USAID - Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance

ALERT: Yesterday, the Kanlaon Volcano—located on the central Philippines’s island of Negros—erupted, generating an ash plume of more than 13,100 feet and causing tens of thousands of people to evacuate from surrounding villages. USAID's Volcano Disaster Assistance Program, which we co-fund with U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), is providing technical assistance to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. Currently, they are using satellite remote sensing to help identify impacted areas. Our teams in D.C. and the region will continue to monitor the situation and standby to assist if requested.

In 2025, United Nations OCHA predicts that continued conflict and worsening natural hazards will leave more than 305 million people around the world—an increase from the 299 million people in 2024—in need of food, shelter, protection, and other basic human necessities. The ongoing violence that has devastated many people around the world is projected to continue, leaving millions hungry and forcibly displaced from their homes. At the same time, the UN expects the frequency and intensity of weather-related disasters—like droughts, floods, and hurricanes—to worsen and devastate lives and livelihoods around the globe. USAID works every day to provide relief to people devastated by crisis, and we will continue to stand with those who need us in 2025 and beyond. Read the UN’s 2025 Global Humanitarian Overview here: https://lnkd.in/e5dEsjUb

Corruption undermines USAID’s mission to save lives around the world. That’s why on International Anti-Corruption Day, we’re announcing the launch of the USAID Humanitarian Assistance Anti-Corruption Integration Handbook. It provides an analysis of how corruption affects humanitarian responses and offers ways to proactively integrate anti-corruption measures into our work. By applying an anti-corruption lens to our analyses, strategies, and operations, we–together with partners–strive to deliver aid safely to those most in need and for whom it is intended. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e_aSZhw4 #IACD2024 #UnitedAgainstCorruption

Over the past 14 years, the U.S. has stood by the people of Syria. We are the leading provider of humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people, providing food, medical supplies and shelter for millions. And, currently, we are working with our partners to assess humanitarian needs, and we will remain steadfast in our support. The people of Syria deserve the opportunity to chart their own future.

🚨 ALERT: A 5.6M earthquake struck near the coast of La Unión, El Salvador on December 8 at 9:50 P.M. local time, with impacts also felt in neighboring Honduras and Nicaragua. USAID experts in Washington DC and the region are monitoring and are prepared to respond if requested.

#ICYMI: Back in April, we introduced you to the team of Rescue South Africa who, with USAID support, have spent 20 years responding to some of the world’s most intense disasters, including in countries such as Democratic Republic of the Congo, Algeria, Pakistan, Haiti, Japan, the Philippines, and Mozambique. It takes a lot of training and work to operate safely in so many different environments. Learn more about their mission and how USAID has helped them along the way: https://lnkd.in/er-Uctxp

Our technical experts are always at the forefront of improving how USAID delivers humanitarian assistance. On Tuesday, Acting Food Security and Livelihoods Division Chief Jan Morrow spoke on a panel hosted by Pulte Institute for Global Development, University of Notre Dame to discuss strategies for effective agricultural assistance to improve food security for vulnerable communities. The event also included experts from FAO and CARE, and the panel highlighted findings from the FAO-supported Agricultural Markets, Value Addition, and Trade Development Project (AMVAT) in South Sudan – an initiative aimed at improving market access in South Sudan’s capital of Juba. In addition, panelists discussed the future of improving food security, livelihoods, and resilience among food-insecure communities in the region.

Cholera, a bacterial disease that is typically spread through contaminated water, continues to persist across Yemen, with more than 219K suspected cholera cases between the initial outbreak in March and October 2024, according to the WASH Cluster. In response, USAID partners are scaling up the delivery of safe drinking water, sanitation assistance, and hygiene support to help displaced people in need – such as here in Lahij Governorate.

Working for the protection of children at every age, World Vision recently held its kickoff meeting in San Salvador for its USAID-supported program that will implement disaster drills in schools & provide supplies, including first aid kits, for school emergency response teams.

In northern Malaysia, monsoon rains that began in late November have caused the worst flooding in a decade, resulting in at least six deaths and displacing more than 150,000 people across nine states. USAID disaster experts are on the ground in Malaysia, conducting assessments in some of the hardest hit areas of Tumpat District of Kelantan State. The team met with community members, our partners, local officials, and first responders to determine the scale of needs. Follow this space for more.