36.8 million people affected by forgotten humanitarian crises / Climate crisis and conflicts intensify humanitarian needs
More than two million people in Angola are affected by the country’s worst drought in over 40 years. Yet, only 1,956 online articles reported on this crisis in 2024. For the third year in a row, Angola tops the list of ten forgotten humanitarian disasters in the CARE Crisis Report, published today. This is the ninth edition of the report, which highlights crises and disasters that received the least media coverage in 2024. Once again, all ten crises in the report are located on the African continent.
“Around 35 million people—more than the population of Australia and New Zealand combined—are affected by these crises. But numbers alone cannot capture the extent of human suffering,” says Luke Gracie, Head of Humanitarian at CARE Australia.
“In these silent disasters, communities are leading their own fight for survival every day, often led by women but without sufficient access to humanitarian aid or international support. Moreover, the affected regions often lack the stability needed to address these challenges. With our report, we want to encourage people to take a closer look—because every person in need deserves solidarity and concrete help.”
The reunion of the Britpop band Oasis made major headlines last Autumn with 125,698 articles published about the announcement. In contrast, the crisis in the Central African Republic, which ranks second in the report, received around 30 times less coverage. The country has been suffering from violent conflicts for more than a decade, leading to displacement and severe shortages of essential supplies. In third place is the island state of Madagascar, where hunger and poverty are exacerbated by extreme weather events, including floods, cyclones, and drought.
People in other countries—including Burundi, Malawi, and Zambia—are increasingly facing the impacts of the climate crisis. In Burkina Faso more than two million people have been displaced by violence, 82% of whom are women and children. Yet, these crises continue to fade from public attention.
In Burundi, 298,000 people were affected by severe flooding last year. Juvenal Afurika, CARE Country Director in Burundi, said: “The region was already poor before the flooding and has now been thrown even further into poverty as the little they had was washed away.”
Faith Phiri, Managing Director of CARE partner organization Girls Empowerment Network (GENET) in Malawi said: “Recognizing Malawi’s struggles would not only bring assistance but also spotlight the resilience and agency of Malawian girls and women who, despite adversity, are creating change in their communities. Collaborating with local journalists means challenges can be presented in a nuanced way and within the cultural context, offering unique perspectives that international audiences might not otherwise be aware of.”
Ten humanitarian crises that didn’t make the headlines in 2024:
- Angola – 2.2 million people in need of humanitarian aid.
- Central African Republic – One in five people are displaced.
- Madagascar – More than 80 percent of people live below the poverty line.
- Burkina Faso – Acute hunger affects 2.7 million people.
- Burundi – 52 percent of children under the age of five are chronically malnourished.
- Mozambique – 2.8 million people do not have enough to eat.
- Cameroon – 60 percent of the population has no access to clean water.
- Malawi – 40 percent of the population suffers from extreme food shortages.
- Zambia – 9.8 million people are affected by drought.
- Niger – 4.5 million people need humanitarian aid.
Photo material on the ten forgotten crises (Photo credit: CARE)
ENDS
Methodology: For the CARE Crisis Report, the international media monitoring service Meltwater analysed 5.6 million online articles in Arabic, German, English, French and Spanish in the period from 1 January to 30 September 2024. From a list of 43 humanitarian crises affecting at least one million people, ten crises were identified that received the least media attention. The report is being published for the ninth time this year.
For media enquiries contact Briony FitzGerald on 0404 117 927
About CARE International
Founded in 1945 with the creation of the CARE Package®, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE places special focus on working alongside women and girls. Equipped with the proper resources women and girls have the power to lift whole families and entire communities out of poverty. In 2023, CARE worked in 109 countries, reaching 167 million people through more than 1,600 projects. To learn more, visit www.care.org.
About CARE Australia
CARE Australia supports women around the globe to save lives, defeat poverty and achieve social justice. We work in partnership with local communities to provide equal opportunities for women that they have long been denied: the ability to earn an income, gain access to their fair share of resources, to lead and participate in decisions that affect their lives, and to be able to withstand the increasing impacts of climate disasters and other crises. www.care.org.au
