Time to move past the basics in disaster response

Assistance must go beyond immediate survival to restore safety, dignity, identity and community connections.

Disasters do not affect everyone in the same way. For one family, the urgent need may be food and clean water; for another, it may be a wheelchair, a lost citizenship certificate, or a way to reconnect with a missing family member. Dignified, inclusive relief means moving beyond a fragmented, standard list of items towards specific, need-based assistance that addresses survival, safety, dignity, agency and the ability to rebuild lives.