World Jewish Relief is immensely troubled by ongoing famine and a rise in violence in Ethiopia, a country which has been devastated by recent civil wars, drought and the climate crisis. More than 24.4 million people across Ethiopia are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, and over 4.4 million are internally displaced (UN OCHA, 2024). World Jewish Relief is working with its local Ethiopian partner to provide support to those affected, and is continuing to monitor the situation closely.

This month marks 30 years since the Rwandan genocide which resulted in the murder of over one million Tutsi and the courageous Hutus that stood up for them. Read about Rwanda's past, present and future.

World Jewish Relief is deeply troubled by the escalating crisis in Haiti, where a surge in gang violence, especially in the capital, Port-au-Prince, has exacerbated instability. Numerous hospitals have shut down, leaving health services crippled and communities across the nation in distress. Over 360,000 people have been internally displaced; Haiti is facing a very uncertain future.

World Jewish Relief has worked in Bangladesh since 2018, responding to typhoons and improving conditions in the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, helping people to develop sustainable livelihoods, and survive extreme weather events. Now, we’re supporting this community in Koyra, helping them to build their resilience to the climate crisis through our local partner Prottyashi. Find out more.

Ukraine was once home to the largest Jewish population in Europe, with approximately 1.5 million Jews living in the Soviet republic of Ukraine. By 2023, a year after Russia’s devastating full-scale invasion, the Jewish community of Ukraine was estimated at around 43,000 – just 3% of what it once was.

Together, we continue to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those in need, embodying the values that have driven World Jewish Relief’s mission since 1933. Together, we care, we give, we act.

Since the devastating Turkey-Syria Earthquakes on February 6th which displaced over 3 million people and killed 52,000, we have been responding to needs through our local partner the International Blue Crescent (IBC). Read reflections from our Head of Humanitarian Programmes.

A sense of foreboding, a storm brewing on the horizon, pervades the country as the days become shorter and nights get colder. Military frontlines are at a stalemate, and like last year, a wintertime escalation of aerial bombardments with no end in sight. Not least, a sense that global attention has moved on, just when conditions become ever more perilous.  

As Ukraine enters its second winter since Russia’s full-scale invasion, older people – whether at home or displaced, are bracing themselves for low temperatures, and the threat of a repeat of winter 2022 during which frequent attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure plunged many parts of Ukraine into long periods of blackouts and energy shortages. In this statement, we urge humanitarians and other actors to take older people’s rights and needs into account as they develop and implement their plans for the approaching winter.