This World Humanitarian Day 19^th August 2020, Charter4Change wish to pay tribute to all our #localheroes who demonstrate local capacity. Charter4Change wish to see the humanitarian aid system effectively reflecting a shared humanity, solidarity in diversity and equal dignity among people.

Local humanitarian workers are real life heroes, who struggle to preserve the life of others by putting their own lives on the line. Today more than ever before, it seems, humanitarian crisis abounds everywhere in their diverse forms and shapes. #LocalHeroes like the ones represented in the blogs below are humanitarians who defy all odds, make extraordinary sacrifices amidst heighten insecurity from Northeast Nigeria to Afghanistan. The COVID-19 pandemic adds an additional burden on their shoulders. “During this pandemic they bring hope, relief, food security, improved health, social cohesion, protection measures for the most vulnerable and sustainable livelihoods to survivors of humanitarian crises”, says Nkese Udongwo, Director of Humanitarian Services, Caritas Nigeria.

“In every crisis situation, we see #reallifeheroes. They are the living souls that sustain the humanity in us. But with limited resources for own protection, we see greater risks our #localheroes are facing especially in this time of pandemic when the international aid system is largely paralyzed”, says Regina Nanet Antequisa, executive director of ECOWEB, Philippines.

Philippines/ ECOWEB and Johanniter International Assistance

“I am Khalid Bantog and work as a volunteer in ECOWEB Philippines. In celebrating the World Humanitarian Day, I am representing our organisation and the sector of public-spirited youth volunteers. I believe we are not only the hope, but we play a vital role in serving our community better through localizing our efforts on the ground. As a M’ranao youth volunteer, it motivates me to listen to community’s experiences and learn from it. I appreciate the bottoms-up learning and observe how resilient communities are. It was self-fulfilling to hear the success stories of the poor and oppressed and take actions to volunteer.”