Norwegian Refugee Council

At a time when more than a 100 million people have fled war and conflict, and tens of millions more flee climate driven disasters, collaboration across sectors is vital. NRC’s private sector partnerships is an exchange of expertise where businesses and corporations play an important role in humanitarian response.   In our shared commitment, we strive for innovative solutions to empower people who have been forced to flee, helping them build a sustainable future for themselves and their communities. Hear from our long-term partners Cisco and GRUNDFOS/Grundfos Foundation | PDJF and learn more about how we work with the private sector here: https://lnkd.in/dMwNCYe

“Thanks to sports, I was able to detach myself from a lot of negativity and gain faith in my personal life.” For #Paris2024, we're cheering for Alaa Maso! He is one of 37 athletes representing the Refugee Olympic Team at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Alaa used to live in Aleppo with his family and began swimming at an early age thanks to his father, who became a swimming coach. Alaa left Syria in 2015 after his training facilities were damaged and he felt the pressure of the conflict all around him. Following a long journey across Europe, he settled in Germany. He has also returned to school and is making up for the years lost due to leaving Syria. Photo: Soeren Stache/dpa-Zentralbild/ZB/NTB

“We now have a place to truly call home, which means stability & safety for my family,” says Rahma Mahdi, mother of two in Girible outside of Bossaso town in Puntland state, Somalia. This is part of our work to provide durable solutions for the displaced people of Somalia. Thanks to funding from partners we have been able to provide families like Rahma's with a safe and secure place to live in.

"I am now able to provide for my children's education and basic needs through my income." Mama Sharon is one of the 179 people who received cash grant to start a small business in the SW region Cameroon, enabling them to build up their resilience.

In Sudan, over half of the country - 25.6 million people - is currently experiencing severe food insecurity, meaning people don’t have reliable access to food and sometimes go more than a day without eating. What’s happening in Sudan must no longer be ignored. Share this post to increase awareness and demand action.

Last year, amidst desolation, hunger, and ruins, we reopened schools in war-torn West Darfur, Sudan. Now, we're thrilled to share that 650 children in Geneina have successfully passed their exams! This milestone wouldn't have been possible without the incredible support of the local communities. Never underestimate the power of education. It transforms lives, even in the toughest circumstances.

“Even my coach did not believe in women boxing.” For #Paris2024, we're cheering for Cindy Ngamba! She is one of 36 athletes representing the Refugee Olympic Team at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. She was born in Cameroon and later moved to the UK at the age of 11. Cindy eventually discovered her passion of boxing and found a second family with the Great Britain Boxing Team. She went on to become a three-time English national champion and made history by becoming the first-ever refugee boxer to qualify for the Olympic Games for Paris 2024.

"There is nothing left that resembles life in northern Gaza." It's common in northern Gaza for people to lose 10-20 kilos, Salma told us. It's common for bones to become visible. This suffering must end now. Powerful update from NRC's Salma Altaweel in Gaza City. https://lnkd.in/dJYAkBSN

Around the world NRC staff work to provide shelter for people in desperate need. For displaced people, obtaining shelter is often a key step in securing safety, recovering self-reliance, and starting to address trauma. When people have somewhere proper to live, they can improve their food security, send their children to school, and restore the dignity that is so often robbed from them during displacement. Shelter is the foundation for so much, and so much is taken from people when they lose their home.  Shelter is a core priority for NRC, and we have Shelter and Settlement teams working in 35 countries. In the acute stage of a crisis, tents and tarpaulins can mean the difference between life and death. But we often work in settings where people are displaced for years, often multiple times. Rather than just providing emergency materials, we therefore also provide longer-term solutions and advocate for people to have somewhere proper to call home.  In Gaza, the shelter situation is beyond catastrophic and the destruction of this densely populated and besieged area is unprecedented. The challenges are therefore immense and atypical. Estimates suggest there are 39 million tons of rubble, which experts state could take 15 years to clear. In the early stages of a shelter response, particularly following urban conflict, large amounts of land are required simply for the disposal of debris. There is no such space in Gaza. The Strip also faces an acute lack of shelter materials, owing to inadequate funding and lack of humanitarian access with closed borders and bureaucratic impediments.  My colleague Alison Ely – who works with NORCAP – is the coordinator of the Shelter Cluster in Palestine, and has spent three months in Gaza this year. She explained that many Palestinians have lost all space to perform the basic tasks of daily life. “Gazans are now living in acutely overcrowded places, without the possibility of any real privacy or any kind of dignity. Well over 60% of families have now lost their homes, as well as their neighbourhoods, mosques, local shops, schools, and sanitation facilities. For both immediate and longer-term recovery, there is no alternative to a vast increase in materials, and the shelter challenge in Gaza will remain for many years to come.” Many Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced as many as seven or eight times, and are now forced to live in makeshift shelters which offer little by way of protection from the elements. Seven in ten homes across the Strip have been either totally or partially destroyed, yet many people have been forced to return simply because they have no other option. With such vast destruction of infrastructure – including sewage systems – and the ongoing threat posed by unexploded ordnance, the challenge for shelter work in Gaza is hard to overstate. Norwegian Refugee Council NORCAP - part of the Norwegian Refugee Council

Somalia: "Thanks to the cash support I received, my business is progressing well, helping me sustain my family’s basic needs, including my children’s school fees," says Asiya Hassan - who owns one of 75 small businesses we supported in Jowhar district.