NPR

Global Problems Aid Groups Should Prepare For, If They Want To Survive

Relief organizations can barely cope with today's famine and refugee crises. Are they ready for the next era of humanitarian emergencies?
A woman carries bags of food on her back at Dakamur camp, Somalia, in March.

If a famine occurs, aid groups send food. If there's a war, they set up health clinics.

But what to do in event of a massive cyberattack? A new disease epidemic?

A July report has an alarming message for the aid community: adapt or be left in the dust.

"The way in which the humanitarian sector has been operating leaves continued need," says , an author of the. "We're proposing a new way for NGOs to see their role. What do we need to be able to continue operating in the future?"

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