Natural disasters, political upheaval and civil conflict - emergencies can arise out of a variety of circumstances. In all of them, survivors - many of them children - can be left stranded and in urgent need of relief.

World Vision’s emergency relief activities seek primarily to:

• save lives and reduce human suffering
• protect and restore livelihoods
• reduce the risks faced by communities affected by disaster and conflict.

We focus on assisting the most vulnerable, including children, women and the elderly. In this way, we can ensure basic needs are met and human rights are protected.

World Vision does not respond in exactly the same way to every emergency. Our response will be based on:

• how many people are affected
• the impact on infrastructure
• the immediate or projected mortality levels and incidence of epidemic diseases
• the impact on community livelihoods, and
• threats to child sponsorship or other World Vision activities.

World Vision currently supports significant humanitarian efforts, including disaster prevention and/or mitigation work, in 64 countries.