Humanitaire

I arrived on February 14th 2004 (Valentine’s Day), fleeing persecution for openly expressing my opposition...

With 20 million inhabitants and a surface about half the size of France, Burkina Faso is facing a major humanitarian and security crisis because of the regional instability that takes place in Sahel. This crisis has caused the displacement of more than one million people today (5% of the population) which is equivalent to three million people, compared to a country like France. Première Urgence Internationale brings assistance to the populations in Burkina Faso.

Relentless attacks on civilians, large scale floods and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic are exacerbating an already critical humanitarian crisis in Cameroon’s Far North. International NGOs active in the region are calling for a drastic scaleup of the humanitarian response to address the needs of the most vulnerable.

Emergency response in Beirut: almost two months after the blast that blew Beirut on August 4th, Première Urgence Internationale keeps intervening alongside the populations, to respond both their short-term and longer-term needs of assistance. The humanitarian teams act on health and shelter sectors, in the city as well as in the whole country.

Mr. Mohamedine Ag Oufene, 50 years old, is a community mobilizer working with Première Urgence Internationale in the region of Kidal since 2015.

The massive and deadly explosion that blew the port of Beirut on Tuesday, August 4th, has dramatic consequences for the populations of Lebanon, already affected by multiple crises. Première Urgence Internationale is part of the immediate response and is mobilizing all its teams and resources to help recover the battered capital.

Libya recorded its first case of COVID-19 on March 24, 2020, since then there are 4,063  confirmed cases and 93 deaths (according to the National Centre for Disease Control – NCDC – data as of August 4, 2020). Since the start of the pandemic, the Première Urgence Internationale teams have decided to maintain their health activities to meet the needs of the vulnerable population and to include a COVID-19 component to limit the spread of the virus in the two areas of Benghazi and Al Kufra where the NGO operates. Indeed, the already fragile health system before the outbreak of COVID-19, fears a real threat for the country, in case the virus will spread throughout the country.

Clémentine Guérin works in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for Première Urgence Internationale. She is responsible for the health response project against the Ebola virus in Goma, North Kivu. She was scheduled to join the DRC mission on 17th March, but with the arrival of the pandemic in France, containment measures and border closure delayed her departure. She describes how she was finally able to join the mission in early June on a specifically chartered humanitarian flight, and what preventive measures had to be taken to limit any risk of the spread of COVID-19.

In the East of Afghanistan, Première Urgence Internationale has been taking action for four decades to respond the emergency health needs and contribute to the improvement of public services. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NGO is implementing several activities and adapting its usual programs. Dedicated resources and special extra supply have been delivered, through a humanitarian air bridge connecting Europe and Afghanistan.

On the 15th of March 2020, the Syrian crisis entered its 10th year. A week later, the first confirmed COVID-19 case was reported in Syria. The 9 years of conflict have already left the country battered, but the COVID-19 pandemic has presented yet another challenge for an overburdened and fragile social protection system. Against this backdrop, Première Urgence Internationale was one of the first organizations that responded quickly to address the emerging urgent needs in Syria. With the support of partners, the NGO has worked across its sectors to contribute to common efforts working on preventing a spiraling COVID-19 outbreak in Syria.