While the “past year has not reflected the best of humanity”, Caritas Australia says the generosity of the Australian community has “acted as a light amid that darkness”.
Figures released by Caritas this week show that in the year to the end of June 2024 , the charity directly supported 542,181 people experiencing humanitarian emergencies.
A further 1,547,748 people were reached by 30 emergency appeals in 24 countries supported by Caritas Australia.
This included continued support for the people of Ukraine, who are experiencing their third year of war, as well as responding to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the famine in Sudan, the hunger crisis in Africa, landslides in Papua New Guinea, as well as Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, and various programs supporting displaced and climate impacted communities around the world.
In the coming year, the UN estimates 305 million people will need humanitarian support, with the organisation budgeting $US47.4 billion ($74.6bn) to help 189.5 million of those people.
The two main drivers of this humanitarian need, conflict and the global climate emergency, are man-made. Earlier this year, the Global Peace Index revealed we are experiencing the highest levels of global conflict since World War II, with 120 million people now forcibly displaced worldwide, which is also a record high.
Sally Thomas, Humanitarian Manager at Caritas Australia said: “The past year has not reflected the best of humanity, but the generosity of our community and the programs they support have acted as a light amid that darkness.
“As this year ends, we must take the time to count our blessings and consider sharing them with those less fortunate than ourselves.”
Caritas Australia’s Christmas Appeal shares the story of Sakhina, who received the life-changing gift of clean water because of programs Caritas supports in Bangladesh. You can read more about her story and donate to support the appeal here: https://www.caritas.org.au/christmasappeal
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Caritas Australia reflects on a year of conflict and displacement (Caritas Australia)
