Hope in Crisis Fund

Thank you for your generous donation to GlobalGiving’s Hope in Crisis Fund. Your contribution is having a meaningful impact on the lives of people affected by some of the world’s most pressing crises. 

The fund was launched in 2022 to support vetted nonprofits confronting complex crises and emergencies with limited resources. GlobalGiving co-designed the fund’s grantmaking priorities and criteria with eight nonprofit leaders from around the world. Following the co-design process, GlobalGiving made flexible grants to eight vetted nonprofit partners in Yemen and the Democratic Republic of Congo. We are excited to share with you how these organizations brought hope to more than 18,000 people with your help.

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

Communities in the DRC faced life-threatening circumstances in 2023 as violence spread and displaced more than a million people in a crisis that was sorely missing from news headlines. Sexual violence, difficulties in accessing healthcare and education, and limited economic opportunities are key challenges facing communities in the country. Inflation increased costs for nonprofit partners, leading them to make some difficult decisions about how to use their GlobalGiving grants. Communities chose to save lives with greater emphasis on emergency support than they initially planned. Unfortunately, as is common for many partners working without enough resources, this meant that longer-term activities were sacrificed.

Despite the challenges, our partners working in the DRC supported more than 4,000 people across the country over the past year alone. Business for Better Society provided menstrual hygiene supplies for displaced women, which were reusable pads created through BBS sewing training. Solidarity with Vulnerable People for Community Development (SOPEVUDECO) provided education opportunities to girls, including orphans, and microcredit to women, including survivors of sexual violence who are often stigmatized. Both BBS and SOPEVUDECO made important strides in preventing child soldier recruitment, with a specific focus on boys in vulnerable situations and reintegrating former soldiers into society with dignity. And BBS and Hope for Our Sisters provided shelter, healthcare, and nutrition to support communities without a safe and dignified place to live. Additionally, the Idjwi Island Education Fund will continue working into 2024, utilizing the flexible, multi-year support from the Hope in Crisis Fund. 

Yemen

As Yemen reels from a devastating civil war, our nonprofit partners have faced immense uncertainty. As one partner shared, the Hope in Crisis grant came at an especially crucial time as they faced an overall reduction in humanitarian aid. Risks that Yemenis have faced in recent years have included famine, flooding, and lack of safe places in a war. Thanks to your support, our partners in Yemen have helped more than 14,000 people. 

AWTAD Anti-Corruption Organization was able to provide support to those confronting reductions in international assistance, particularly for displaced women in conflict-affected cities. This meant that girls in the womens’ families could afford to go to school. Similarly, Yemen Family Care Association prioritized rehabilitation of schools and teacher training, with the longer-term objective of providing quality education and offering alternatives to youth military recruitment. Youth For Homeland provided life-saving assistance, including water, to remote village communities affected by flooding in Yemen, supported by local volunteers. Building Foundation For Development (BfD) prioritized maternal and prenatal healthcare for conflict-affected communities, serving thousands of women and children with medical care. This work continues as BfD continues to strengthen a healthcare center in Aden. 

Our partners did all of this with several efforts in common: listening to communities to provide what they want; understanding the local context before rolling out activities; and prioritizing vulnerable communities. They carefully managed challenges of equity, bureaucracy, and conflict, demonstrating the power and potential of community-led initiatives. 

Your donation to the Hope in Crisis Fund powered these efforts. As our partners at BfD shared, the outcomes of your support “serve as an inspiration, reminding us of the enormous potential for positive change when communities come together for a common cause.” GlobalGiving will soon make another set of grants to bring hope to communities in crisis, and we remain hopeful for your ongoing support.

With gratitude, 

Sarah + the GlobalGiving team

Thank you for your generous donation to the Hope in Crisis Fund. Donations to this fund are already making a difference, enabling GlobalGiving to respond to the challenge of inequitable funding and resources for crises around the world. 

The first grants from this fund prioritized support for nonprofit partners who applied for funding and are doing critical work to respond to crises in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Yemen. Donations from the fund supported eight grants to high-impact and community-led nonprofit organizations at the forefront of each crisis. 

Here is what one grantee, Solidarity with Vulnerable People for Community Development, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo wanted you to know about the impact of your donation:

“This is very good news for our organization, Solidarity with Vulnerable People for Community Development, and all women victims of rape and sexual violence displaced from wars living in the City of Bukavu. We are really happy to work with you to improve the living conditions of families who are victims of rape and sexual violence.” 

And here is a short description of some of the critical work you’ve supported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo:

• Idjwi Island Education Fund operates hygiene programs that identify and treat neglected tropical diseases, including malaria, that are prevalent among primary school children on Idjwi Island in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. These programs include constructing composting latrines to improve hygiene and reduce the prevalence of intestinal parasites.

• Solidarity with Vulnerable People for Community Development supports women and girl survivors of sexual violence, specifically 50 orphan girls. Their services include support for school integration and social cohesion to fight stigmas associated with surviving violence.

• Hope for Our Sisters, Inc. runs the Wellness Clinic, which provides life-saving services, such as nutrition programs for malnourished children and medical care for those in need in the eastern city of Goma. The organization’s community projects also aim to protect boys and young men vulnerable to armed forces in the context of violence that has displaced thousands in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

• Business for Better Society provides aid and clothes to children who are displaced by conflict and helps to reintegrate child soldiers into their communities near the city of Goma through education, counseling, and support in rebuilding relationships.

Here is a short description of some of the critical work you’ve supported in Yemen:

• AWTAD Anti-Corruption Organization trains displaced women in Yemen to ensure the most vulnerable families have livelihoods. The organization is also working closely with 50 families to offer cash assistance for purchasing basic goods at a time when sources of income are limited and prices are high. 

• Youth For Homeland distributes food and water to families in need and provides shelter and restoration help to individuals whose homes were damaged in the severe floods across Sana’a, Yemen in 2022. The organization also continues to support small income-generating projects.

• Building Foundation For Development equips and operates a maternal and neonatal emergency center for host communities, internally displaced persons, and refugees. This center is the only one of its kind for people who are impoverished and marginalized to receive emergency treatment. 

• Yemen Family Care Association ensures schools remain open for conflict-affected communities. The organization is strengthening the capacity of teachers and management staff while building inclusive learning environments for all children. 

Your support of the GlobalGiving Hope in Crisis Fund powers community-led responses, and it means that organizations and communities get critical resources to help those most in need, especially in areas that are often overlooked and underfunded. We will continue to share updates about the community-led efforts you are supporting in response to some of the world's worst humanitarian crises. 

With gratitude,

Kyra  + the GlobalGiving Team