Concern Worldwide
Ending extreme poverty whatever it takes
Concern implements a huge diversity of programmes, designed to address specific causes of extreme poverty in communities across 23 countries. These programmes are guided by these six thematic focus areas.
Stories From the Field
NIGER (Health)
Concern Worldwide’s health and nutrition team have been working in the north/central region of Niger since 2005. The team began by supporting health facilities, particularly with the treatment of malnourished children, iInitially in the form of mobile sites. However, in 2009 Concern began working alongside the Ministry of Health (MoH) to integrate the management of acute malnutrition in the standard health facility package. Over the next five years, Concern’s Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) approach became part of the standard package of care, implemented directly by the Ministry of Health with the support of Concern Worldwide.
ETHIOPIA (Resilience & Climate Adaptation)
Ethiopia is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and over the last fifteen years, has experienced five severe droughts, which have all required significant humanitarian interventions and which have critically impacted the food and nutrition security and livelihoods of large portions of the population. More recently, Ethiopia is facing alarming food shortages following swarms of locusts across their land.
Concern’s five-year integrated programme - REGRADE - targets more than 10,000 households and promotes active community participation through a package of complementary interventions including land reclamation, watershed management and climate smart agriculture for livelihoods.
Mestawat Sorsa, below, joined the Concern REGRADE program in late 2017 and has since then started a grain milling business, acquired a donkey, a cow, and a sheep, and carried out major improvements to the family home, including new windows, doors, and furniture. She plans to buy an ox.
AFGHANISTAN (Resilience & Climate Adaptation)
In a rural village in Northern Afghanistan, villagers are busy constructing a watershed that will help prevent future flooding. Due to Covid-19 (and about 30% of villagers returning from Iran, where they previously worked), activities have been adjusted. While about 40-50 people worked every day, it is now only 15 and everyone is keeping a distance, washing hands, while working. Project supported by IrishAid.
MALAWI (Humanitarian Response & Conflict)
Concern first visited Patrick, below, just after Cyclone Idai wreaked havoc on Monyo village, close to the Malawi/Mozambique border. He was newly married at the time. Patrick and his new wife spent three months away from their home after the destructive storm and had to rely solely on fishing following the devastation. After Cyclone Idai, Patrick received a cash transfer from Concern of 23,000 kwacha (around €29) to help him rebuild. He also received maize seeds which he was able to plant straight away, which led to a decent harvest. Through Concern's cash transfers, Patrick also bought two goats and some chickens, which have been a good source of income. He plans to sell some of his chickens to help provide food and basic necessities for his family, including a new baby girl.
Patrick still lives in fear of another storm, as his area is vulnerable to floodwaters. But he does get some peace of mind from the fact that, now, he gets weather and early warning alerts from local Village Civil Protection Community groups, telling him to move to higher ground when needed. Patrick hopes to be able to send his daughter to school one day and has aspirations to open a grocery shop, as well as maintaining his farm.