NEWSProviding Lifesaving Support To Displaced Families: All You Need To Know About Team Humanity USA's Emergency Relief Programs
Jan. 1 2023, Published 1:01 p.m. ET
Countless non-profit organizations provide humanitarian support and carry out emergency relief programs in the world’s most affected areas. However, few have had the impact that Team Humanity USA has had since its inception in 2019. The organization currently provides international relief work in five countries, including Pakistan, Lebanon, Kenya, Ukraine, and Afghanistan. But understanding the organization’s mission requires going back further.
Life for Ayat Abuznade changed dramatically in 2014 after volunteering at the Zaatari Refugee Camp in Syria. Located on the Syria-Jordan border, the Zaatari Refugee Camp is the largest camp for Syrian refugees fleeing war. It has become a permanent settlement over time.
Ayat’s time as a volunteer made her interact with 80,000 of the world’s most vulnerable people. This experience allowed her to witness the devastation of war and how it affected these people. She came across Yaseen, an eight-year-old boy with a gentle sparkle in his eyes. Devastatingly, he was missing his right arm, which was amputated. Yaseen was one of the many children left with disabilities during the war, but the experience was so harrowing that Ayat knew life would never be the same again. No matter what happened, she wanted to make a difference in order to help those vulnerable globally. Thus, she returned home to Chicago with a newfound mission.
Further traveling and volunteering experiences led her to Greece in 2015, where she found thousands of refugees arriving on dinghy boats, only to be met with small groups of volunteers without any organizational assistance. But Team Humanity USA was still not something that would come to fruition anytime soon, at least not until Ayat returned to Lesvos, Greece, in 2018 and saw how neglected the Moria Refugee Camp truly was.
That experience would serve as the catalyst for Team Humanity USA, which finally came into being in 2019. The organization had a simple goal: to do anything possible to instil hope and happiness back into people’s lives. That is exactly what leads the NGO today. Team Humanity USA has gone from strength to strength in its mission to make the world a better place for those suffering.
Their work in Pakistan deserves applause. Nationwide flooding has created an inland, 100-kilometre lake visible from space. The heavy rainfall accompanied by a heatwave left over 1000 people dead. In addition, it also displaced approximately 33 million people or 14 percent of Pakistan’s population. The crisis has left the nation in tatters, with people seeking immediate relief. Team Humanity USA hit the ground running, providing essential supplies, water, and food to children, women, and families. The organization has already helped over 10,000 Pakistani families and counting.
In addition to their efforts in Pakistan, the non-profit organization has done remarkable deeds in Ukraine and Afghanistan. The recent Ukrainian-Russian conflict has not been easy for Ukrainian civilians. Official statistics show that over five million have already fled the country. But where people flee, Team Humanity USA enters. You’ll find their team on the ground, providing women, children, and the elderly with lifesaving essentials. They’ve also organized transport for civilians from Russian-occupied territories. The organization has helped evacuate over 5,000 Ukrainian refugees from imminent danger.
Similarly, their efforts in Afghanistan cannot go unlauded. The ongoing Afghanistan conflict has had devastating effects on the lives of women and girls in the region. Team Humanity USA remains committed to helping these innocent civilians escape, that too, with their lives intact. As a result, they’ve helped evacuate over 500 Afghanis from the region while providing lifesaving support, several safe houses and crucial recovery assistance to Afghani families.
Team Humanity USA has also expanded its reach to Lebanon, sending food packages to over 10,000 refugees and displaced families. So, it’s safe to say that the organization might be young, but its efforts remain valiant.
