Smaller disasters are frequent, little-known, and devastating. And they are occurring more often due to climate change. They may not be newsworthy but these "small" disasters are big enough to overwhelm a country's response capacity.
When that happens, the Humanitarian Coalition is there. Around the clock. Around the world.
Our response to smaller disasters is co-funded by Global Affairs Canada through the Canadian Humanitarian Assistance Fund.
Millions of people are impacted by disasters every year
Here are some of their stories:
Eden woke up early each morning to prepare kakanin, traditional Filipino sweets and snacks made from rice. Working in a makeshift kitchen under a grove of bamboo in Nabua, Eden cooked her kakanin in a borrowed steamer over a charcoal stove. She's worked hard to perfect her cooking skills so that she can sell her delicacies in her sari-sari store and build a better life for her two daughters.
Faced with rising floodwaters and uncertainty, one thing mattered most to Mr. Tuan: his children's safety.
Mr. Tuan is a construction worker in Vietnam's Bac Ninh province. He and his wife also grow rice and raise pigs and chickens to support their family of five. Their children's education is a top priority -- their daughter, Thu, dreams of becoming an artist and spends her free time drawing, while their youngest son, Duc, enjoys football and spending time with his classmates and teachers.
When a disaster strikes or a conflict erupts, people don't leave home because they want to. They leave because staying is no longer safe.
People who have to flee their homes because of conflict, violence, persecution or disasters are known as forcibly displaced people.
Get Involved
Support families and communities who are devastated by disasters, around the clock and around the world. There are three ways to get involved: