USAID/OFDA helped ensure children were safe and protected after the 2010 earthquake damaged their school in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Ron Libby, USAID/OFDA

Natural disasters and conflict often exacerbate the vulnerability of individuals; people must cope with threats such as sexual violence, violence in the home, separation of families, exploitative labor, and exclusion from life-saving humanitarian assistance. USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) is at the forefront of the humanitarian community’s efforts to protect conflict- and disaster-affected communities and mitigate these potential threats. While working to minimize and respond to specific risks, USAID/OFDA requires partners to demonstrate their commitment to ensuring the safety of those receiving emergency relief across all sectors of a response and in all humanitarian assistance programs.

In Fiscal Year 2016, USAID/OFDA provided nearly $86.2 million to support protection programs, including nearly $10.2 million to a total of 18 partners for global and regional protection initiatives and approximately $76 million to 28 partners for protection activities in 23 countries. Worldwide, these programs have supported millions of people, providing services for child protection, psychosocial support, prevention of and response to gender-based violence, and coordination of and advocacy for protection activities.

Protection Archive

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