving to cities where they can find better economic opportunities.
Despite legal improvements on paper, two key challenges prevented urban refugees from fully accessing their rights. First, refugee registration systems and Kenya’s national identification system did not have data interoperability. Second, complex work permit requirements imposed unrealistic standards on refugees.
To get to the root cause of the issue, Refugees International interviewed refugee leaders, representatives of the World Bank, UN and other humanitarian agencies, Kenyan authorities, and refugee law, livelihood, and urbanization experts in Nairobi, Kakuma, and Daadab in 2024. Based on this field research, Refugees International produced a final report with data-driven recommendations for the Kenyan government, the World Bank, and humanitarian agencies to remove bureaucratic red tape standing in the way of real progress.
In June 2025, in line with recommendations from Refugees International and partners, the government of Kenya announced it would officially recognize refugee identification cards for services including the registration of SIM cards and other telecommunications. This is a small but significant step toward the economic empowerment and social integration of refugees in Kenya.
Across countries, crises, and generations, these stories share a common truth: displacement does not erase dignity, hope, or the will to rebuild. When people are met with timely care and support, lives are stabilized and futures begin to take shape again.
Together, we can help ensure that people affected by displacement are not left to face these challenges alone — and that recovery, healing, and opportunity remain within reach.
Thank you World Vision, Medical Teams International, Alight, International Medical Corps, and Refugees International for providing content for this blog.
