Twenty years ago today, a suicide bomber attacked the UN headquarters at the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, killing 22 humanitarian aid workers and injuring more than 100 others. Five years later, the United Nations established August 19 as World Humanitarian Day to remember the fallen, honor the service and sacrifice of aid workers, and raise awareness about the risks taken every day by people who put their lives on the line in the world’s most dangerous places to help others. Even still, last year, over 400 aid workers were victims of violence, including 116 who were killed in the line of duty.

Tragically, those who face the greatest risks are often local nationals of the country in which they work, sacrificing everything to support their neighbors. Of the 444 humanitarians who faced violent attacks, kidnapping, harassment, and threats last year, more than 95 percent — 421 people — were local aid workers; 111 of them lost their lives.

Today’s humanitarian challenges are widespread and complex, but also local in nature. For this reason, USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance recognizes that saving lives requires an inclusive approach that puts local partners in the lead and empowers them to define priorities for our response and recovery efforts. Put simply, we believe that those on the ground are best placed to identify the needs of their communities, and that we can only be at our best when we work together with those local leaders to affect positive change. This local leadership helps save more lives by making humanitarian responses more effective, efficient, and equitable.

Today, amid the deteriorating security conditions and the ever-present risk of harm in countries around the world, we want to spotlight the heroic work done by some of our partners in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Haiti. Here are some concrete ways that locally led action is helping make us better humanitarians.

Building Trust with Communities in the DRC

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has one of the largest concentrations of humanitarian need in the world, with nearly 27 million people — greater than the entire population of Australia — in dire need of aid. In eastern parts of the country, a deadly spike in armed group attacks has triggered a massive displacement crisis that has forced more than three million people from their homes since early 2022.

Food is a primary concern for those displaced, and USAID’s local partners like Association Locale pour le Développement Intégral (ALDI) are on the front lines feeding thousands in eastern DRC’s Ituri Province. The organization’s presence on the ground has allowed local aid workers to build relationships with the groups they serve, enabling them to pinpoint pockets of extreme need to help ensure our aid is reaching people who need it most. Aid is most effective when it comes from people communities know and trust, and our work with ALDI has multiplied the impact of USAID’s support.

In addition to assessing humanitarian needs, local partners in the DRC are in a unique position of trust to mobilize community support for activities that will save lives. Crowded conditions at many of the eastern region’s displacement camps have also dramatically increased the need for safe water, improved sanitation, and better communication of hygiene best practices to prevent disease outbreaks. In North Kivu Province, USAID local partner Programme de Promotion de Soins de Santé Primaires (PPSSP) has been building water points, distributing essential hygiene supplies, and leveraging personal relationships with women and youth to model new hygiene practices.

“Our staff are members of beneficiary communities,” said PPSSP Executive Director Sikuli Micheline. “They live the same realities, speak the same language, and share the same culture. This can make project aims understood by all and leads to greater acceptance of humanitarian action.”

Empowering the Haiti Diaspora

In Haiti, people are living with the impacts of multiple, overlapping disasters. Waves of violence by criminal groups, dire economic conditions, and deadly disease outbreaks have left roughly half of the country in need of humanitarian assistance. To make matters worse, insecurity and poor road conditions often prevent aid groups from reaching the worst affected.

To expand the reach of our assistance, USAID has been collaborating with Haitian diaspora groups like Haiti Outreach Pwoje Espwa (H.O.P.E.) through the USAID-funded Diaspora Partner Accelerator, to get local responders the tools they need to help their own communities. In the northern commune of Borgne, H.O.P.E. has been training local health workers to provide care and assess community medical needs for those families living far from the nearest hospital.

JUST A DRILL: Local health workers in Borgne, Haiti, participate in a disaster simulation conducted by USAID partner H.O.P.E. The drill is designed to improve their readiness to lead emergency responses in their communities. Photos: H.O.P.E.

“In Haiti, when approaching someone’s house, it is traditional to ask to enter by saying ‘onè’ or honor, which is reciprocated with ‘respè’ or respect,” noted H.O.P.E. Executive Director Jim Myers. “This is not just a simple greeting. Local people understand that mutual honor and respect are the basis in establishing trust. They also understand social structures and networks.” Building trust is an essential component of USAID’s effort to put local partners at the heart of our programming. This trust creates a better humanitarian response, which, in turn, saves even more lives.

Chris Low, Co-Founder of diasporan group Friends of Matènwa, which supports programs that offer local communities opportunities to improve their education and welfare, agrees. “Local organizations know the people they are trying to serve,” she said. “They are the ones who will be culturally aware of what will work on the ground and how to implement it.”

Protecting Our Local Partners

While USAID is committed to empowering local leadership in our responses, we recognize the increased risks they face. That is why USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance funds organizations across the world who are dedicated to improving aid worker safety and security standards, coordination, analysis, and training for NGO staff working in high-risk settings. In particular, many of these partners, including the Aid Worker Security Database, are collecting and sharing global data on security incidents and threats that help relief groups make decisions that protect their personnel.

The numbers show that local aid workers face the crosshairs of violence more than anyone else. In times of crisis, all countries bear responsibility for protecting humanitarian workers, especially those working for local and national aid organizations. Because local voices matter. And our mission to save lives depends on them. That’s why we stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners and the communities we serve, no matter who, no matter where, and #NoMatterWhat.