UNHCR staff directing the first convoy taking Sudanese refugees from Wandalou on the border to Farachana camp. ©UNHCR/H.Caux

We have all seen it on our television screens before. Thousands of people fleeing their homes with only their young ones gathered up in their arms. Scared, frightened, unsure of their future. Time is of the essence in these emergencies. We must be there, and we must be ready.

Behind the media headlines, we have a team at UNHCR who work round the clock to prepare for and respond to emergencies wherever they break. Our staff are always among the first humanitarian workers on the ground to help people fleeing reach the security of a refugee camp.

UNHCR maintains a stockpile of vital aid to be ready to be used whenever necessary. Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Liberia, Kosovo…in all of these hotspots in the last few years, we have protected the lives of countless thousands of refugees and displaced people because of our ability to respond quickly with aid and assistance—water and food, shelter and blankets, medical care and support to find their families.

UNHCR is constantly on alert to do the following:

• We set up secure transport routes to deliver aid quickly to people in need.
• We negotiate for open borders, and secure, plan and construct refugee camps.
• Under difficult conditions, we register and issue identity documents to every refugee as quickly as possible, so that we can protect their rights.
• We work with partners we trust to trace unaccompanied children, and reunite them with their families.
• We distribute all-season tents, blankets, plastic sheeting, mattresses, stoves, cooking utensils, kerosene lamps, and fuel for cooking to refugees in crisis.
• We set up and staff emergency health care facilities with generators so doctors can operate around the clock. Refugee crises are never convenient – some women arrive heavily pregnant; other refugees need urgent surgery.
• We vaccinate new arrivals to keep disease at bay.
• We deliver drinking water, and provides refugees with buckets and jerry cans for storage.
• We build latrines, washing facilities, and sink wells.
• We also distribute soap and sanitary napkins and other basic hygiene items.

Your financial support ensures that we continue to be ready for refugees wherever and whenever they need us.