Emergency Response Appeal
Your donation today can bring safety and hope to families facing crisis around the world.
Sakhina is a refugee from Myanmar living in a camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Photo: Caritas Australia.
Sakhina gathering water in the Cox's Bazar camp. Photo: Caritas Australia
Meet Sakhina
Sakhina fled Myanmar with her family under a hail of bullets. She crawled under her home to escape, past the bodies of her neighbours, and hid in the forest for 10 days surviving on dirty river water. When they finally reached Bangladesh, they found only more hardship.
In the camp there was no clean water, few toilets and open defecation. Her daughter, who lives with a physical disability, couldn’t even reach the toilet on her own.
Then, something changed.
Our partner Caritas Bangladesh stepped in and, supported by generous donors like you, began implementing life-saving WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) programs.
Because of supporters like you:
- Sakhina’s family now has reliable access to clean, safe drinking water.
- Hygiene support and training is available in the Rohingya language.
- An accessible toilet was installed close to their home, which means Sakhina’s daughter can go to the bathroom without needing assistance.
These things sound simple. But for a family like Sakhina’s, they are everything.
Sakhina using a hand wash station installed by Caritas Bangladesh. Photo: Caritas Australia
The next disaster could strike at any time—will you help us be ready?
Emergencies happen without warning. When disaster strikes, the ability to respond quickly and effectively is critical to saving lives. That’s why Caritas Australia’s Emergency Response Appeal exists—to ensure that when the next disaster occurs, we can act immediately to help those in urgent need.
Sakhina with her family in the Cox's Bazar camp. Photo: Caritas Australia.
Your impact
If you are able, please consider making a donation to our Emergency Response Appeal (ERA). Funds in the ERA can be used to quickly respond to emergencies as they occur, ensuring that things like WASH programs can be implemented as soon as possible. WASH made a huge difference to Sakhina and her family, and is among the first services we provide when disasters and emergencies occur.
Sakhina's story is all too common today, with the frequency and severity of emergencies on the rise, and a record 120 million people forced to flee their homes worldwide.
Your support can provide
Emergency shelter
Clean water
Health and psychosocial support
Food and other essentials
Sakhina at a market stall in the refugee camp at Cox's Bazar. Photo: Caritas Australia
Where does my donation go?
The funds you donate to this appeal go to Caritas Australia’s Emergency Response Appeal and will be used to provide humanitarian assistance to communities affected by crisis. Should circumstances prevent us from delivering aid to this emergency, or if excess funds remain after the crisis, donations will be directed to other emergencies where Caritas has humanitarian operations.
