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.

“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 Renefe Padilla and work as a Project Manager in ECOWEB Philippines. In celebrating the World Humanitarian Day, I am representing our organisation and the women sector. I have been working with various projects implemented by ECOWEB. In our humanitarian responses, we have the survivor and community led  response approach. That motivates us to be more involved in empowering communities. Participation and inclusivity are our goals. They plan and execute their own responses. They are able to support their own recovery and build their resilience. This is what motivates me, more especially to see women becoming leaders and communities becoming agents of change.”