Human Needs

Palestinians wait for humanitarian aid on a beachfront in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, Feb. 25, 2024.

'Everyone is worried about starvation': Aid worker discusses dire situation in Gaza

The UN says it's no longer able to run humanitarian aid operations in the Gaza Strip. In recent days, the number of relief trucks getting into the territory has dwindled. The World's host Carolyn Beeler spoke to Shaina Low of the Norwegian Refugee Council in Jerusalem, who says the situation in northern Gaza is especially bad.

'Everyone is worried about starvation': Aid worker discusses dire situation in Gaza
Group of people at night sitting on motorized wheelchairs

Wheelchair tours show Colombia’s Medellín from a different perspective

Wheelchair tours show Colombia’s Medellín from a different perspective
A woman in the forefront and Palestinians running on the Al-Aqsa Hospital grounds in Gaza

Dire conditions in Gaza's few functioning hospitals, UK doctor says

Dire conditions in Gaza's few functioning hospitals, UK doctor says
Sea-level rise and storms made stronger by climate change threaten communities across coastal Bangladesh.

‘They forgot about me’: People with disabilities in Bangladesh face increased risk during natural disasters

‘They forgot about me’: People with disabilities in Bangladesh face increased risk during natural disasters
Children stand in front of the building of the Peruvian Congress as part of a call to demand accountability for cancer patients in Peru, September 2023.

Desperate cancer patients in Peru look for options across the Atlantic

Desperate cancer patients in Peru look for options across the Atlantic
Trucks carrying humanitarian aid enter Gaza Strip from Egypt in Rafah as a temporary ceasefire went into effect, Nov. 24, 2023.

'We're bracing for what comes after' the truce, MSF Gaza director says

Many Palestinians in the Gaza Strip remain in desperate need of humanitarian aid. To find out more about the situation, The World's host Marco Werman spoke with Avril Benoit, the executive director of Doctors Without Borders in the United States.

'We're bracing for what comes after' the truce, MSF Gaza director says
people amid explosion

A timeline of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

The Middle East has seen decades of unrest, much of it stemming from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The current Israel-Hamas war is the latest outbreak of violence that threatens lasting peace across the region and the globe. The World has compiled a timeline of key events in the conflict.

A timeline of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
smoke over buildings

In Sudan, volunteers step up to help those caught in the crossfire

While many Sudanese are fleeing the country, most people remain trapped in their homes as food and medical supplies dwindle. In the absence of outside help, neighborhood committees have formed to bring in food and water and to check on people's welfare.

In Sudan, volunteers step up to help those caught in the crossfire
Karolina Daremyan bikes just six weeks after receiving her new prosthetic legs at Shriners Children's Boston.

How a Boston hospital transformed a Ukrainian child’s life

UN human rights groups have recorded over 500 children killed and nearly 1,000 injured from the Ukraine war. The Ukrainian hospital system has been overwhelmed, and only a fraction of injured children, like 6-year-old Karolina Daremyan, have been able to make the journey to the US for complicated medical procedures and rehabilitation.

How a Boston hospital transformed a Ukrainian child’s life
The ambiance of the Bab al-Yemen restaurant in Boston adds to a unique dining experience for customers, Apr. 12, 2023.

At Boston’s first Yemeni restaurant, food, community and tradition are on the menu this Ramadan

Owner Ahmed Mahmood tells The World about his own journey, the political situation in Yemen and how he's created a space for those observing the month of fasting.

At Boston’s first Yemeni restaurant, food, community and tradition are on the menu this Ramadan
Smoke rises from a central neighborhood of Khartoum, Sudan, amid intense fighting between armed forces, April 16, 2023.

Fighting between armed forces in Sudan continues amid warnings of wider regional conflict

The country’s military, the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary began fighting on Saturday, following weeks of tensions. Pressure from international and regional players has so far failed to deescalate the conflict.

Fighting between armed forces in Sudan continues amid warnings of wider regional conflict
Vicky sits in a park in Madrid. She’s smiling because her hospice caretakers have arranged for her to fly home to the Dominican Republic to visit her mom and family one last time.

'What I really needed was a hug': Madrid hospice workers make sure the unhoused won't die alone

Dozens of people who are homeless die every year in Spain, often on the streets — and usually alone. But one small hospice program is trying to make a difference by connecting with homeless people and spending time with them, even at the very end of life.

'What I really needed was a hug': Madrid hospice workers make sure the unhoused won't die alone
Wide view of Almeria in southern Spain.

Migrant farmworkers in Spain living in makeshift encampments have little hope for formal work

Many migrant farmworkers in Spain say they can't afford housing, so they live in makeshift plastic housing near the farms where they work. Local governments have tried to remove these informal settlements and relocate people to shelters far from the farms — but they keep building back.

Migrant farmworkers in Spain living in makeshift encampments have little hope for formal work
Boats carrying mining supplies move along the Uraricoera River in Alto Alegre, Roraima state, Brazil, as some miners leave Yanomami Indigenous territory ahead of expected operations against illegal mining, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023. 

Lula declares humanitarian crisis for Brazil's Yanomami territory, cracks down on illegal mining

A humanitarian crisis looms in Brazil's Yanomami territory, where communities have been ravaged by malnutrition, malaria, COVID-19 and widespread illegal mining. Now, the central government is trying to crack down on illegal mining and support these communities after years of neglect.

Lula declares humanitarian crisis for Brazil's Yanomami territory, cracks down on illegal mining
The Singh family in a promotional video for the specially designed Bold Helmets.

This mom couldn’t find sports helmets to accommodate her sons’ Sikh religious requirements, so she designed her own

Many kids' products on the market are not always inclusive or accommodate unique needs — including religious ones. Ontario mother Tina Singh decided to design sports helmets for her three boys that wouldn't compromise their Sikh faith — or their safety.

This mom couldn’t find sports helmets to accommodate her sons’ Sikh religious requirements, so she designed her own