The humanitarian situation in northwest Syria is at a breaking point. The latest escalation of violence in Idlib province has uprooted more than 235,000 people from their homes, including more than 60,000 children. 

Famine has been declared in regions of South Sudan's Unity State, the world’s newest country which has been embroiled in conflict since its independence. Largely located in the northern regions of the country, the famine is affecting 100,000 people with a further one million at risk. Nigeria, Somalia and Yemen are also on the brink of famine as they struggle to respond to drought, rising food prices and a lack of food.

Nyaboth and Gatjang are just eight and 12 months old, but already they have a lot in common. Both were born in South Sudan, where conflict and drought has left 7.5 million people in need of food. Both have caring mothers who are desperate to protect their babies.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has been helping people affected by humanitarian crisis for 90 years. Read about our history, our achievements and our innovative approach to solving big problems.

Many refugee and displaced women have gone through their pregnancies with no regular check-ups by midwives, no 12-week scans, no antenatal classes... They’ve faced war and persecution, survived in camps during the winter -- and now they have COVID-19 to worry about.

Afghan women and girls increasingly bear the brunt of violence and of a hunger crisis that threatens to overwhelm the country.

The 2011 famine in Somalia killed more than a quarter of a million people and displaced hundreds of thousands within the country and elsewhere throughout the Horn and East Africa region. This was a double blow to the people of Somalia who were and still are being displaced by conflict.