Iraq
In Iraq, Humanity & Inclusion continues to run programs under the operating name "Handicap International."
Humanity & Inclusion in Iraq
Our team has operated in Iraqi Kurdistan since 1991, focusing efforts on emergency response initiatives, rehabilitation, and support for Organizations for People with Disabilities (OPDs or DPOs).
Iraqi Kurdistan is largely populated by ethnic Kurds who have sought independence from Iraq for decades. Kurdish rebellions in 1988 and 1991 were brutally suppressed by Saddam Hussein. Following the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, a Kurdish semi-autonomous government was formalized.
According to UNHCR, as of December 2018, Iraq hosts nearly 3.1 million displaced Iraqis, making living conditions extremely precarious. Another 260,000 Iraqis are displaced in other regions, in addition to more than 283,000 Syrian refugees currently in the country.
Click here to read "Explosive hazards: another fear for the population in Mosul" (July 2018)
Click here to read "Disability in Humanitarian Context:" A Case Study from Iraq (2018)
Our Current Work
In addition to addressing the issues that emerged from the fall of Mosul in June 2014, Humanity & Inclusion employs a team of 140 national staff and 25 expatriates in Iraq who work diligently to:
- Respond to emergencies deriving from the Syrian/Iraqi crisis
- Provide rehabilitation services
- Support Organizations for People with Disabilities
- Clear landmines
- Facilitate risk education
Emergency Response: Syrian/Iraqi Crisis
In partnership with the Danish Refugee Council, this project aims to improve access to camp facilitates and the inclusion of people with disabilities in humanitarian relief efforts.
Our team works to effectively:
- Identify needs
- Assess and refer the most vulnerable refugees
- Create income-generating opportunities
- Raise awareness
- Ensure facilities are physically accessible
Humanity & inclusion also works to provide services to internally displaced persons in Iraq, including rehabilitation, and education sessions on the risks posed by unexploded remnants of war.
Rehabilitation
Fixed and mobile disability teams provide injured and disabled refugees and displaced people with physical therapy, mobility devices, orthoses and prostheses, and psychosocial support.
Support to Organizations for People with Disabilities
Humanity & Inclusion facilitates collaboration between Syrian and Iraqi DPOs and activists in order to ensure all parties are able to play a role in an inclusive democratic transition to the greatest extent possible.
This project includes professional training and other capacity building activities, as well as micro-financing opportunities.
Mine Action
In Iraq, explosive remnants of war pollute the land. Our teams have intervened to make contaminated ground safe to help displaced people return to their villages.
Risk Education
Risk education teams visit displaced people in camps and urban areas to educate them about the dangers posed by explosive remnants of war.
Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, Humanity & Inclusion continues to run programs under the operating name "Handicap International."
Humanity & Inclusion in Bangladesh
Humanity & Inclusion has been working in Bangladesh since 1997 to promote inclusion of people with disabilities. Since 2017, Humanity & Inclusion has provided support to more than 30,000 Rohingya refugees who have fled Myanmar.
One of the poorest countries in the world, it is estimated that more than half of Bangladesh's population lives below the poverty line. Facing monsoons, cyclones and devastating floods, between 50% and 70% of the land is submerged under water every year, destroying harvests, homes and livestock.
Situation Report: Rohingya Crisis (February 2022)
Areas of Intervention
- Rehabilitation, prosthetics and orthotics
- Fighting discrimination against people with disabilities
- Inclusive employment
- Inclusive education
Responding to the influx of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fleeing neighboring Myanmar since August 2017, Humanity & Inclusion's 286-person team provides emergency response to supply aid to people who are living in extremely difficult circumstances. The organization has provided rehabilitation care and psychological support to thousands of people. Humanity & Inclusion has made available storage centers and a fleet of trucks, transporting humanitarian equipment for Humanity & inclusion and other organizations. The team has also distributed hygiene kits, food rations and accommodation kits.
Humanity & Inclusion also works in Bangladesh to promote inclusion of people with disabilities, supporting their access to services such as rehabilitation and employment. The organization advocates alongside people with disabilities to ensure access to a source of income which gives them financial independence and means they are better accepted within their communities.
The organization also improves access to education for all children, including children with disabilities, in camps for Rohingya refugees. Humanity & Inclusion trains teachers to include children with disabilities in schools, organizes rehabilitation sessions for children with disabilities and raises community awareness of the right of children to education. To improve the social inclusion and education of boys and girls with disabilities, Humanity & Inclusion organizes recreational activities, including in schools and sports clubs, to promote social inclusion and interaction with each other in a safe environment.
Our Past Work
Humanity & Inclusion has been in Bangladesh since 1997, promoting an inclusive culture for ALL people with disabilities and who are vulnerable. Over time, our work has evolved to meet the dynamic needs of the communities where we serve.
Read on to learn more about our past work in Bangladesh and consider investing in our future.
Growing Together
Children with disabilities remain one of the most marginalized groups in the country and very few attend school. As an invisible and stigmatized group, they are more exposed to abuse, exploitation and negligence. From 2016 to 2020, Humanity & Inclusion led the Growing Together project, supported by IKEA Foundation, which enabled thousands of children to learn by playing in secure environments in refugee camps in Thailand, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Legal Assistance
Partnering with Bangladesh Legal Aid Services (BLAST), Humanity & Inclusion built the capacities of national and local legal service providers in order to improve access to legal assistance for people with disabilities.
Assistance to the Survivors of the Rana Plaza Collapse
As a result of the devastating collapse of the Rana Plaza Building in Dhaka in 2013, Humanity & Inclusion provided physical therapy to people with disabilities who were affected by the incident.
The organization has also put in place a sustainable socio-economic recovery project that facilitates employment for those who lost their jobs in as a result of the collapse.
Disability Resource Center
The Dhaka Center for Services and Information on Disability (CSID) is providing people with disabilities internet access to promote the rights of people with disabilities. HI is working with CSID to ensure that some 2,500 people with disabilities can access the data and share it with decision-makers, program directors, researchers, students, and other people with disabilities.
Community Based Rehabilitation
Humanity & Inclusion launched a project in 2011 that aimed to strengthen the skills of community based rehabilitation professionals.
In the county, 35 local community-based organizations have improved their knowledge of community-based rehabilitation.
Maternal and Newborn Health
Humanity & Inclusion's team helped to ensure safe pregnancy and childbirth for mothers. The organization worked with fathers to raise awareness of their role in improving the health of mothers and children in refugee communities in Bangladesh.
South Sudan
In South Sudan, Humanity & Inclusion continues to run programs under the operating name "Handicap International."
Humanity & Inclusion in South Sudan
Our teams first began operating in the area of South Sudan in 2006, working to improve protection, quality of life, and the promotion of rights of vulnerable populations.
South Sudan became an independent state on July 9, 2011, after 50 years of war that left two million dead, nearly 1.8 million internally displaced, and more than 262,560 refugees. Conflict broke out again in 2013, forcing Humanity & Inclusion to close its operations.
Since reentering the country in 2014, Humanity & Inclusion continues to respond to the immediate needs of the internally displaced population, and promote the equal rights and equal access to services for people with disabilities or injuries.
Although an internationally-mediated peace agreement was signed in 2015, South Sudan still face other challenges. The country has some of the worst health indicators in the world, such as a lack of access to basic services, the existence of landmines and unexploded ordinance, and high food insecurity.
Areas of Intervention
- Improving mental health
- Fighting disability discrimination
- Protection of internally displaced people
- Rehabilitation
- Social and economic inclusion of people with disabilities
From 2006 to 2013, Humanity & Inclusion carried out a range of projects, shifting progressively from an emergency response to a resilience approach. Since 2014, our teams have once again been contributing to the urgent humanitarian response, integrating disability, age, gender, and vulnerability factors in all its actions.
Humanity & Inclusion's 113-person team focuses on rehabilitation care, psychosocial support and fighting discrimination against people with disabilities.
Our staff works from offices in Juba and Yei in Central Equatoria, Torit in Eastern Equatoria, Bor in Jonglei and deploys rapid response teams in multiple locations across the country.
Our Past Work
Humanity & Inclusion started operations in South Sudan in 2006, implementing emergency and development actions aimed fostering a culture of dignity, access, and inclusion for all people with disabilities and those who are vulnerable. Our work has evolved to meet the specific needs of the communities we serve.
Read on to learn more about our past work in South Sudan, and consider investing in our future.
Emergency Response
Humanity & Inclusion has formed mobile teams that work with partner organizations to improve the inclusiveness and accessibility of their responses.
These teams have intervened in Yambio, Lankien, Malakal, Bor, Bientu and Yida.
Thailand
In Thailand, Humanity & Inclusion continues to run programs under the operating name "Handicap International."
Humanity & Inclusion in Thailand
Thailand is the birthplace of Humanity & Inclusion, where teams have been working since 1982. Initially founded to help the refugees living in camps set up along the border with Cambodia, offering orthopedic fitting to people with disabilities or those who had lost limbs as a result of landmine accidents, by 1984, Humanity & Inclusion was also helping refugees there from Myanmar. These activities in the country led to the opening of 15 orthopedic fitting workshops, which now form part of Thailand’s network of provincial hospitals.
Today, there are more than 91,000 refugees from Myanmar living in Thailand, according to The Border Consortium. Our teams continue to work in refugee camps, providing artificial limbs to victims of anti-personnel mines and raising awareness of the threat from these weapons, promoting the inclusion people with disabilities in their communities and improving the living conditions of children in refugee camps.
Areas of Intervention
- Physical rehabilitation, prosthetics and orthotics, access to services
- Social Inclusion
- Risk education on mines and explosive remnants of war
Pending the clearance of landmines from the border areas between Myanmar and Thailand, Humanity & Inclusion's 142-member team is raising refugees’ awareness of the dangers posed by mines and other explosive remnants of war. These awareness-raising actions should reduce the risks they face when they return to Myanmar in the future.
Humanity & Inclusion also runs a social inclusion project for refugees with disabilities from Myanmar, improving their access to the various services that are offered in the camps. As a result, people with disabilities now have access to education, vocational training and primary health care.
Our Past Work
Humanity & Inclusion has been in Thailand for four decades, fostering a culture of dignity, access, and inclusion for ALL people with disabilities and individuals living in situations of vulnerability in the communities we serve.
Read on to learn more about our past work in Thailand and consider investing in our future.
Growing Together project
The organization’s Growing Together project, funded by the IKEA Foundation, developed accessible and secure play areas for children in refugee camps in Thailand, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
Community-based rehabilitation
Humanity & Inclusion has established workshops in five refugee camps along the Myanmar border to manufacture and repair prosthetic devices and other assistive devices. The organization also provides physical therapy for survivors of landmines, to children with cerebral palsy, and to adults who have suffered a stroke.
Kenya
Humanity & Inclusion in Kenya
In Kenya, Humanity & Inclusion provides assistance to people living in refugee camps, combats sexual violence against children with disabilities, and increases employment and educational opportunities, as well as political participation, of people with disabilities. Humanity & Inclusion began working in Kenya in 1992 and currently has a team of 67 staff members.
A former British colony, Kenya obtained independence in 1963. Increased circumstances of gender inequality have negatively impacted inclusive human development and economic growth of population, especially in labor markets, access to education and appropriate healthcare. The rights of people with disabilities are often times neglected.
From 2017, the conditions in arid regions of Kenya deteriorated significantly due to drought. There has also been a negative impact of floods, landslides and locust on crops, household food and income sources throughout the country. This led to heightened food insecurity, decreased health and nutrition status at a time when political instability has also increased. In 2021, a long rains assessment report indicated worsening food security, drought and nutritional situation in numerous counties. In September 2021, the President declared the drought a national disaster.
Areas of Intervention
- Health and prevention
- Mental health and psychosocial support
- Sexual and reproductive health
- Rehabilitation
- Protection and risk education
- Inclusive education
- Economic and political inclusion
Humanity & Inclusion works in refugee camps and surrounding host communities to improve the living conditions of refugees and persons with disabilities, by ensuring equal access to services, learning opportunities, civic engagement, raising awareness of discrimination and building the capacity of staff working with these populations to identify the most pressing needs. Humanity & Inclusion also provides protection, psychosocial services and physical rehabilitation services, including provision of assistive devices such as wheelchairs and crutches.
Staff is combating sexual violence against children, in particular those with disabilities. Teams inform children, families, organizations and local authorities about the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and helps survivors and their parents/guardians to access immediate assistance and long-term support.
Our Past Work
Humanity & Inclusion has been in Kenya for 30 years, working to promote an inclusive culture. Over time, we have evolved our work to meet the dynamic needs of the communities we serve.
Read on to learn more about our past work in Kenya and consider investing in our future.
Food Security
In 1992, Humanity & Inclusion launched its activities in Kenya through an emergency food aid program in Garissa, following the famine and civil war in Somalia.
Inclusion
Humanity & Inclusion launched a regional project in Kenya and Tanzania to help implement the International Convention of People with Disabilities. Teams supported physical rehabilitation and education of children with disabilities in Kibera and Dandora informal settlement areas and persons with disabilities in the Dadaab refugee camps. Staff also implemented an inclusive education project in the Nairobi area to ensure that children with disabilities had equal access to education opportunities.
Healthcare
Humanity and Inclusion focused on improving surgical treatment at Garissa Provincial Hospital for refugees and support to the primary health care system in neighboring communities.
An on-going maternal and child healthcare project was launched in informal settlements in 2014, which seeks to improve the health status of mothers, newborns, and children within Nairobi.
To enhance the quality of life of people with diabetes and reduced the occurrence of disabling complications, Humanity & Inclusion developed and promoted regional expertise based on a network of local capacities in Kitale and Trans-Nzoia District. In addition, awareness campaigns provided the general population with information about the disease and how to prevent it.
HIV/AIDS Prevention
To promote HIV prevention in Nairobi, Kiambu and Machakos, Humanity & Inclusion trained educators to lead peer-to-peer awareness sessions among youth and at-risk populations such as people with disabilities and young mothers.
Road Safety
To help establish better enforcement of road regulations, Humanity & Inclusion worked with the police on the issue of road safety and trained local NGOs in how to use the media to promote safer roads.
Armed Violence Reduction
In northwestern Kenya, teams worked reduce incidences of violence in the region.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Humanity & Inclusion continues to run programs under the operating name "Handicap International."
Humanity & Inclusion in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Our team has been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 1995, promoting access to services and education, supporting people with disabilities and providing support to people affected by humanitarian crises and conflict.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, access to quality health care is problematic. The second-largest country in Africa, DRC is resource-rich, but there is a high level of inequality, and the social and economic situation remains concerning across most of the country.
For more than 15 years, the Democratic Republic of Congo has been destabilized by an alarming humanitarian crisis. In 2020, 25.6 million were affected, including 15 million children. This crisis is the result of a decades-long unstable local and regional security situation, mainly affecting the country’s eastern provinces. Over the years, multiple armed conflicts and violence have left the population at risk. This has severely disrupted the transport of humanitarian aid.
The DRC is also regularly affected by epidemics, increased exposure to natural disasters and widespread poverty and insecurity. The Covid-19 crisis further undermined the health system. There have also been large population movements both within the country and towards neighboring countries.
Areas of Intervention
- Logistics services
- Inclusive Humanitarian Action
- Mental Health and Psychosocial Support
- Physical and Functional Rehabilitation
- Food Assistance
- Economic Inclusion
- Maternal and Newborn Child Health
- Inclusive Education
- Inclusive Governance
- Safe and Inclusive Mobility
Humanity & Inclusion's 113-member team supports the inclusion of people with disabilities in society and the school enrollment of children with disabilities across the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Our team also promotes the involvement of several Congolese disability rights organizations in community life. The organization works to improve rehabilitation services by identifying and care-managing people with disabilities according to their individual needs. Our staff is highly active in improving mother and child healthcare, psychological support and road safety measures.
In North Kivu, Humanity & Inclusion provides support to the communities impacted by the chronic humanitarian crisis. We coordinate a logistics platform to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the most remote areas, in collaboration with other national and international organizations and the United Nations. In Kasai, staff is improving food security for the affected populations.
Our Past Work
Humanity & Inclusion has been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 1995, fostering a culture of dignity, access, and inclusion. Over time, we have evolved our work to meet the dynamic needs of the communities where we serve.
Read on to learn more about our past work in DRC, and consider investing in our future.
Mine Clearance
The organization clears mines and explosive remnants of war to secure the land and improve the living conditions of communities living in conflict-affected areas.
Ethiopia
Tigray Crisis
Millions of people in Ethiopia's Tigray region are suffering in the midst of a violent crisis. Humanity & Inclusion teams are on-site providing aid and support to those most affected.
The humanitarian crisis is worsening each day in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. People are facing death, injury and trauma. Women and children are reporting instances of violent sexual assault. Health facilities, schools and other public infrastructure have been destroyed, looted or are being used as shelter for internally displaced persons.
When natural and civil disasters strike, Humanity & Inclusion has to act fast. With their regular gifts, our first responders make that possible.
Please become a monthly donor today.
Humanity & Inclusion in Ethiopia
Humanity & Inclusion has been working in Ethiopia since 1986, with a mission to improve access to humanitarian services for people with disabilities, ensure children with disabilities can go to school and adults with disabilities are able to work, and that they are included in their communities.
Ethiopia has nearly 115 million inhabitants and sees a constant influx of refugees whose essential needs are barely met. The country hosts people displaced by cross-border movements due to drought, conflict, political upheaval and civil wars in neighboring countries including Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan. There are also large numbers of internally displaced persons, forced to move due to drought and conflict.
Ethiopia has long been considered as a stable country, but a conflict between Tigrayan forces and the central government has been ongoing since 2020. Previously, two decades of deadly conflict in the southeastern region of Ogaden had a severe impact on the Ethiopian ethnic Somali population. Ethiopia periodically faces terrible droughts, leading to increased needs for humanitarian aid.
Over the last 15 years, Ethiopia has undergone significant economic and social changes and has recorded some of the highest growth rates in the world. However, health services are limited, notably those dedicated to people with disabilities. Ethiopia is also one of the Sub-Saharan African countries the worst affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Areas of intervention
- Rehabilitation
- Health and prevention
- Mental health and psychosocial support
- Maternal and infant health
- Inclusive education
- Economic inclusion
- Social inclusion
- Protection and risk reduction
Humanity & Inclusion's 92 staff members in Ethiopia are currently working to improve living conditions of people with disabilities and to ensure inclusion of refugees and internally displaced families. For example, the organization provides stimulation physical therapy for young children facing malnourishment in refugee camps, to help their growth and reduce the risk of developmental delay.
Staff also provides protection assistance and community-level support, including psychosocial services, to refugees, conflict-affected communities, people with specific needs and children. In the Tigray region, Humanity & Inclusion provides risk education activities and support to victims of armed violence.
Our Past Work
Humanity & Inclusion has been in Ethiopia since 1986, fostering an inclusive culture for ALL people with disabilities and who are living in situations of extreme circumstances. Over time, we have evolved our work to meet the dynamic needs of the communities where we serve.
Read on to learn more about our past work in Ethiopia and consider investing in our future.
HIV & Disability
Humanity & Inclusion implemented a pilot project in Addis Ababa that ensures that people with disabilities across Ethiopia have access to HIV information and services tailored to their diverse needs and equal to the services available to others in the community.
Rehabilitation
Humanity & Inclusion's early work in Ethiopia revolved around providing rehabilitation services for refugees in the Somali region, leading to rehabilitation units in 11 hospitals from 1996 to 2000.
Mine action
In 1997, teams launched a mine risk education project to support Somali refugees living in Ethiopia.
Climate change
Humanity & Inclusion started the REAAP Project (Resilience through Enhanced Adaptation, Action-learning and Partnership) to sustainably increase the resilience of rural communities to current and future climate change and natural disasters and ensure that the needs of people with disabilities are taken into account. The project raised awareness about the inclusion of people with disabilities in climate change actions, trained people with disabilities on how to response during a natural disaster, and distributed mobility aids to people who needed them.
Libya
In Libya, Humanity & Inclusion continues to run programs under the operating name "Handicap International."
Humanity & Inclusion in Libya
Humanity & Inclusion has been operating in Libya since 2011, responding to the needs that emerged from armed conflict that year. Since the fall of the Gaddafi regime, Libya has been wracked by violence between rival militia and the uncontrolled influx of weapons, creating a situation of ongoing insecurity.
Large numbers of landmines, cluster munitions, and other explosive devices were used in Libya, and tons of weapons still lay scattered throughout the country, posing a grave risk to civilians. With the outbreak of renewed violence in 2014, Humanity & Inclusion redesigned its programs to support people injured by explosive remnants of war, small arms and light weapons, as well as people with disabilities. The situation stabilized in the summer of 2020, paving the way for a cease-fire signed in August, but the highly anticipated presidential elections are likely to be postponed, creating prolonged political uncertainty.
In 2020 and 2021, the situation in main cities has worsened on nearly all levels. Health services are overstretched by the Covid-19 pandemic, power cuts and water shortage are happening daily, as essentials are becoming increasingly expensive. Political power shifts contribute to a high level of insecurity. The Libyan population regularly demonstrates in the streets and main cities of the country.
With 87 staff members, the team is providing basic medical assistance, including rehabilitation care, while also supporting local health and rehabilitation centers.
Areas of Intervention
- Rehabilitation
- Mental health and psychosocial support
- Armed violence reduction
In recent years, Humanity & Inclusion has delivered health and protection services including physical and functional rehabilitation, provision of assistive devices and mobility equipment and psychosocial support to persons directly impacted by the ongoing crisis. Since mid-2020, Humanity & Inclusion has increased its support to physical rehabilitation and mental health and psychosocial support professionals.
Teams are also providing conflict-affected internally displaced persons, returnees and host communities in Libya with improved access to basic needs, health and protection services with a focus on physical and psychological needs. In 2017, Humanity & Inclusion relaunched risk education activities in the Nafusa Mountain region for returning populations displaced since 2011. In the same year, teams also initiated support to the LibMAC for enhancing assistance to victims of explosive hazards, by uniting national authorities and civil society to raise awareness of their collective responsibility toward people directly affected by conflict. Staff has also reinitiated risk education activities in Tripoli and developed victim assistance activities, to improve data collection, injury surveillance and case management for victims of explosive ordnances.
Our Past Work
Our team in Libya has been in the country since 2011, promoting an inclusive culture. Our work continues to evolve to meet the needs of the communities where we serve.
Read on to learn more about our past work in Libya and consider investing in our future.
Protecting Displaced Individuals
Humanity & Inclusion deployed a mobile team to identify the displaced people, especially children and people with disabilities in need of medical care. Our team provided rehabilitation and psychosocial support for people with disabilities directly or referred to nearby health centers by:
- Supporting 11 health centers
- Training staff
- Distributing orthopedic devices
- Providing information to medical staff and patients
Mine Clearance
Three teams were deployed in Tripoli, working primarily in the districts most affected by the fighting to identify, remove, and destroy mines and other explosive remnants of war.
Mine Risk Education
Since the start of its operations, Humanity & Inclusion has trained 900 Libyan nationals to educate communities about the risks posed by landmines and other unexploded remnants of war. Our teams and partners work directly in schools and businesses and with local authorities.
Small Arms Risk Awareness
In addition to the danger of landmines and unexploded ordnance, Humanity & Inclusion identified the risk posed by light weapons in the hands of civilians. In collaboration with the authorities and local organizations, our awareness-raising teams deliver prevention messages in schools and workplaces. The project did experience a six-month suspension of work due to safety concerns but resumed operations again in February 2015.