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Handicap International helps people with disabilities find work in the Dakar region of Senegal. Through personalised support, training and advocacy work with businesses, the organisation helps them successfully enter the world of work.

This December, campaigners and school students up and down the UK held fantastic events to raise awareness and funds for the forgotten victims of conflict. As part of the Forgotten 10 Challenge, local groups organised eye-catching displays, ‘Tea at 10’ coffee mornings, and built Pyramids of Shoes to get people thinking about what life is like for survivors of bombings in countries like Syria. At the same time, school students from Surrey to Aberdeenshire learnt about civilians affected by war and took action to support some of the most vulnerable people on earth.

On 25th November 2016, Handicap International staff, government ministers, and local authorities in Laos gathered in Chao Anouvong Park, in Vientiane, to celebrate 20 years of action in the country. Handicap International organised a photo exhibition, film screenings and a performance to underline the impact of twenty years of projects in Laos.

On 12 January 2010, Haiti was devastated by an earthquake which killed 230,000 people and injured over 300,000. Handicap International took action immediately after the disaster to provide assistance to the victims. Seven years later, the organisation is still working the country to ensure Haitians have access to rehabilitation services. 

Handicap International is continuing its work to help the victims of Hurricane Matthew, three months after the hurricane swept through Haiti. Over 700 emergency kits have just been distributed to victims of the disaster, enabling them to rebuild their homes and improve their living conditions.

Handicap International attended the Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in Chile from 28th November to 1st December. It used this opportunity to present its “integrated approach” to victim assistance. Elke Hottentot, Handicap International’s victim assistance expert, explains the challenges involved.

Handicap International, active in Colombia since 1998 [1], is preparing to launch a five-year mine clearance operation in three of the country’s departments (Cauca, Meta and Caquetá). The organisation is also continuing to deliver awareness-raising on the risks associated with landmines and explosive remnants of war, as well as victim assistance.

Handicap International is preparing to launch mine clearance operations in Colombia after it was appointed by the government to clear contaminated land in three of the country's departments. Since April 2016 three teams of deminers have been trained and at least 40% of the deminers will be women.

At the end of January, Arnaud Pont, who oversees Handicap International's projects in Ukraine, attended The Human Face of the Eastern Conflict conference in Brussels , which aims to address the humanitarian needs resulting from the conflict. Arnaud gives an update on this forgotten crisis.

Jean-Baptiste Richardier, co-founder of Handicap International, was present at the 20th International Meeting of Mine Action National Programme Directors and United Nations Advisors, which ended on 10th February 2017. Here, he explains why Handicap International is committed to humanitarian mine action.

In February 2017, Handicap International staff members from Bangladesh, Thailand and Pakistan gathered for a training on early child development, and how to foster the well-being of children in the early years. The training is an important part of the Growing Together project that supports vulnerable children in displacements settings through play.

Aleema Shivji, Executive Director of Handicap International UK, blogs on the recent UK Home Office decision to suspend the entry of disabled child refugees through the Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme.

After two years of war, violence is part of daily life in Yemen. Handicap International is therefore providing support to rehabilitation departments in three health centres in Sana’a, where it has already assisted more than 4,500 people since August 2015.
 

Four months after Hurricane Matthew hit Haiti, many people still need humanitarian aid. Handicap International has distributed emergency kits and household items to one thousand homes, benefiting more than 4,700 people affected by the disaster. The organisation has also transported more than 270 tonnes of humanitarian equipment to people living in remote areas.

Floods and poor hygiene in areas hit by Cyclone Idai pose a new threat to affected populations. HI is preparing to distribute hygiene kits to the most vulnerable families in Mozambique.