Choose not to forget

When the cameras leave, the needs remain

Some of the world's most severe humanitarian crises are unfolding right now — far from the media spotlight, and far from global attention.

In Afghanistan, in Sudan, in Madagascar — millions of people face urgent needs for healthcare, food, safe water, and shelter. Their suffering has not lessened. What has changed is that the world has stopped watching.

At Medair, we believe that a life is not less valuable because it is less visible.

When international attention moves on, the greatest risk is not only that aid decreases — it is that these lives become forgotten. Can we really look away simply because the world is looking elsewhere?

Today, we choose not to forget. We choose to stand alongside forgotten families facing immense hardship, helping them recover dignity, rebuild hope, and meet urgent needs.

"It is difficult to access health services due to our financial issues. Without this facility, it would be difficult to go elsewhere. I feel optimistic about the services here. It makes me feel more secure."

— Amna, mother of Kamal, treated for malnutrition in Khartoum State

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All photos ©  Medair  

The people behind the crises

This summer, three forgotten crises demand our urgent attention.

More than 239 million people are in urgent need globally in 2026. Behind every number is a person — a parent, a neighbour, or a child. These are some of the places the world has stopped seeing.

Sudan — The world's largest humanitarian crisis, largely unseen

Since conflict broke out in April 2023, Sudan has become one of the most devastating humanitarian emergencies on earth. Today, more than 30 million people — nearly two-thirds of the population — need humanitarian assistance.

More than 8.9 million people have been forced from their homes, making Sudan the world's largest displacement crisis. Families who fled violence are returning to find their homes destroyed, their communities in ruin, with almost nothing left.

Health systems have largely collapsed. Cholera, malaria, and malnutrition are spreading across all 18 states. In some regions, famine conditions have already been confirmed.

Medair has worked in Sudan for 18 years — because the needs have never stopped. We provide emergency health care, nutrition treatment, clean water, and psychosocial support to families who have endured years of conflict and loss.

• 222,567 people helped in Sudan in 2025
• 6,647 people treated for malnutrition — 86% discharged cured
• 38,561 consultations for children under 5
• 29,438 people reached with safe water and sanitation

Find out more

Three decades of crisis later, Afghanistan is still forgotten

Afghanistan remains one of the world's most complex humanitarian emergencies. In 2026, 21.9 million people — nearly half the population — require humanitarian assistance.

Climate shocks, earthquakes, devastating floods and deep economic hardship compound decades of instability. Half of all children under five, and 1.2 million breastfeeding women, need treatment for acute malnutrition. Access to safe water is critically limited in vast parts of the country, and healthcare remains fragile and underfunded.

In Uruzgan, a Medair survey found a malnutrition rate of 12.1% among children under five — above the emergency threshold. Over 5 million Afghans have returned from neighbouring countries since 2023, arriving with nothing to an already strained emergency.

Medair has been present in Afghanistan for 30 years. We operate health clinics, nutrition programmes, and safe water projects in remote, hard-to-reach communities — including for returnees who have come back with nothing.

• 577,044 people helped in Afghanistan in 2025
• 39,099 people treated for malnutrition — 96% discharged cured
• 144,663 consultations for children under 5
• 610 babies born safely with Medair support

Find out more

Madagascar — An health crisis driven by drought, not conflict

Madagascar's humanitarian crisis does not come from war. It comes from recurrent droughts, devastating cyclones and extreme poverty — and it receives almost no global attention.

2.2 million people currently require humanitarian assistance, particularly in the drought-prone southern regions. Malnutrition rates are among the highest in the world, with hundreds of thousands of children under five at risk. Health centres in remote areas lack medicines, staff and equipment. Access to safe water remains critically low.

Without the urgency of conflict, Madagascar rarely makes headlines. But the suffering is just as real — and the need for support is just as urgent.

Medair has worked in Madagascar for 25 years. We provide safe water and sanitation, nutrition support, and healthcare to communities left behind by the international response. ​ 

• 81,065 people helped in Madagascar in 2025
• 68,540 people reached with water, sanitation and hygiene
• 44 babies born safely with Medair support

Find out more

These people are not helpless victims

At Medair, our role is to stand alongside communities facing immense hardship, working together with them to bring life, relief and lasting support where it is needed most.

We go wherever we are needed most — regardless of whether the media follows.

We stay for as long as the need exists.

We believe that every life has equal worth.

Together, last year, Medair supporters and staff reached more than 3.6 million people who needed help to overcome crisis.

For over 37 years, Medair has worked in the heart of crises — in the places that are hardest to reach, and hardest to remember.

We make no distinction between crises that are visible and those that are not. We make no distinction between people who are seen and those who are not.

We are on the ground in Afghanistan, Sudan, Madagascar — and in many other places where the suffering is real, even if the headlines are not.

Without you, we could not do this.

Thank you for showing them they are not forgotten

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Globally, 86% of our funds went directly to support people in urgent need in 2025. All donations to Medair are tax-deductible in Switzerland and in other countries.