Humanitarian Action

Our Work

Light for the World ensures the rights, protection, and safety of people with disabilities in emergencies, including conflicts and natural disasters.

We focus on inclusive humanitarian action to address the disproportionate impact on people with disabilities.

Relief efforts in Buzi, following Cyclone Eloise. Bags of food and bottles are arranged on a large red mat. There is a big truck in the background with more supplies. The distribution takes place outside, with several men and women in the background of the image sorting the relief packages. There is blue sky and palm trees in the background. — Relief efforts in Buzi, following Cyclone Eloise. People with disabilities are up to four times more likely to die in emergencies. © Light for the World.

Key priorities

Targeted response in emergencies
Technical support to humanitarian Actors
Advocacy for inclusion
Disability-inclusive data collection
Empowerment of people with disabilities

Resources and tools

We provide a range of resources and tools to support inclusive humanitarian action, including:

Research reports and analyses on disability inclusion in humanitarian contexts.
Practical tools like the Disability Inclusion Score Card and Checklists on Inclusion.
Comprehensive guidelines on disability-inclusive humanitarian action.
Training and coaching for humanitarian actors through our Disability Inclusion Advisors and Facilitators.

A woman takes part in a Cyclone Simulation exercise in Buzi, Mozambique as part of the ICDP project, funded by Austrian Development Agency. Gender is mainstreamed throughout the project, ensuring that women and girls with disabilities are included in creating emergency response plans to climate-related disasters. She is wearing an bright orange hat and vest, and is using a megaphone. She's standing outside in front of some vegetation. — A woman takes part in a Cyclone Simulation exercise in Buzi, Mozambique as part of the ICDP project, funded by Austrian Development Agency. Copyright: Mango Sound/Light for the World

Our work in humanitarian action includes:

IMPACT-BF project in Burkina Faso: Providing expertise and support to make the humanitarian response more disability-inclusive.

Training and support: Training humanitarian actors and OPDs on disability inclusion and providing technical support.

Data collection and advocacy: Improving data collection methods and advocating for the inclusion of people with disabilities in national humanitarian response plans.

Our targets for 2030 include:

Ensuring all humanitarian response plans in our focus countries intentionally include people with disabilities.
Training 50 humanitarian actors and five OPDs on disability inclusion in humanitarian action.
Launching and implementing disability-inclusive data tools in all our countries with a humanitarian focus.
Sharing tools, data, and evidence on disability prevalence and barriers with humanitarian actors.
Implementing an intersectional approach to disaster risk management in key countries and publishing learning documents.