Emergency response

Women at the centre of emergency response

In addition to other vulnerabilities like disability and sexual orientation, gender greatly affects how people experience crises. Gender inequality means that women and girls are among the most vulnerable during emergencies. Their health and safety are at greater risk, they are often first to lose their means of income when economies suffer, and they eat last or least when food is scarce.

Despite the challenges they face, women are also on the front lines of emergency response—as caregivers, health care providers and more, yet they are often left out of decision-making. When women’s leadership is recognized and they are able to have a say in decisions that affect them, emergency response is most effective immediately and over the long term—not just for women themselves but for entire communities.

Humanitarian emergencies are complex and multi-layered. CARE’s humanitarian work is made up of both response and resilience initiatives, meaning we respond to immediate needs and help communities be more resilient to future crises. 

CARE works with communities around the world to prepare for and minimize the impact of disasters on women, girls and their families. When an emergency hits, we deploy emergency response staff and work with local partners—including women’s rights and women-led organizations—to provide immediate assistance. Initial support can mean providing food, water, shelter, health care, hygiene items, cash support, counselling and setting up safe spaces for women and girls. More long-term support may mean setting up savings groups so women can borrow and lend money to each other and save for future shocks, for example.

At the same time, CARE Canada often launches emergency appeals within Canada to raise funds for those the people affected, often with members of Canada’s Humanitarian Coalition. We support communities—especially women and children—so they can recover after a crisis. We often work towards long-term recovery in partnership with local partners and those affected as they who know best what they need. Communities are then better equipped to withstand future emergencies.