When emergencies occur World Vision’s response needs to be as measured as it is rapid.

World Vision’s emergency relief activities seek primarily to save lives and reduce human suffering, protect and restore livelihoods, and reduce the risks faced by disaster- and conflict-prone communities.

No two emergencies are identical. Some affect millions, some affect a single family. Some occur in an instant, others take years to develop. That’s why World Vision first categorises an emergency according to what kind of emergency it is.

It might be:

• a complex humanitarian emergency, caused by a number of political, social, economic or environmental factors
• a neglected or forgotten emergency, chronic yet low-profile and/or
• a slow onset emergency, where responses need to be pre-emptive.

Our response is also determined by the emergency’s severity.